Elementary Twelve-Tone Theory

Robert Morris
Definitions row. A pc segment of all pcs without duplication. (In Princetonian twelvetone literature rows are called sets; and our pcsets are called collections.) row names. We use any capital letter to stand for a row. P is often used. (P need not start with pc 0.) Transformations of P are notated as operations to the left of P. For instance, given operations G and H on P, we write HGP. We first perform G on P, then H on that. IP is the inversion of P. TnP is the transposition of P by n. TnIP is the transposed inversion of P with the index number n. (We do not use ITnP as a row name (in any case, ITnP = T-nIP). RP is the retrograde of P RTnIP is the retrograde of the transposed inversion of P. Note: we write the R operation leftmost in a row name. We do not use the row names Pn, In, Rn and RIn. Pa denotes the ath pc in P (with P0 being the first pc of P.) pitch aspect A representation of a twelve-tone row in the standard way: the pcs of the row are written in the order of their associated ordernumbers. order aspect A representation of a twelve-tone row in which the ordernumbers are written in order of "ascending" pitch-class. ordered intervals in rows. The ordered (or directed) interval between Px and Py is given by Py Px. row-class A set of rows related by a canonical group of operators.
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twelve-tone system A row class whose canonical group is the serial group (the 48 Tn, TnI, and retrograde operations). Types of rows all-interval row A row whose INT has each directed (ordered) pc interval from 1 to B once and only once. all-trichord row A ten-trichord row that excludes SC 3-10[036] and 312[048]. multiple order-number function row (MOF) A row R whose pcsegments are merged (to within retrograde) in row S, and R and S are in the same row-class. supersaturated set-type rows A row in which every pc belongs to two imbricated row segments of the same set-class (or of two ZC-related set-classes). self-deriving row A row that can generate one or more combination matrices such that each column of the matrix can be ordered as a row in the row-class of the generating row. Mosaics mosaic A partition of the aggregate. mosaic-class The set of all mosaics related by Tn or TnI.

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Pc and Order Number Operations TTO A canonical operator that takes the form TnMm where n = 0 to B and m = 1, 5, 7, or B. There are 48 TTOs. T0 = T0M1; Tn = TnM1 I = MB; TnI = TnMB, M = M5; TnM = TnM5, MI = IM = M7 = MBM5; TnMI = TnM7. order-number TTOs Order-number transpositions (rotations), combined with the order-number multiplication operator mx, where x = 1, 5, 7, or B. (Note that the R operation = TBI on order numbers, and that rotation by n positions = Tn on order numbers.) Types of Row Classes segment group system (SeG system) A partition of the total number of pcsegments of a particular kind K such that if Y = GX, then Y, X SeG(X), for all segments X and Y and the operation G canonical group G. The (classical) twelve-tone system is the SeG system with the serial group as its canonical group. K is a twelve-tone row. general row system The SeG system of twelve-tone rows whose canonical group is the set of TTOs together with the order-number TTOs. K is a twelve-tone row. grand row system The SeG system of twelve-tone rows whose canonical group is the pc Tn and TnI operations together with the set of rotations and retrogrades (order-number Tn and TnI). K is a twelve-tone row.

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Functions on rows: INT INT(P) A list of the adjacent ordered intervals of P. It consists of 11 places; the first place is given by P1-P0, the second by P2-P1, etc. up to PB-PA. Ex: The INT(P) = <134BA463413> where P = <014875936AB2>. Note the following identities, which follow from the fact that the retrograde of an ordered interval is the same interval as its inversion. For any n: INT(TnP) = INT(P) INT(TnIP) = I(INT(P)) INT(RTnP) = RI(INT(P)) INT(RTnIP) = R(INT(P)) INTn(P) A list of the ordered intervals of P n order numbers apart. It consists of 12-n places; the first place is given by Pn-P0, the second by Pn+1-P1, etc. up to PB -P11-n. The INT(P) = INT1(P). Exx: INT2(P) = <47392A9754> where P = <014875936AB2>. INT5(P) = <58BA365> where P = <014875936AB2>. INTA(P) = <B1> where P = <014875936AB2>. INTB(P) = <z> where z is the directed interval between the first and last pc of P. INT0(P) = <000000000000> for all rows.

