Hi, I am Dr.

Southall, and we're gonna be looking at approaches to contemporary composition in this unit.

Let's begin.

In this lesson, we're gonna be able to develop a serialist composition by using typical techniques including retrograding.

There's three key terms for this lesson.

The first is serialism, an atonal composition method based on a specific order of pitches or a tone row.

The second phrase is tone row, a specific order of the 12 notes of the chromatic scale, forming the basis of a piece of serialism.

And the third is retrograde, when a set of notes, like a tone row, is reversed.

There's two parts to this lesson.

The first is called, developing a tone row.

One of the creative elements of serialism is how composers use the tone row.

There's a variety of different ways for using the tone row.

What might they be? Here's an example of a tone row.

Well, we could use contrasting rhythms, slow, fast, or erratic, for example.

We could play notes in different octaves.

We could use different dynamics or articulation.

And use different instruments or techniques, for example, pizzicato.

We could add the tone row in a secondary part at the same time.

Rhythmic variety is one of the most common ways to develop a tone row.

It could be played with long, equal-length notes like this.

(dramatic instrumental music) Or if we wanted, we could play it with faster notes like this.

(upbeat instrumental music) Or we could have a sort of jumpy rhythm like this.

(lively instrumental music) It's at our discretion.

Which one of those three did you prefer? I think for me, I quite like the longer notes, it makes it feel like there's a lot of suspense.

We could change the octave of some or all of the notes.

So in this example, you can see that the A is played an octave lower than the original tone row.

There it is.

Let's have a listen.

(gentle instrumental music) The whole tone row could be played in a different octave if we wanted.

So let's listen to it at a different octave.

(intense instrumental music) And as long as we're keeping the same notes and they're being used in the same order, they can be moved to any octave.

Using contrasting dynamics or articulation is also effective for creating variety when using tone rows.

How are they used in this clip? (suspenseful instrumental music) So you can pause and rewind and listen to that clip if you want to.

It's giving me flashbacks to old horror movies.

Jun says, "It starts and finishes loudly and is quiet in the middle." And Laura says, "There are accented notes, staccato and legato notes." To create a short composition based on a tone row, I want you to record your tone row with a simple rhythm, and we'll watch a clip for that in a moment.

And then in a second instrument, use the tone row in a different way by using contrasting rhythms, dynamics, articulations and octaves.

We're gonna put those clips back to back and watch them now.

<v Instructor>I'm gonna demonstrate this</v> using notation software, but you'll follow the exact same process if you're using a DAW.

I've got my three parts when I've opened up my template here, and in this case I've got a flute, a bassoon, and a violin.

If you want to use different instruments in yours, that's absolutely fine, you just need to change them.

Now the first thing I'm gonna do is I'm gonna record in my tone row with simple rhythm in one of my parts.

So I might do it, for example, in this flute part.

I've already written down what my notes and my tone row are, so all I need to do is add those notes in here.

Or if I was using a DAW, I'll just record the notes in in that track.

So my first note is a C.

(gentle instrumental music) So I've recorded my tone row in there.

There I've just used crotchets.

I could use different rhythms. I could use minims, maybe I could use some quavers, but I'm trying to keep it nice and simple so that when I then add my next part, which is gonna use more complex rhythms, the difference is obvious.

Let's have a quick listen.

(gentle instrumental music) And again, if I was doing this using a DAW, I would just record that in this track here using the same notes and the same process.

Now let's look at a second part, and here I'm gonna use the same tone row, the same sequence of notes, but I'm gonna use them in a different way by changing some rhythms or dynamics, articulation or octaves.

So I think what I might do is I might use this bassoon part here.

I know that's instantly gonna be in a lower octave than the flute, so it creates some contrast.

And I'm gonna change the rhythm.

So rather than just playing a simple crotchet rhythm like I have in the flute, I'm gonna create a more interesting rhythm.

So my first note is a C.

Here, I'm in bass clef on bassoon.

You might not be in bass clef, but I'm working in bass clef on bassoon.

And we might go for a really low C, I think.

(lively instrumental music) Now rather than using crotchets, I'm gonna try and create a more erratic rhythm.

So whereas my flute uses the same note value all the way, it sounds quite consistent, quite smooth, I'm gonna really change the rhythm by using some fast notes, some long notes, lots of rests to make it sound much more complicated.

So maybe what I'll actually do is rather than starting on beat one, I'll start that C on beat two.

(gentle bassoon music) (gentle bassoon music) I could make it a shorter note, so maybe a semiquaver.

And then maybe I'll put the next note, which is gonna be an A, halfway through that beat.

(lively instrumental music) Next, I'm going for a G sharp and then a B.

