12-Tone

Music and 12-Tone Technique

Invented by Josef Matthias Hauer, later modified and made famous by Arnold
Schoenberg and the other Second Viennese School composers.

Basic Concepts

• 12-Tone Music refers more to a technique rather than a style.

• All 12 chromatic notes are put in order, organized through what’s called a “12-tone
row”.

• The 12 notes appear once only before any note is repeated.

All notes are equal. There is no more hierarchy.

• Octave equivalence and enharmonic equivalence apply to all notes in the tone-row.
• Tone-rows can be presented horizontally as melodies or vertically as harmonies.
• Possible transformations of a tone row include Prime (P) for the original and its
transpositions, Inversion (I), Retrograde (R) and Retrograde Inversion (RI).

• It is possible to use tone-rows that are fewer than 12 notes.

Exercise

Identify the row form transformations of a 5-tone row below:

Tone-row (1) is related to tone-rows (2), (3), and (4) by transposition, inversion, retrograde, or
retrograde inversion. Please identify their relationships by analyzing the intervals. Write down
P (for original or transposition), I (inversion), R (Retrograde), or RI (Retrograde Inversion)
below the tone-rows.


(1) Original 5-tone row (2) Relationship to the Original:

(3) Relationship to the Original: (4) Relationship to the Original:

 °
(q = c. 40)

j œj œj j œj œj j j j
œ œ #œj œ ™ œ™ œ œ #œ œ ™ œ™
p
j j
S & œ œ
Lit - tle Lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee?

œ bœj œj nœ œ bœ œ ™ œ™
j j j
p
∑ j
A &
Dost thou know who made thee?

& ∑ ∑
‹
T

?
¢
B ∑ ∑

° j œj j j j j
3

& œ œ #œj bœj nœj bœ bœ nœj bœj #œj nœ œ œ

Gave thee life, and bid thee feed By the stream and o'er the mead;

& ∑ ∑

& ∑ ∑
‹

?
¢
∑ ∑
°
2
j j U
poco
j j j j
5

& œ œ œ #œj bœj nœj bœ bœ nœj bœj #œj nœ œ œ

Gave thee cloth - ing of de - light Soft - est cloth - ing, wool - ly, bright;
j j j U
j
& œ bœj nœj bœ œ nœj #œ #œ
j nœj œ bœj nœj j œ
bœ
Gave thee cloth - ing of de - light Soft - est cloth - ing, wool - ly, bright;
U
& ∑ ∑
‹
? U
¢
∑ ∑

° ppj œj œj j j j j œj œj j j j
7

& œ - œ œ #œ œ œ - œ œ #œ œ
Gave thee such a ten - der voice, Mak - ing all the vales re - joice?

j j j œj œj #œj œj j
& nœj œ œ- #œj œj œj œ
pp

œ - œ œ
Gave thee such a ten - der voice, Mak - ing all the vales re - joice?

œ - œ œ -œ œ
& œJ J œJ œJ œ
pp
J œ œ œ J J œ œ
‹ Gave thee such a
J J J J J
ten - der voice, Mak - ing all the vales re - joice?

? nœ j j œj œj œ j j œj œj œ
¢ J
œ œ œ
pp

J œ- œ J J œ- œ

°
Gave thee such a ten - der voice, Mak - ing all the vales re - joice?

j œj œj œj œj j ™ U
œ™ œ- œ œ #œ ˙ ™
9

& œ - #œ œ œ œ ˙
Lit -tle Lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee?

j j U
& œj œ œ- #œj œj œj œ ™ œ™ œ œ œ- #œ œ œ ˙ ™ ˙

œ œ œ™ œ™ œ œ ˙™
Lit -tle Lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee?

- -˙ U
& œJ œJ œ J J œ œ ˙
‹ Lit-tle Lamb who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee?

