Serialism

Serialism is a highly specialized method of musical composition. It uses ordered series of musical elements to organize a piece of music. These elements are often called parameters. Common parameters include pitch, which is the highness or lowness of a note. Other parameters include duration, which is how long a note lasts. Composers also use dynamics, which refers to volume. They may even use timbre, the specific quality or color of a sound. Some view serialism as more than a technique. It can be seen as a philosophy of life or a way to create completeness.

The most well-known form is the twelve-tone technique. This method uses the twelve notes of the chromatic scale. The composer arranges these notes into a specific order called a row. This row serves as a unifying basis for the entire work. It guides the melody, the harmony, and the structural progressions. A composer might build this row before they begin writing. They might also derive it from a spontaneous musical idea. The row's structure does not define the whole composition alone. A composer must still develop a comprehensive strategy for the piece. Some rows are built with strict rules, like using each interval only once.

As the technique evolved, composers developed integral serialism, also called total serialism. In this approach, the composer applies series to almost every musical dimension. Instead of just ordering pitches, they order rhythm, dynamics, and register. This means the volume and length of every note are part of a mathematical series. In the postwar era, European composers used different terms like general serialism. These musicians wanted to distinguish their work from earlier twelve-tone methods. They often focused on numerical proportions rather than recurring melodic rows.

The history of serialism began with a struggle against functional tonality. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, composers sought new expressive tools. Musicians like Debussy and Strauss pushed the limits of the existing tonal system. After a period of free atonality, Arnold Schoenberg developed the twelve-tone method in the 1920s. He aimed to show constraint in composition through these ordered sets. During the 1930s, many serial composers fled Europe for the United States. This migration helped spread these new ideas across the Atlantic. This shift changed the direction of American music significantly.

After World War II, serialism became an extremely influential force. Theorists like Milton Babbitt and George Perle helped codify these complex systems. Babbitt worked independently in America to create early examples of total serialism. He wrote several works for piano and instruments in 1947 and 1948. In Europe, the movement was fostered by Olivier Messiaen and his students. Messiaen used a chromatic rhythm scale in 1944. He later used a full rhythmic series in his Turangalîla-Symphonie between 1946 and 1948. These developments led to a wide variety of specialized serial styles.

Many different types of composers have interacted with serialism. Some, like Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen, used these techniques in most of their music. Others used serialism only in specific sections of their works. This group includes famous names like Igor Stravinsky and Benjamin Britten. Even some jazz composers, such as Bill Evans, explored these ideas. It has even appeared in rock music, notably in the work of Frank Zappa. This shows that serial concepts can cross many different musical genres.

Serialism is not limited to the world of music. The concept of using series and sets applies to other creative fields. You can find serial ideas in the visual arts and in design. Architects also use these principles to organize space and form. In literature, the musical concept has been adapted into writing styles. This demonstrates how the idea of ordered sets can influence many different systems of human expression.