Fundamentals of Musical Composition [Paperback]

Arnold Schoenberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1999

A reissue of a classic that represents the culmination of over 40 years in Schoenberg's life devoted to the teaching of musical principles to students and composers in Europe and America. For his classes, he developed a manner of presentation in which "every technical matter is discussed in a very fundamental way, so that at the same time it is both simple and thorough". This book can be used for analysis as well as for composition. On the one hand, it has the practical objective of introducing students to the process of composing in a systematic way, from the smallest to the largest forms; on the other hand, the author analyzes in detail, with numerous illustrations, those particular sections in the works of the masters which relate to the compositional problem under discussion.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber (March 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571196586
• ISBN-13: 978-0571196586
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #84,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Designed as a text for student composers wanting to learn the basics of musical form, November 14, 2005

By 

Craig Matteson (Saline, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fundamentals of Musical Composition (Paperback)

Schoenberg worked on this text as part of his work with students at UCLA. He worked on it until his death in 1951 and had revised it several times. It is meant for students of composition rather than general music students studying form. The terminology is often Schoenberg's own and he, of course, has many interesting and strongly held views and approaches. It is not a text on twelve-tone composition, but of traditional and classic forms.

It was written in English rather than Shoenberg's native German, but he had the help of this volume's editor, Gerald Strang. In this edition, many of Schoenberg's specially composed examples were replaced by examples from the literature and the proprietary examples moved to the volume "Structural Functions of Harmony". This is meant to serve as a very fundamental discussion of these matters for students who are thinking about becoming composers.

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introductory material about musical form., February 14, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Fundamentals of Musical Composition (Paperback)

This is an excellent book for musicians interested in dabbling in composition. It defines the basic terminology frequently used in composition and discusses the common forms: scherzo, theme and variations, rondo, and sonata-allegro. One of the most important things about this book is probably that it does not focus upon the theoretical aspect of music at all. Experience in harmonic structure is not necessary to read this book, although ability to read music is. Most examples are excerpts from common pre-20th century composers such as Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, etc. This book is an essential to any musician's library. Even performers can benefit by understanding the forms common in standard repertoire. However, for someone specifically looking for information about harmonic theory, this book provides very little useful information.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the best works on musical forms, August 6, 2000

By 

Luis Fernando S Beraldo (São Paulo, Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fundamentals of Musical Composition (Paperback)

Arnold Schoemberg clearly demonstrates, through examples taken from baroque, classical and romantical pieces, the stuctural aspect of music; its small units, such as subjects, themes and phrases are explained in rich detail; the musical forms, like the minuet, rondo and sonata are also shown in full detail, allowing every music student to make contact with basic and advanced composition techniques. However, this is not for begginers, since advanced theory and harmony is required for full understanding. Like Schoemberg's "Theory of Harmony", this book doesn't contain material on twelve-tone composition and its specific forms, unfortunately.