By HEINRICH SCHENKER ed note by OSWALD JONAS215s Th iy of Ching. lie ed Dll 3. Por inset Ptd Te dnt Saf meee The book presented here ints fst English eition was pblished ints orginal almost half century ago.Why, one might onder, did ittake all his ime to bring it before the public again? Te should be pointed vs, fir ofall, ha similar fe, iE uot wee, has belle ‘other books 36 well C.P.F. Bach's Ey, for exataple, which is beyond doubt, one ofthe ost important books ever written on music theory, was geosly neglected for aloe fwo hundred years, to be resued, ina complete edition, only quite recently. This new ‘elon isin English eansation (by W. J Mitchel), and its deplor- thle thatthe work isill wavalable in x Geran original" ‘This fact, which refer fairly well the whole sti in which ‘oer moscl clare finds iteftoday, may offra general explanation, not an excuse. The particular circumstances a dhe rot of the cate presented hee will appear more ely a we go on ih his Into ‘hction “eirich Schenker published hit Harmony ancayaouly in 1906, under the most ununsl ele, "New Musical Theories and Panta- sies—by an Artist.” The le nel wast nate the authors inten tion of finding ati soltioes to atic problems rather han ay conceen for commonplace theoretieal dacasions. This volume wat the fist ina Tong series and marks the begining of lifelong de- velopment, which was conclded only withthe lst volume, Fre CConpstin, publihedthiry years lter—a few months afc the suchor' dest. In this equence of works, imterspeesed with good number of eke pubicton, Schenker vealed hit theories a they developed. Fach Volume represents 3 ep forward, bused on an ever rowing ari experiene. Thi proces, however, etiled erin Alifcaltes. Some conerpts were stl immature when fe plished and found thir final and dea expreson only in a subsequent vol. lume. Furthermore, certain pars of the work, though ech one of them coastiuted an esental basis for subiequent constructions, ‘would in certain aspects, be obolte when the er work appeted. hid y Lat tina iba ee be bieSch’ doctrine ths wan contin roe of roth and Sevclopment andthe ator, say oud with he completion fcr work mas never ins pation of een coieing there Shiono alt wer Thipove rl stowe to ot gol oy One nea enly conse, i adion, the ungpeiobe Slay fhe jst mater sch, aggro by te aor’ ree: toward ny fos of tele poxton and is STxae onthe er bod, fry saning hs round, no SENS sier eho pu hint sil conre ithais con ‘npr nie beemes obo hate oon wat id ins sane af orn. What cle old Be in tore fora author deen be fb omer mesa Sectoers Ni Syphon "to he memory of the bs maser Ceeer nse Joao Drang"? Owing 08 undo igen eompenste nana of proctaton he book il oF ecened snd wide ere Th ct, however dil not SSA te te soe yell vad Sah pennaly_pudonel this mayen Tned, en TE Shenker nods were re ad staid mare dan ome ‘Eilon and more anon wood expect in ve ofthe er ‘Gatun on the mor and on he te and he cosy Sc ta rected work indie lng rn however, nies hoe tack or ent coal subs he ted fora mre bie upling wih the poles ‘hss wh eu Schenker vk ue with = pedo any import ateletal movemen: And wo ine hs Sertecn amor urget ed fsb een than jos now Wes pring gh» psodadmitedly obmerged in exe beam al ase eves tro nt a ate of hope feioe Tiae many who, conoay oc woo, have Sure fn ssolson; who re poping re creation of he ast fechas fae scan ich eel rn undesanding Fie fanduncas of mac are. OF cure the ae abo hoe ‘Shoal yt sae ay ano ctconwen the sswers Thee ES ta wow Schonkers tess only om secondhand SeSS TR ee ropuml for a mer of andes Both categories of musicians may be skeptical with regard to Schenker's work, and shy will atk wheehor and why Schenker Should be cousidze the man to bring the needed caifcaton. Iie upto the writer ofthis Invoducion wo