Main content

How did the number 12 revolutionise music?

Tom Service describes how Schoenberg used the Western 12-note scale to open up a new cosmos for composers and listeners to explore.

He explains the building blocks of serialism – β€œmusic that dances on the edge of a volcano of unleashed human emotion”.

Animation by Black Matter.

Release date:

Duration:

3 minutes

Featured in...

More clips from The Listening Service