But what I might do, is have a bit of a rest so that we've really got these erratic rhythms. And then maybe I put the G sharp in at the end of the bar.

(gentle instrumental music) Let's have some more rests.

Maybe I'll put it as a semiquaver for the next note.

So I'm going for B.

(gentle instrumental music) And I'm gonna follow this process playing the same order of notes but using different rhythms. I'm gonna finish this off now.

I'll show you what it looks like when it's complete.

I've been through and played all 12 notes of the tone row in my bassoon part.

And a couple things you might notice, are that the two parts don't finish at the same point, they're at different length.

So the bassoon finishes after the flute, and that's absolutely fine.

There's no reason why they would have to finish at the same time.

I've tried to create really erratic rhythms in this bassoon part.

So lots of offbeat notes, lots of strange, sort of, sudden jumpy rhythms that contrast with the flute.

And I've also added some contrast by putting it in all octave.

If I want to add more contrast, I could use some different articulations.

So, for example, I could play it staccato.

I can make all the notes staccato to really emphasize that contrast.

Let's have a quick listen then.

(lively instrumental music) So there we've got two really contrasting versions of the same tone row.

<v ->Let's have a check for understanding.

</v> Which of these is not a method for using a tone row? Is it A, changing the way the notes are played? For example, articulation.

Is it B, changing the timbre of instrument? Is it C, changing the rhythm of the notes? Or D, changing the order of the notes? Well done.

The answer is D, changing the order of the notes.

Time for some independent practice.

I want you to create a short composition using your tone row.

Complete this on a DAW or notation software.

Your success criteria for this task are as follows.

The first part needs to be a tone row using a simple rhythm.

The second part uses the tone row, but it changes one or more of the following.

the rhythm, articulation, dynamics, octave.

And finally, notes of the tone row are played in the correct order.

Good luck.

Now that we've done that, let's listen to the short composition based on a tone row and see if you can identify at least four ways that the composer creates variety whilst using the tone row.

Here it comes.

(dramatic instrumental music) Now, if you want to pause and re-listen to that, you can do.

I'm starting to get quite paranoid listening to that music thinking something terrible is about to happen.

You could have said, as a model answer, it's played in different octaves, the articulation is varied, the dynamics vary, there are some slow, sustained rhythms as well as some fast, erratic rhythms, and the instruments have contrasting timbres.

Just remember, we're using lots of really good vocabulary there to make sure that our answer is accurate and it demonstrates that we understand the key vocabulary for this topic.

Part two, retrograding.

How has this tone row been developed? This is the original, and this is the developed version.

So compare the notes and pause the video, and just study these two to see how the tone row has been developed.

Well, the second version is what we call a retrograde of the first one, where the notes are played in reverse order.

If you look again, if you look at the end of the original tone row, you'll see that that note is the first note of the retrograde version.

And essentially, if we go backwards from the top one, you are transposing forwards onto the bottom one.

Like this.

And this will work because we're gonna use all 12 notes, so nothing gets missed out.

To create a retrograde of a tone row, write out or play the notes in reverse order.

Although this is changing the order of the tone row because it's creating a mirror image, it's still based on the original tone row.

Serialist composers consider this an acceptable way to change it.

Let's check for understanding.

Which of these is a retrograde of this tone row? So look at that top piece of music and compare it with A, B, and C to determine which of those at the bottom is a retrograde.

Well, the answer is C.

We can use the retrograde version of the tone row to develop our composition.

This version can also be adapted by varying the rhythm, timbre, articulation, dynamics, and octave.

To extend your composition, create a second section by copying one or both parts from your first section.

And then use a retrograde of your tone row in the third instrument.

I'm gonna play you two clips now that explain both of those points.

<v Instructor>First, I'm gonna create</v> second section of my composition.

And to do that, I'm gonna copy one or both of these parts so that they repeat, and in that section, I can then add my retrograde tone row.

So I might just copy this flute part, and I could have that so that it repeats maybe a couple of times.

Again, there's no strict rules about how many times things can repeat or how long things need to last for.

The only rule in this is the order of the notes from the tone row.

And then maybe I'll also have that bassoon part and maybe copy that as well.

And again, let's copy it a couple of times and then I can always change that later if I want to.

So I've now got space, and I might bring it in maybe in bar 5, to bring in that retrograde version of my tone row.

I'm gonna add the retrograde of my tone row, and I'm gonna do it in this second section of my composition.

So I'm calling that bar 5, is where I'm gonna start it.

So what I want to do first of all, is I need to work out the notes of my retrograde tone row.

So what I might do, is just put them in here, and then I can change the rhythms and adjust them afterwards.

So if I look at my tone row, I know that my last note was C sharp.

(gentle instrumental music) And then the next to the last one was D sharp.

