Observations on Harmony, Voice-leading, and "Idea" in Schoenberg's Piano Piece Op. 11 No. 1

Abstract

This analysis of Schoenberg’s Op. 11 No. 1 demonstrates ways in which two register-sensitive principles of harmony and voice-leading shed new light on its pitch organization.

The 11-vs-1 principle posits a distinction in harmonic stability between the registrally ordered intervals 11 and 1 (hereafter roi-11 and roi-1). This is manifest both in local relationships that suggest functional consonance and dissonance and in the large-scale emergence of a “group dissonance,” i.e., the temporary predominance of roi-1 in marking the climactic high point of tensions.

The proximity principle distinguishes between the functions of “stepwise” and larger horizontal intervals. Whereas the former serve a purely horizontal function in voice-leading connectives, the latter imply arpeggiation. This distinction helps to reveal connections between prominent harmonies and linear frameworks, concerning in particular horizontalizations of two referential harmonies—the first and last block chords—and their changing relationships.