give eanincing airmasive anne t0 thee questions inthe following pages. Ie leiinate, however, to quote here an opinion whose compete impartalty ‘st be beyond any suspicion. In December, 196, when Schenker’ same and work were blacklisted foe poiial reson, an ail ap- pared inthe Algencve Musk Zeinay under the tle, “Can We Sal Listen co Music?” Whether the ator, Has Jenne, proceeded fiom defiance or umwatenes ofthe Grcumsaaces is beyond my judgmene. Whatever his mosves, he deserves to be resend ffom ‘oblivion, Narr hymen well espe wil ie he quent whe is rote Sankey wa tnd wot os ‘nc er er To ioe might moe The ed Shenker hiking oo ‘hea of meh dan dt ot er ool He aed mae ‘sely a ht perivel erw, Cie con fave led he lw svt er gine atoll (ithe cr oceptan of Bb te Grr een). The rerio the worl sal wring the ow of ‘asc nitoy woot to cot prin fhe mera Fe ‘hry come oe etn he eating om ames erp of ‘uc Th wots eae by tn ho lo, cierto de say eomstensin Roger Sesions once dscibed Schenkers Harmony 8 “ceraily umsupaseed and perhaps negalled init sphere” The book is of the greatest importence,sfonly bers i contains many of Schen= ker’ ideas in thei ermbeyone stage. It maura om the other hand, that the author at hat ime was stl largely under the infoene of conventional concep, fiom which he broke away daring bier stages of his development. For thew rots i semed advisable to provide che work with «running commentcy which should fxe- sll che danger of possible misundeetandingrand misinerpeatons. tao should freaallanacks agin Schenker onthe ground of ce tain more or les speculative and chllengeable det which the te ‘hor himself repudiated in his subsequent work. Sach ides ate eX resed, for example in the chapter onthe "mye number ive.”“This ape, content fin isunderstood and tort as been tage of mach unvorble eric Bf 12 15, 17,13), The “Shapers on eventh-chords (6 52, 99 and on modulation (§§ 37" ff) were completely emodeled ip Schenker’ later work. Al this is rote at the proper plies inthe runing commentary. “We have kit the ilseationstsed by Schenker throughout the work as neat a8 posible in tei orginal form; even in those cases here Schenker nse ina ater sage ois developmen, probably ‘Mond have tead fewer scle-steps and more voiceeading for 2 rope analysis We have add, however, an Appendix to this In- Eoduction ia which 2 number of llsrations are preened in che foo which, according to all probable, Schenker would have trotters nate stages and we ave add the neceaary explana~ ‘ons for this bypshesal development ‘f'schenker’s Harmony so eve a2 practi introduction to his vole work, this Inodacton bas to fulfil two tks. est, ishosld [rea brief scount of the gener uation in which masialcheory {Band nel atthe time when Schenker began his work and sbould expo any widespread cor which be had to fice. Second it {held gives synopsis ofthe development of Schenker’ theories in his atee works, ‘fice embarking on thi wofld enterprise, we shuld ke to niipate one of the rai objesions to Schenker’ work, Kha been ‘aid ene and squn dat his theory is too “narrow,” 00 “Topside,” ‘Mace it does ant offer any key co the understanding of moder msc Srinusc writen afer, ny, ce tme of Brahms. This objection should {Ee rejerte onthe ground that Schenker’ theory i deply rooted in the piniples of tonality 2 he fond them elaborated in he works ofthe reat masters from Bach to Brahms failing a almost mil- Teonat developmen of muse ax are? One may even sy tht, for Saeaker ronal the onl sine gus vow of usc a at and he proof of hs hypothe conse te content of bis cachings If Sjonker has uceedet in proving that tonaiy the foundation of Supe the muse mserrks—thogh i cont sen dir sh sy eh of a om nt Sto cin tht he te hx Fons at ong ood in the Laws of nature, for music as an aft to rest