Overview

Jack Boss takes a unique approach to analyzing Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone music, adapting the composer's notion of a 'musical idea' - problem, elaboration, solution - as a framework and focusing on the large-scale coherence of the whole piece. The book begins by defining 'musical idea' as a large, overarching process involving conflict between musical elements or situations, elaboration of that conflict, and resolution, and examines how such conflicts often involve symmetrical pitch and interval shapes that are obscured in some way. Containing close analytical readings of a large number of Schoenberg's key twelve-tone works, including Moses und Aron, the Suite for Piano Op. 25, the Fourth Quartet, and the String Trio, the study provides the reader with a clearer understanding of this still-controversial, challenging, but vitally important modernist composer.

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9781107624924

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Reviews

'Future scholars interested in following Boss's lead will benefit immeasurably from his careful analyses, his synthesis of previous scholarship, and, perhaps most of all, the provocative questions his work raises.' Zachary Bernstein, Journal of Music Theory 'Densely informative and richly detailed, Jack Boss's monograph on Schoenberg's twelve-tone music is the product of an impressive thirteen years of analytical work, itself drawing on a career-spanning engagement with Schoenberg's music. ... The sincerity of the project is unquestionable and Jack Boss communicates both expertise and laudable passion.' Andrew J. Chung, Current Musicology 'Boss's groundbreaking book provides a new and illuminating methodology for understanding, exploring, and appreciating Schoenberg's music.' Joe Argentino, Music Theory Online

'Future scholars interested in following Boss's lead will benefit immeasurably from his careful analyses, his synthesis of previous scholarship, and, perhaps most of all, the provocative questions his work raises.' Zachary Bernstein, Journal of Music Theory 'Densely informative and richly detailed, Jack Boss's monograph on Schoenberg's twelve-tone music is the product of an impressive thirteen years of analytical work, itself drawing on a career-spanning engagement with Schoenberg's music. ... The sincerity of the project is unquestionable and Jack Boss communicates both expertise and laudable passion.' Andrew J. Chung, Current Musicology 'Boss's groundbreaking book provides a new and illuminating methodology for understanding, exploring, and appreciating Schoenberg's music.' Joe Argentino, Music Theory Online 'Future scholars interested in following Boss's lead will benefit immeasurably from his careful analyses, his synthesis of previous scholarship, and, perhaps most of all, the provocative questions his work raises.' Zachary Bernstein, Journal of Music Theory 'Densely informative and richly detailed, Jack Boss's monograph on Schoenberg's twelve-tone music is the product of an impressive thirteen years of analytical work, itself drawing on a career-spanning engagement with Schoenberg's music. ... The sincerity of the project is unquestionable and Jack Boss communicates both expertise and laudable passion.' Andrew J. Chung, Current Musicology 'Boss's groundbreaking book provides a new and illuminating methodology for understanding, exploring, and appreciating Schoenberg's music.' Joe Argentino, Music Theory Online

Author Information

Jack Boss is Associate Professor of Music at the University of Oregon. His research interests centre around large-scale coherence in Schoenberg's music, and he has published numerous articles relating to that topic in journals such as Journal of Music Theory, Music Theory Spectrum, Perspectives of New Music and Music Theory Online. He has co-edited two collections of music-analytic essays: Musical Currents from the Left and Analyzing the Music of Living Composers (and Others).

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