ATONAL music: characteristics and composers

By the order in which things unfold in the story, and as we learn about of them, we tend to create rules and form a structure that allows us to better understand a discipline. However, there comes a time when this structure can limit our creativity and it is then when curiosity wins the battle trying to break all those rules that seem to have come to to stay.

In this lesson from a TEACHER we will talk about atonal music: characteristics and composers, a type of music that defies the norms of harmony and formal academic music, breaking even the very rules of its own structure.

In summary, atonal music is all that does not follow the rules from tonalityor a tonal center ("Tonal" comes from the word "tone", therefore "atonal" means without tone). In atonality, the 12 notes that we use in Western music are totally independent and for this reason it is usually related to “twelve-tone” music and “chromaticism”. Atonal music began to be written conceptually at late nineteenth century and it was explored in greater depth during the 20th century.

To better understand this concept we must understand the opposite, which is the tonality. As you may know, in academic music there is an order and a structure to be able to create works, the way in which that we combine the musical notes and the relationship they have with each other are what build and define a construction site. A basic work is made up of rhythm, melody and chords, which are in a defined progression. These progressions usually follow the rules and structures of a key, or a tonal center.

What is tonality?

Tonality is a system, that in music that dictates the notes that we can use so that they are compatible with each other, as well as a specific color palette in the painting. Tonality is defined by musical scales(the major and minor scales being the most common) and tends to be indicated by means of armor at the beginning of the staff of a work.

Thanks to this key signature we know the scale and with it the notes and chord progression that we can use to have a consonant structure, pleasant to the ear. Finally, the tonal center It is the main key of a work, since it is possible to have several tones within the same piece.

Now that you know what tonality is, we can deduce that then "atonality" is when all these rules disappear and leave the composer absolute freedom to use the musical notes. As an effect, atonal music tends to be strange or even unpleasant to us, it tends to be dissonant (the opposite of consonant) for its lack of structure.

Although there are composers who created works with atonality such as Franz Liszt and Claude Debussy, these are some of the composers who stand out specifically for their atonal works:

• Alban berg (Germany, 1885-1935)
• Arnold schoenberg (Germany, 1874-1951)
• Anton Webern (Austria, 1883-1945)
• Alexander Scriabin (Russia, 1871-1915)
• Béla Bártok (Hungary, 1881-1945)
• Paul hindemith (Germany, 1895-1963)
• Sergei prokofiev (Russia, 1891-1953)
• Igor Stravinsky (Russia, 1882-1971)
• Edgard Varèse (France, 1883-1965)
• Carl Ruggles (United States, 1876-1971)

Atonal musical works

• George Lieder The Book of the Hanging Gardens (1909) Op.15 / 1 - Arnold Schoenberg
• Pierrot lunaire (1912) Op.21 - Arnold Schoenberg
• Spring consecration (1913) - Igor Stravinsky
• Vox clamans in deserto (1923) - Carles Ruggles
• Five Movements (1909) Op.5 - Anton Webern
• Bagatelle sans tonalité (1885) S.216a - Franz Liszt

Now that you have learned about atonal music: characteristics and composers We invite you to spend a few moments listening to this type of music, so that you can apply what you have learned and better understand about this topic.