upon. ined “Thee merit of Shek ary work cons in ving dn tangled the eon of alt (which pr of tery ofa they) fen th conc of oeening bch belong im de sph of counepein The two fad en eof for dead. hens opertion wrought compe dnge even eee det of the aching ony, nthe ned om Bd ik al exces in voce eds epee othe aly ‘of counterpoint. : The gence of is underaking connote ily rp exert inthe comet of Hara ing, We hae connie fre tei the deeopment of mos ther wns the end of the {Fghcah cma Ta sre wl i lp 0 cay the mening Sf keke re base comps “prolongation” and “ompone onal nfl Autopia ‘hcg he henry of roles, compotion to sajerto teresa ct compost lin" rolnge fn.” The deory of duloapniomy how weeding a the moe twice chord ava ele con met fl and rend in ine This inte te eens of me. Amgen ‘hse ey and conity of te med work of he coreof mac hear ata developed nd was euginche cighecrh cry ws voeledng, The sly 08 tory Wo {Fedo to thst of tes coterie ade ay of pred toa (thorough fs” ena") The oe guiding the beer were dered fom th epoch of voc ue, They were coli by Je Fin Grd od Pars ce epee fort in an Engl ton). Tne work Pox wodetook 20 lps of hte of iat,» Gin beer come {nlite and stay oft ofthe eter Twas oy ‘foes ending ine pre for, orally feof ay comers farmony. More tha syhing ce a lyo re ehe ccm eening of he i ee contri ha aid neal I Grace cud ey cant the eaching fared AO ugh ts may have oe te vg tention of See Roam pecs Bow sald der Share ft vos ec i pone gred as wassonewbht ica Plow ings epcn of eranetl un owed more ex CEST Eellan rman bower» dace of vie Peete me poston of chords eee cy af gud by edo epton al o™ SEE ay of mpeg Dac nde weno rato Sa ct efconpoion” Since hecompoey tae tne ee Sete Sal af i comp at to ti TOSSES ete oper enn sora wh thm mpd aw ba 1 no ee comeyer offal ce EeSon frtgone who wad 10 pay Tse fad 0 ToS Spe rec peprcon The my of Sgred bs SAR Stbey grew tosay mete prfrmanes Pano seer ie ad wii gel moc ms tie ine Tenn pains ed te very of P- Baks wet, Bay sa asi) Ming Keo! nem, hh a elie care eid tgued ano he sone of hc Seven (Ik ter of counts gel ta a ead se tats ef tang drng te flowing person, mil soy Mibchanc uta dite cue, Vrhowee ir fe SC Rieien naps omen dover! he pris of a a ehped er i it flan ats were ee ncn fkamonc nap ees He denon Sree ony ota dss chnge when theo ‘Scion om tea co ahr vole The comet of EN ay hve nd se hen thug MRO rece at ever of ea od sealy eect nom eels anc comet urea aac pa cnc ey elena tunel to the farther development of moi theory. Rameas's con cept was mach too narrow. This may be dv to the fic that he was toully unrware of the new trends in German music. Perhaps his theory wat adequie foran understanding of his own msc, which assumed almost identical meaning of chord and sale-step; ie most, ‘ertaily was inadequate f applied to the fine of oice-eading in the works of Bach as undertod inthe theories oF . PE. Bach's iy. Rameau dd no even spect the porsbility that voice leading ‘ould he the means for the “compositional unfolding” of wider Ipsemonic ares. For him “chord” and “sale-tep" were identical He redced any simlanity of tones to is eappored root postion anu ren the rfl texture of voiee-leading into sips of more o less lovely related chords. The chord, endowed by voicleding with is ill mening and contextual logic, now was to stand in ation, enenlly without reference to awhat preceded and what followed ‘The bus line, meaningfl asthe Aushompoienng of a chord a blewing that fad accrued to composition from isrumental music sind figured basr—war weighted down, note for note, bythe burden ofthe “ground bas," which inhibited and finally sree its mo= tion. All the lie of masie congealed. Thus the same yea, 1722, hich brought frth the fine volume of Bach's WelLemperd Gaver, with ts mirals