Chapter Summary

Schoenberg's introduction of the twelve-tone technique opened broad vistas for composers seeking new paths in music. Though Schoenberg conceived the technique to organize atonal music, other composers applied it to music with tonal implications. Total serialism is an extension of the twelve-tone concept, according to which many aspects of music besides pitches are repeated in series.

Experimentalists are composers who have used traditional instruments in unusual ways, or who have explored new sounds made possible by various electronic techniques.