Smooth Voice-Leading Systems for Atonal Music

In this dissertation, I introduce and develop a methodology to analyze atonal music from the view-point of voice-leading. I organize pitch-class sets having the same cardinality to demonstrate what is defined here as smooth voice-leading. I first deal with the historical study relating to voice-leading systems for atonal music, a heavily researched field, and I focus on the interval array in pitch-class series.This dissertation introduces a partition of Schoenberg’s signature set, the 6–Z44 hexachord, into four systems (orbits), in close analogy with Cohn’s four systems of maximally smooth cycles of hexatonic triads, and offers analytical examples of pairs of adjacent sets from this perspective. Selected analyses demonstrate its applicability. Moreover, I suggest relatively smooth voice-leading systems covering Allen Forte’s all pitch-class sets. The relatively smooth voice-leading systems are organized into groups according to criteria of shared interval-string contents from the pitch-class sets’ arrays. In groups of pitch-class sets sharing a cardinality and sharing interval multiplicities in their interval string arrays, I propose smooth voice-leading systems. Voice leading within pitch-class sets in the same group could be considered relatively smooth compared to other voice leadings, either those defined by Cohn to be maximally smooth, or between pitch-class sets in different groups according to the interval-string content criteria, which are not smooth at all. Definitions of these concepts are provided in the dissertation.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Music

Grantor dc:publisher

The Ohio State University

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Kim, Yeajin

Contributors dc:contributor

• Clampitt, David

• Music

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1366279786

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:osu1366279786