of woice-ending, aio heralded the deexy of moxcl theory and pracsce In broads terms, Rameau's great eror wat to interpret bar monicly, or versal, a bas that was composed horizontally, c~ cording t contrapuntal principe, The pobilcy of aushomponice rang was toe overlooked. The bast ne of thorough-bass com= postion repreenteda happy atempe at horizontal constrton. The Upper voces, whore movement was directed by the cominso ma mers, moved along similar horizon lines. To redace this ving as liner the so-called “ground bas” waste indamental eror of men's doctrine. ‘To illatatefrcher: the continvo numeral indicted the move- ‘nent and progreion of the upper voies not a chordal seuctre of Sarmonc ep Ths wesed n Hal Chee al Fue» » “the indication 87 laves no doube dat Bach wanted the seventh vb deen’ in ping fom the octave. The indation # cannot be ‘pune oeherwis: For any othe interpretation woud ender his Felcation perdivoes. The aumeralindiat a movement a pecfic ‘Movement not, indeed, a "dominant seveth-chor.” Likewi The numeral (8 diate 9 we tru chords interpretation would te equally meaningless Kizberger writs in his Art of Pie Come os (74). 305 The genes of te sensi soma] can be recanted as flows ‘Ramen's theory was nrodaced into Germany by Marparg whe seandatad Dt Alsmbert’ bre neodscton tothe works of Rates “The reception was co Te wa nded, 9 skepcalhat its ard vo vee how Remeat's prewge and ifloence coeld have saved i ‘Bachand is cel offends remained completely nezaive Enanvel Bach verte to Kieabeeger, who was 2 fat pull of Sebastian ach and at that time, engaged in a controversy wich Manpur "You may announce it pabbely that my ftec’s principles and my uma ani Ramen” Kirnberger himself in The Tre Principles of ‘Mmonie Prac: (277) bas te fllowing passage: "Rameau bas Pee hs theory wit so many fconsizeneis tht am jus wa “Terng how it eld have come to pus that cere are Germans who ales even fight fori, We says have had armong us che fGevest armonis and thee weten of aesony een ould Behe caplined by Raine’ propositions. Some have gooe 10 Gt nn sto theow doubt even om Dac’stestment of chords and their eopresions eather than adie chat che Frenchman could bei Enon” Av in his Pare Composn (J, 248) Kirmberger wits “Rameau himself has aot graped the simplicity of harmony in its trae purty: for he ceasonally mistakes pusing nore for fonds- tentl ones.” This ater obuervatin already reveals a disinton be- tore voize-eading and a merely “harmonic conception” “Art pecludes any approach by shor cats or oversimplifatons; andthe danger of oversipliation inherent in Rameau's theory rat recognized even in France. No leser crite than Rovseas ‘apecied salar as aly 173, and his eomment anticipates the onions in which the teeing of harmony finds ten ov dy “The mudy of composition, which used 0 require about ewenty years now can be completed ina couple of monty musicians are vowing the thereof Ramen, and the numberof sodens has rmukipld.... France hat been inundated by bad music and bad tmusicans; everybody thinks he has understood the fines of art efore having leaned as much as the rudiments; and everybody ‘et invert new harmonies before having tained his eat co di fingish between right and wrong ones” This pasage could have been seinen rosy. ‘Th Germany, however, ait composition was still the basis of ceaching, Out master sil applied themselves to che study of (CPE, Bach's Euay,notto that of Ramet. Haydn wid ofC P.E Bach dat he owed him everything. The Buay and Fox's Grads were the foundations of bis own teaching snd later abo of Beethoven's "The fie of music wa scaled when Sgured bas, nce fillen into use practically, became obolte alo in theory aa method of in- struction. Owing to the lack of alieratves, it was ill abezed to Favmally but itsesence