The Craft of Musical Composition. I: Theory

Originally published in the 1940s, Paul Hindemith's remakable textbooks are still the outstanding works of their kind. In contrast to many musical textbooks written by academic musicians, these were produced by a man who could play every instrument of the orchestra, could compose a satisfying piece for almost every kind of ensemble, and who was one of the most stimulating teachers of his day. It is therefore not surprising that nearly forty years later these books should remain essential reading for the student and the professional musician.

CONTENIDO:

I. Introductory

II. The Medium
-General consideration
-Overtones
-Nature of the overtone series
-The triad
-Paths to scale-formation
-Tempered tuning
-Earlier attempts at scale-formation
-New proposal
-The seventh overtone
-Derivation of the remaining tones
-The comma
-Perspective
-A forward glance

III. The Nature of the Building Stones
-"Series 1"
-Combination tones
-Inversions
-Interval roots
-The minor triad
-Seconds and sevenths; the tritone
-Significance of the intervals
-Harmonic and melodic value of the intervals
-The conventional theory of harmony
-Chord analysis
-Subdivision of the chord-groups
-The value of chords

IV. Harmony
-Movement in chord-successions
-The two-voice framework
-Harmonic fluctuation
-Movement in chord-connection, expressed in root-progressions
-Progressions involving tritone chords
-Family relationship. The construction of tonal spheres
-The cadence
-Larger harmonic relations. Degree-progression
-Modulation
-Atonality and politonality
-Practical application
-Non-chord tones

V. Melody
-Theory of melody
-Chordal association
-Meloy degree-progression
-Seconds
-Step-progression
-Conclusion

VI. Analyses
-Dies Irae (Gregorian melody), melodic analysis
-Guillaume de Machaut, Ballade "Il m'est avis", complete analysis
-J. S. Bach, Three-part Invention in F minor, harmonic analysis
-Richard Wagner, "Tristan und Isolde", prelude, harmonic analysis
-Igor Stravinsky, Piano Sonata 1924, first movement, harmonic analysis
-Arnold Schönberg, Klavierstück op. 33a, harmonic analysis
-Paul Hindemith, "Mathis der Maler", prelude, complete analysis