? œ œ U
¢
œ™ œ™ œ œ
˙™
J J œ- œ ˙- ˙
˙
Lit -tle Lamb who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee?
° mpj j j j j j
3

j œj œj j j j
& œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ ™ œ™ œ œ #œ œ ™ œ™
11

œ
Lit - tle Lamb, I'll tell thee, Lit - tle Lamb, I'll tell thee;

j œj œj œj œj j ™
œ™ œ bœj œj nœj œj bœ œ ™ œ™
mp
j j
& œ #œ œ
Lit - tle Lamb, I'll tell thee, Lit - tle Lamb, I'll tell thee;

j œj œj j j œj œj j j j
œ #œj œ ™ œ™ œ œ #œ œ ™ œ™
mp
j
& œ œ œ
‹ Lit - tle Lamb, I'll tell thee, Lit - tle Lamb, I'll tell thee;

? œ œJ œJ œJ œ #œ œ™ œ™ œ bœ œ nœ œ bœ œ™ œ™
mp

¢ J J J J J J J J J

°
Lit - tle Lamb, I'll tell thee, Lit - tle Lamb, I'll tell thee;

j œj j j j j j j œj
13

& œ œ #œj bœj nœj bœ bœ nœ bœ #œ nœ œ

He is called by thy name, For he calls him - self a Lamb.

j œj j j j j j j j j j œj
& œ nœ #œ bœ nœ bœ bœ nœ bœ #œ nœ œ
He is called by thy name, For he calls him - self a Lamb.

j œj j
œ #œj bœj nœj bœ
j j j j j j
bœ nœ bœ #œ nœ œ
& œ œ
‹ He is called by thy name, For he calls him - self a Lamb.

? œJ œJ œ #œ bœ nœ bœ bœ nœ bœ #œ nœ œ œ
¢ J J J J J J J J J J

°
He is called by thy name, For he calls him - self a Lamb.

j j j j j U
poco
j
15

& œ œ œ #œj bœj nœj bœ bœ nœj bœj #œj nœ œ œ

He is meek, and he is mild, He be - came a lit - tle child.

j j j j nœj j j nœj j j U
& œ bœ nœ bœ nœ #œ #œ œ bœ nœj bœj œ
He is meek, and he is mild, He be - came a lit - tle child.

j j j j j j U
& œ œ œ #œj bœj nœj bœ bœ nœj bœj #œj nœ œ œ
‹ He is meek, and he is mild, He be - came a lit - tle child.

? œ bœ nœ bœJ nœJ nœJ #œ #œ nœJ nœJ bœJ nœ bœ œ U

¢ J J J J J J
He is meek, and he is mild, He be - came a lit - tle child.
° ppj j j j j j
4

j œj œj j j j
17

& œ œ œ- œ œ #œ œ œ - œ œ #œ œ
I, a child, and thou a lamb, We are called by his name.

j j j œj œj #œj œj j
& nœj œ œ- #œj œj œj œ
pp

œ - œ œ
I, a child, and thou a lamb, We are called by his name.
pp
œ -œ œ œ œ -œ œ
& œJ J J œ œ œ J J œ œ
‹ I,
J J J J J
a child, and thou a lamb, We are called by his name.

? nœ j j j j œ j j
¢ J
œ œ œ œ œ œ
pp

J œ- œ œ œ J J œ-
I, a child, and thou a lamb, We are called by his name.

° j œj œj j j j U
- œ œ #œ œ ™ œ™ œ- œ œ #œ ˙ ™
19

& œ œ œ ˙
Lit -tle Lamb, God bless thee! Lit - tle Lamb, God bless thee!

j j U
& œj œ œ- #œj œj #œj œ ™ œ™ œ œ œ- #œ œ #œ ˙ ™ ˙

œ œ œ™ œ™ œ œ ˙™ U
Lit -tle Lamb, God bless thee! Lit - tle Lamb, God bless thee!

œ - œ œ -˙
& œJ J œ J J ˙
‹ Lit -tle Lamb, God bless thee! Lit - tle Lamb, God bless thee!

? œ œ U
¢
œ™ œ™ œ œ
J J œ- œ ˙- ˙ ˙™ ˙
Lit -tle Lamb, God bless thee! Lit - tle Lamb, God bless thee!