was completely Sifed by Rameau theory ofthe ground bas. From this amalgamation of voicedeading ad Iarmonc ses thtearoe our own “barmony” aa rig theory of “thoeds” For a wile, tradition survived. There is no doubt thas Mendelsohn, fr example, wat nsrcted in the old syle. C. . Bach and Quant had left some aces oftheir workin Belin. Bot Brahins had alteady complained ths, before being able to do any-thing consracive hime he had fist “to unleara everything” he fod ened; si hs dieunr—"even Schumann did no ear y= thing any more.» nor did Wagner”—gives ae for alam. ree Suid noe belive,” he wrote t Riemann, “what Thad £0 safer from incompetent textbooks.” Riemann, onthe other hat waar rave enought propose to dedicate 1 Brahms his own Hat Ineo shih indeed, he did, mh aginst te late’ desi ‘esol onder that in the long run, the comequences of 28 snnruction zesicted tothe teaching of chords began to showin the Sle of compostion, Comper Beg t think only “verily rk co wets accordingly. The eat ones among them were flly are ofthis danger I scr ofthe "Waverley Ouverture” by ese (439), Schumann wrote “Ofien ei only a sere of empty aarnd ence of lamp of corde chown roger, that eems 0 d= ‘eitie the chacacter of the psc.” And Delacroix noted in bit {Taryz convention with Chopin daring which dhe te eo in: “rs become eomary now to Tear chord aad of countet~ oins which means aad ofthe queer of nots by which the ponds are formed. Berloe simply sets down the chords and fils the Smnertios a bes he can” Hp a reduc merely psng chords o “Fundamental chords” Ranese destroyed ll eoutinty The bassline had itself been arse ‘Ef doskompoiong, and this had been achieved by means whch be- Toopel in the sphere of counterpoint, sich at posing not or reitiboring nts. I now lat is meaning and continuity. ‘The {iehoy ofthe ground bist was tntaount t the denrotion of rong pual dking, which treplced by sheso-alled “arson” oy a tanking. Ie rated on fle prem. The reduction of 2 Trelg cord vo a fndmenl one dived it of ts log and dis Pied perspective ofthe vale it posed ata psig chord and ‘Ganved only fom that postion I response co the ned for more creaningfal nandard of evaluating notes, theze arose the soiled peat of faneons” which reduced all chords simply to toni Daniele: or sblominane. This stempt wat co 10 aval ihe. fe was bound to fil becave st overlooked he posibiy that “lcnual chord have difzen meanings according the context in which they move: The concept of the “secondary dominant” (etfdomion) Hw, could not ead wry fr because it applied ‘lp he reais between two neighboring chor. could never tring abo sjes ofthe whos Tn what concen the appreia= ‘Gon ofthe pnt masterpnces of music, all that could be learned by Che methods wat to dag on'scar fom the perception oF one chord to tha ofthe next, As a camequenc, the energy necesary for & Toads undersanding wa los “The overempasison te vertical was bound to arouse a rection. “The pendalar, however ad sang to fa in ove dieetin forthe ‘ountermation to sop atthe center of reason and moderation. The Spposie extreme ws to be reached inthe tory of neat counter- oh” and the school of “linear composton” it engendered Al she [hiking and writing now was "horizontal," without any regard xo the matrl laws of harmony, to whove unfolding any sequence or Cauley of oes ust be subordinated, Only where the ori- Zonal serves the folding of harmony can vertical retions be ‘mnprated toa whole Josie can be dane tothe bs ine nly wien it Rondestood ia is double Seton: within the large scare ‘fama, mse be che bearer of harmony atthe mete, how re ie mt be old st expres throogh and beside the pills of harmony, a continsty of melodic unfolding ‘isi Schenker fas shown te erect elationshipbeoween the horiontl and the verti. Hie theory s drawn