Customer Reviews

Structural Functions of Harmony (Revised Edition)

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This is an important book because it is a document written by Arnold Schoenberg. He wrote it from the way he taught his students harmony. If you know Schoenberg's tonal music you know how highly chromatic it is. It moves from tonal center to tonal center almost without the listener understanding how far they are traveling. This book uses his concept of region and that is not something taught in your freshman - sophomore theory courses.

If you want to read this book, make SURE you have a strong grounding in traditional theory first. Then ground yourself in Schoenberg's treatise on harmony. Then take on this little book. Otherwise it will be opaque to you.

However, just because you can't understand what the composer wrote, don't suppose that it is nonsense or dismiss it because of your own lack of comprehension. Schoenberg was a very important composer and understood the methods of composition very well. He certainly had his own views, however idiosyncratic they may be. It is simply that when you are Schoenberg you can do things lesser musicians cannot.

Well it looks like naj "jak" here is almost as clueless as he thinks the book is. He should know that Theory of Harmony is not a book to LEARN harmony, its a book that teaches you in detail the purposes and most advanced properties of such. If you're looking to begin music, do not buy this book. If you are a musician looking for a (in my opinion) genius's perspective on one of the most fundamental elements of music...then thats the book for you.

Schoenberg writes from a traditional harmonic standpoint. But he is aware of the fact that the primary systems of analysis are very limited to these traditional sounds and harmonies. Therefore Schoenberg sets out to put into work a new system for harmonic analysis which will work fine on traditional harmonies as well as on newer, more outside progressions. He achieves all of this through his idea of regions within music, a specific idea with a broad goal. By leaving the intricacies of traditional harmonic analysis and widening his scope, Schoenberg presents a system we may all need to take a second look at.

It deals with advanced harmony theory based on traditional theory. This book introduces Region concept of harmony. It is eccential concept for understanding the structure of harmony progression related with modulation. But I was able to find it only from this text, any other books of harmony do not deal with such concept.

This book will be difficult for those without a deep knowledge of how western harmony works. I think the other reviewer hit the nail on the head with his "masterclass" comparison. 200 pages long, but I'm guessing (conservatively) that half of this book is musical examples. Slow reading and a piano or midi keyboard in front of you (or having a great "mind's ear") will help immensely. Good book if you're into music theory or are a composer looking to add some more tools to your shed.

I took Composition and Double Counterpoint, Canon and
Fugue from Arnold Schönberg at UCLA in 1942. People associate him with the 12-tone theory and atonal music, whereas in his composition class he started on square one.
You began with a simple triad [three-note chord] and took it thru rhythmic variations, like a bugle call. Then you added a second chord. Later you added passing notes creating themes, which you eventually developed.
The text books for the class were the first volume of J. S. Bach's
Well-Tempered Clavichord and the first volume of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas. He would silently pace for a while and then fill the blackboards with musical notation [examples of the subject of the day]. Two teaching assistants copied every note, and this materials was used in his later books on harmony and composition.
He loved my Germanic name, and would ask, "Wilhardt ZAHN, was denken Sei?" My noncommital answer would be, "Herr Professor, sehR InteRResant!"
One of his assistants and book editor was Gerald Strang who had taught me Diatonic and Chromatic Harmony and Counterpoint at Long Beach Junior College 1940-2. Gerry and I corresponded while I was in New Guinea and the Philippines, correcting and critiquing music I would submit. He was a master mentor and dear family friend.
While still at LBCC Gerry took me with him to a UCLA symposium to demonstrate a Schoenburg Harmonieleur Pianostück. It was in the 12-tone format, and I had to play it a thousand times before I knew when I had made an error.
I'm still not sure what that episode of musical development accomplished.
Gerry Strang and his avante-guarde cohorts would have jam sessions. The poor piano--they would do fist and arm clusters, and swirl metal pans on the exposed strings. Ah, modern music!
Willard F. Zahn, M. D. Long Beach, CA [...]

Schoenberg's compositions are not at all among my favourites, but his interpretations of classical harmony
-are- among the best available.

This is supposed to be a handbook on normal harmony. But Schoenberg wouldn't have been Schoenberg if he simply did the deed and went home: he had to prove to the world how brilliant he was and therefore totally unlike anyone else, which he routinely did by way of walking on his ears. In this book he renames everything into something else, and then you have no clue what he's talking about -- despite the fact that the subject matter is good old common-practice music theory.

My view is, every man faces many lifetimes' worth of learning even without walking on one's (and Mr Schoenberg's) ears: ars longa, vita brevis; therefore value your time and select ruthlessly -- if you need harmony, pick a good modern book written in human language and using standard terminology (very many choices; Piston is a good beginning). There is nothing rarefied or esoteric about harmony: it's not nuclear physics (it's not a scientific discipline, to begin with). It's not hermetic mysteries either. It's just a lot of heuristics based on what people tended to settle on over the centuries of writing music because the results sounded good to them. There's nothing conceptually hard here: if you read a decently written book on harmony, you will get it, no ifs and buts. And therefore Mr Schoenberg's literary obfuscations should follow his sonic oeuvre to the proverbial garbage heap of history. There's no reason the dead impostor's pretensions should cost the very living you unnecessary waste of effort. Triage is key here: this abstruse dribble doesn't make it.

If you are a musician and want to know more about harmony, Schoenberg's thoughts should be at least considered. You might not necessarily agree with him, but keep in mind that Schoenberg always taught from a traditionalist standpoint. Despite his "revolutionary" logo, Schoenberg never cared much for music before Bach. Even Schoenberg's idol and so-called reactionary, Brahms, thought highly of Josquin DesPres. And while there are probably better teaching books around, considering Schoenberg's music will be played 200 years from now (at the very least, Verlarkte Nacht) and yours probably won't (unless it's used on TV ad or played on an oldies station), you might want to get some idea of what makes this guy so utterly fascinating.

If you are a musician and want to know more about harmony, Schoenberg's thoughts should be at least considered. You might not necessarily agree with him, but keep in mind that Schoenberg always taught from a traditionalist standpoint. Despite his "revolutionary" logo, Schoenberg never cared much for music before Bach. Even Schoenberg's idol and so-called reactionary, Brahms, thought highly of Josquin DesPres. And while there are probably better teaching books around, considering Schoenberg's music will be played 200 years from now (at the very least, Verlarkte Nacht) and yours probably won't (unless it's used on TV ad or played on an oldies station), you might want to get some idea of what makes this guy so utterly fascinating.