(gentle instrumental music) So remember we're reversing the order.

Then I need an A sharp, I could do a high A sharp.

(gentle instrumental music) Then I need a G natural.

(gentle instrumental music) F sharp, so I'm going backwards here.

(gentle instrumental music) Then a D.

(gentle instrumental music) F natural.

(gentle instrumental music) E.

(gentle instrumental music) And then my last four notes are B, G sharp, A, and C.

So I'll quickly put those in.

(gentle instrumental music) (gentle instrumental music) And you'll notice in a couple of places there, I use the different octaves.

So at the end, I've gone up to a high C, whereas in my original tone row, it drops to a C.

So remember, I'm just using the order of notes.

It doesn't necessarily have to be the same octave.

So let's just have a listen to what that retrograde sounds like on its own.

(gentle instrumental music) So that's my order of notes.

And now I'm gonna think about how I could use those in an interesting way in this section.

At the moment, I've got repeating crotchets in the flute part.

So I think if I had repeating crotchets in the violin, they might clash a little bit too much, or I might not be able to hear them as distinct from each other.

So I maybe do a different rhythm.

And maybe what I'll do is a faster rhythm, but with more consistent rhythms than the bassoon parts rather than this erratic, jumpy rhythm.

I maybe just do some fast quavers or fast semiquavers.

So let's start here (gentle instrumental music) and let's do some quavers.

So C sharp, D sharp is my next note.

A sharp is my next note, and G natural.

And this is why it's a good idea to write down the notes of your tone row because they're very easy to forget even if you know the tone row really well.

So that's the 12 notes (gentle instrumental music) of my tone row, and it's the retrograde version there.

And what I might do, is repeat that so I can copy (gentle instrumental music) and paste.

And I could have that as a sort of repeating idea.

I could also experiment with some different articulations.

So maybe I'd like these to be really smooth, (gentle instrumental music) so I could slow them, make them more gato altogether.

And I could also think about changing the octave.

So here, they're in quite high octave.

(gentle instrumental music) Maybe I could then repeat it in a lower octave.

So we'll put it all the way down the octave.

And that's that retrograde version there.

Let's see what that sounds like on its own.

(dramatic instrumental music) I really like that.

I think it feels quite frantic and energetic, and it contrasts with the other sections, with the other parts.

So let's have listen now then to the whole thing through.

I've got my first section with just the two parts based on the original tone row.

Then I've got the second section where that retrograde joins in.

(intense instrumental music) So I think that's created a really interesting, quite unique sounding composition there.

And remember, this won't sound like the normal kind of compositions you've done before.

It's a totally different approach to composition.

So embrace the strange, and interesting, and unique sounds that you're trying to create here.

If you're doing this on a DAW, make sure you're writing down the notes of your tone row and your retrograde, that will help you a lot, but follow the same process that I've followed there.

So starting off with two parts, copying them to create a second section, and then bringing in the retrograde in the second section.

<v ->Let's check for understanding.

</v> Which statement is true about using a retrograde of a tone row? A, it should only be played once, B, it can be developed just like a tone row can, or C, it should never play at the same time as the original tone row.

Well, the answer is B, it can be developed just like a tone row can.

Time for some more practice.

Develop your composition by creating and using a retrograde of your tone row.

Follow these steps.

One, write a retrograde of your tone row by reversing the order of all 12 pitches.

Two, create a second section of your composition by copying one or both parts from the first section.

Three, add a third part in this second section based on the retrograde.

And four, consider varying the retrograde by changing the rhythms, dynamics, octave, or articulation.

The success criteria for this are as follows.

One, your composition has two sections.

The first of those has two instruments and uses the original tone row.

The second section has three instruments and uses both the original and retrograde tone rows.

Two, the retrograde is the reverse order of notes in the tone row.

And three, you add variety throughout the composition by using different rhythms, articulation, dynamics, and octaves.

Good luck.

I hope you enjoyed that task.

Let's have a quick reflection.

We've got five questions here to help you with that.

Does your composition have two distinct sections? Can you clearly identify the tone row in the first section? How does the second part develop? In that second part, does the retrograde reverse the pitches accurately? And how is the retrograde version developed? Hope you've enjoyed this lesson.

Let's have a quick summary of the key points before we close off.

Serialist composers use tone rows in many different ways.

This includes varying the timbre, instrument, rhythm, dynamics, octave, and articulation.

As long as the order of the pitches doesn't change, this is considered within the rules of serialism.

Another method is to create and use a retrograde of the tone row.

And finally, this is when the order of pitches is carefully reversed, creating a mirror image of the tone row just like we practiced.

Well done for getting through today's lesson that you've done really, really well, and I look forward to seeing you next time.

Goodbye.