from 2 profound indenting of the maserpices of muse which hi genius not (uly interpreted buts so spe, created anew. Thos he ndiates athe way oat the demands of harmony while maxering the tak of woieading. “tn contrat the theory of counterpoint, the sheory of Hat- mony pecens isl to mi at» purely spinal univers, a system of ea nving foes, bon of Nate o of a.” With use word on dhe very St page of his Introduction to Harmony, Schenker m= Turks ons Long journey, He immediately arrive at a considerably bronder concep ofthe sal-ep, a eas ideally. Fo i practic Appleton tothe underending of the maserpics, «host of ex-pevcnces was sll needed. A. lance at the weal of examples of red n Hormony shold bese, however, to make it clear how far even his early concept of the sclestep deviates ffom the usa come (amples 12, 13,124, 130, and 20t shold be noted in pa (oulas). Here his concept of “ep” is already no longer identical with che concept of a mere chord. Ichas rather become the artic Cxpeestion of at ideal chord, a chord gives by natre. The ask of the art then, ist ishion this aww material and eo endow i with Form, according to the laws of art "The chord isa silane, To wes metaphor, thas a dimension in spaces and he natore of mus, whieh Hows in time, demands it ‘eanlaton into temporal ssqence. This proces called by Schenker “Compositional unfolding” of Auskmponcrng, i clearly under stood in Huron, Scheaket’s fw major work (6§ 115 shovld ‘be noted in preicleithisconnecion) Ie cold ind final x= resin, however only ster an incursion into the fed of counter= point snc the goal of cation in ne, of Auskomponeran, can be Feached only via voicseading. Basically, the development of out fecdental music begins from an understanding of naare and 8 Interpretation of elation to man-made at, Fis marked tage by stage, by the conquest of dhe necesary means of expresion, Le oveleding, Meaphorclly, one could ay that this phllogenctic Alvelopment was recapitulited ontogentically in Schenker'spro= ire stages of interpreting the masterices. The final aim was to each blanc beeween the two components of any musical src ture: the “vertical” ofthe chord and the “horizontal” of voice leading. “before proceding with this exposton, however we shoul con- sider Sceaker's we of one more artic meas. Ie embodies the law of repetition, andi primary expression in musa composiion isthe moni The opening paragraphs of this book, withthe com mentary noes, wil provide the reader with an adequate interpreta (ecto pa sem of thi phmemecn. We iy enie mato aber Shr ie of wih a ei Sgilian sdvace inthe development of Scheer’ th Again dor ove th ayo numeri we olay ‘orleing worse Br ea a et. Ta 87 of Ham Shaker iy ta he “cain of pe lsh” econ a “een” The of Bx hin me thing moe or ane which cn be etd nly ete at mlnsnd ins orga. He doesnot yx pet fhe extn in he akg offs arong nog fx tra cent, ve whe he exe of «are jee {> change Only he develope hi thor onconpin and trove we reverie dem Wik the pip of fee compotion Coal dco tho bole whch py, with eel ety. Teak wo att ad tof compiann He toc op de cmeg roenaon” (ne Appetit He rove at water or chose to be vdeo fing wt peti rin the fino in fe componton ack ns pelonged ore tended omen, Th Schenk coe tuner ha nya development, othe eater ae os work fac beer te vome ple pile of coumerpl, sich pig noes, nehborng noth Tricor th nto chor wich ping ewer dione Ineo 0 spake the aed of he srk companion abo penne te mele how ecmince ot Teton aay sow be tabled een whe snot nc preening reeds ‘ermal wah cree whi ed Scheer teehee th pment ine” Urine Th cory at prolly tr ne wc rovaked th mot ve’ opcton' ene of Schenker ily ah es at old ot nd 2 al sd nego elton fo nls er snr ni devopnest, Weal non se why ths mt have lec The Un core wa, neve, af Scie npr fr te