In music, a permutation of a set is a transformation of its prime form by applying zero or more

of certain operations, specifically transposition, inversion, and retrograde. This produces a

reordering of the members of the set.
The permutations resulting from applying the inversion or retrograde operations are categorized
as the prime form's inversions and retrogrades, respectively. Likewise, applying both inversion
and retrograde to a prime form produces its retrograde-inversions, which are considered a
distinct type of permutation.
Here is an example of permutation usage in the tone row (or twelve tone series) from Anton
Webern's Concerto:

Webern's Concerto Op. 24 tone row,[1] composed of four trichords: P RI R I

B, B, D, E, G, F, G, E, F, C, C, A

If the first three notes are regarded as the "original" cell, then the next three are its retrograde
inversion (backwards and upside down), the next three are retrograde (backwards), and the last
three are its inversion (upside down).
In the twelve tone technique, within all 144 cells, a tone row has a maximum of 48 permutations,
including its prime form. However, not all prime series have so many variations because the
transposed and inverse transformations of a tone row may be identical to each other, a
phenomenon known as invariance.
One technique facilitating twelve-tone permutation is the use of number values corresponding
with musical letter names. The first note of the first of the primes, actually prime zero
(commonly mistaken for prime one), is represented by 0. The rest of the numbers are counted
half-step-wise such that: B = 0, C = 1, C/D = 2, D = 3, D/E = 4, E = 5, F = 6, F/G = 7, G =
8, G/A = 9, A = 10, and A/B = 11.
Prime zero is retrieved entirely by choice of the composer. To receive the retrograde of any
given prime, the numbers are simply rewritten backwards. To receive the inversion of any prime,
each number value is subtracted from 12 and the resulting number placed in the corresponding
matrix cell (see twelve-tone technique). The retrograde inversion is the values of the inversion
numbers read backwards.
Therefore:
A given prime zero (derived from the notes of Anton Webern's Concerto):

0, 11, 3, 4, 8, 7, 9, 5, 6, 1, 2, 10

The retrograde:
10, 2, 1, 6, 5, 9, 7, 8, 4, 3, 11, 0

The inversion:
0, 1, 9, 8, 4, 5, 3, 7, 6, 11, 10, 2

The retrograde inversion:

2, 10, 11, 6, 7, 3, 5, 4, 8, 9, 1, 0

More generally, a musical permutation is any reordering of the prime form of an ordered set of
pitch classes [2] or, with respect to twelve-tone rows, any ordering at all of the set consisting of
the integers modulo 12.[3] In that regard, a musical permutation is a combinatorial permutation
from mathematics as it applies to music. Permutations are in no way limited to the twelve-tone
serial and atonal musics, but are just as well utilized in tonal melodies especially during the 20th
and 21st centuries, notably in Rachmaninoff's "Variations on the Theme of Paganini" for
orchestra and piano.[citation needed]
Cyclical permutation is the maintenance of the original order of the tone row with the only
change being that of the initial pitch-class, with the original order following after. [citation needed]
This is also called rotation.[4] A secondary set may be considered a cyclical permutation
beginning on the sixth member of a hexachordally combinatorial row. The tone row from Berg's
Lyric Suite, for example, is realized thematically and then cyclically permuted (0 is bolded for
reference):
5 4 0 9 7 2 8 1 3 6 t e
3 6 t e 5 4 0 9 7 2 8 1

Initial statement begins on F(=5), mm. 2-4, cyclical permutation begins on E(=3) in mm. 7-9
(Perle 1996, p.20).

See also

Counterpoint
Identity (music)
Multiplication (music)

Musical set theory

Permutation