Michael Chen
The structural forces of dodecaphony
The definition of musical structure should involve both the external formation of structure and
internal structural forces. The formation of structure is based on structural forces, whilst the
structural forces are expressed as certain formation structure. Most compositions which contain logicality and continuity are trying to avoid the monotony that was caused by absolute repetition and the fatigue that came with continuous transformation. From this perspective, the composition of music should search for a balance point between the two extremes (i.e. repetition and transformation) in a full limitation to actualize the unity of opposites within them; it also has become one of the most significant bases upon which to establish the music structure. When observing the development of music, we find that the logical relation in internal structure in different eras and genres is always present. The article takes dodecaphony and discusses its structural forces, in an attempt to discover the continuity and relationship with traditional tonal music.
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