POST-TONAL TRANSPOSITION & INVERSION TH205

RICHARD D

PITCH TRANSPOSITION T p
n PITCH INVERSION I p
p
• Same contour & pitch intervals • Flipped contour (pitch intervals reversed)
• Just starts on a different pitch (literally ✓ ex. -4, +7 , +1 becomes +4, -7, -1
LITERAL moved up or down in actual pitch space) • Starts on any pitch
• Show direction with a + or - • Identify the axis (the same note(s)* directly in
Contour and pitch the middle) of each corresponding pitch
intervals are maintained
or just flipped *Each pitch of this inversion
œ has been flipped around B♭4
œ #œ œ
Tp+15
œœ p
(♭ ) œ
& œ bœ œ #œ & #œ œ I B♭4
œœ
#œ
PITCH +1 +6 -3 +1 +6 -3 PITCH
INTERVALS INTERVALS -4 +7 +1 +4 -7 -1
COMPOSING: Pick a pitch for your axis. Measure the pitch interval from the axis
0 COMPOSING: Move the entire motive/melody/etc. up or down any
e 1 to the first note of the original, then start the inverted line on the pitch that’s
number of half-steps the same distance on the other side. Next, reverse the intervals of the first line.
t 2

9 pc 3

8 4
7
6
5 PITCH-CLASS TRANSPOSITION Tn PITCH-CLASS INVERSION In
• Contour may be different • Contour may be different
• …but the pc intervals are the same • Inverted pc intervals (mod-12)
• Each pc of the copy is moved around the • Add each corresponding pitch. If you get the
clock with the same pc interval same number (mod-12), then that’s your index.

ABSTRACT #œ
T5 I2
œ
Contour and intervallic & œ œ bœ œ œ
œ #œ & bœ œ #œ
#œ bœ œ
distances are different, but pcs e 9 1 5 4 2 6 t
œ
the relationship in pc space If you add each pc in the first measure to its corresponding
has some similarity Each corresponding pc is the same distance around the
clock (always clockwise). In the example, e to 4 is 5 hours note in the next, they should sum to the same number.
around the clock, 9 to 2 is 5 hours, and so on. 8 (A♭) + 6 (F♯) = 14, which is 2 (mod-12).

COMPOSING: Move each of the notes of the original the same COMPOSING: Pick an index (0-11). For each pc in the original,
distance around the pc clock. find the pc that adds to the index (mod-12).