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Functions on rows: BIP BIPn(P) A list of the set-classes of imbricated segments of size n in P. It consists of 13-n places; the first place is given by the set-class of the pcs from P0 to Pn , the second place is given by the set-class from P1, to Pn+1, etc. up to the 12-nth place by the set-class of the pcs from P12-n to PB. We use the second part of Fortes two numeral names to denote the set-classes. (Note, a slightly different definition is given for BIPn in my Class Notes for Atonal Theory.) Note BIP2(P) is an 11-place list of the adjacent ics (unordered interval-classes) in P. Note: BIP2(P) is not the same as INT1(P). Identities: BIPn(P) = BIP(TxP) = BIP(TxIP) R(BIPn(P)) = BIP(RTxP) = BIP(RTxIP) Example: Let P = <014875936AB2> BIP2(P) = <13412463413> (Ps first ic is 1; the second ic = 3, etc.) BIP3(P) = <3 11 3 2 6 8 10 11 4 3> (The set-class of the first ordered trichord of P <014> is 3-3[014]; the setclass of the second ordered trichord of P <148> is a member of 3-11[037]; the last (10th) ordered trichord of P <AB2> is a member of 3-3[014]; etc.) BIP6(P) = < 19 15 4 2 10 43 44> (The set-class of the first ordered hexachord of P <014875> is a member of 619[013478]; the set-class of the middle ordered hexachord of P <875936> (including pcs from P3 to P8) is a member of 6-2[012346]; the last ordered hexachord of P <936AB2> is a member of 6-44[012569]; etc.

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We can succinctly list the BIPn(<014875936AB2>) from n = 3 to 11 as follows: [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] 3 19 22 19 21 19 3 3 1 11 18 16 15 13 2 2 2 1 3 3 3 4 1 1 1 1 2 2 9 2 2 2 3 6 21 8 10 13 19 8 12 18 43 22 10 11 4 18 20 19 38 21 44 3

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Some important sources for technical information on the 12-Tone System and serialism. Alphonce, Bo. 1974. "The Invariance Matrix," Ph.D. dissertation, Yale University. Babbitt, Milton. 1955. "Some Aspects of Twelve-Tone Composition" The Score and IMA Magazine 12: 5361. _____. 1960. "Twelve-Tone Invariants as Compositional Determinants." Musical Quarterly 46: 245259. _____. 1961. "Set Structure as a Compositional Determinant." Journal of Music Theory 5/2: 7294. _____. 1962. "Twelve-Tone Rhythmic Structure and the Electronic Medium." Perspectives of New Music 1/1: 4979. _____. "Since Schoenberg." 1973. Perspectives of New Music 12/12: 328. Lewin, David. 1962. "A Theory of Segmental Association in Twelve-Tone Music," Perspectives of New Music 1/1: 276-87. Martino, Donald. 1961. "The Source Set and Its Aggregate Formations." Journal of Music Theory 5/2: 224-73. Mead, Andrew. 1988. "Some Implications of the PitchClass/OrderNumber Isomorphism Inherent in the Twelve-Tone System: Part One." Perspectives of New Music 26/2: 96163. _____. 1989. "Some Implications of the PitchClass/OrderNumber Isomorphism Inherent in the Twelve-Tone System: Part Two." Perspectives of New Music 27/1: 180233. _____. 1994. An Introduction to the Music of Milton Babbitt. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. Morris, Robert D. 1976. "More on 0,1,4,2,9,5,11,3,8,10,7,6," In Theory Only 2/7: 1520. _____. 1985. "Set-Type Saturation Among Twelve-Tone Rows." Perspectives of New Music 22/1-2: 187-217. _____. 1987. Composition with Pitch-Classes: A Theory of Compositional Design. New Haven: Yale University Press. _____. 1991. Class Notes for Atonal Music Theory. Hanover, N.H.: Frog Peak Music. _____. 2000. Advanced Class Notes for Atonal Music Theory. Hanover, N.H.: Frog Peak Music. _____. 2001. Some things I learned (didn't learn) from Milton Babbitt, or why I am (am not) a serial composer. Open Space Magazine, 3:59-127. Morris, Robert D. and Brian Alegant. 1988. "The Even Partitions in TwelveTone Music." Music Theory Spectrum 10: 74103.
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Morris, Robert and Daniel Starr. 1974. "The Structure of All-Interval Series." Journal of Music Theory 18/2: 364389. Starr, Daniel. 1984. "Derivation and Polyphony." Perspectives of New Music 23/1: 180257. Starr, Daniel and Robert Morris. 197778. "A General Theory of Combinatoriality and the Aggregate," Perspectives of New Music 16/1: 335; 16/2: 5084. Perle, George. 1977. Twelve-Tone Tonality. Berkeley: University of California Press. Wuorinen, Charles. 1971 Simple Composition. New York: Longman.

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