Analyzing Atonal Music: Pitch-Class Set Theory and Its Contexts

Abstract

For some time now, pc set theory has been a cornerstone of music theory as practiced in the United States. For those who have spent the better parts of their careers invested in late-twentieth-century American music theory, it is hard, perhaps impossible, to view pc set theory in any unbiased fashion. Indeed, it would be difficult to find another theory that invokes a greater “love it or hate it” reaction among those versed in music analysis. Further, insofar as the American music theorist is almost always, out of necessity it would seem, directly influenced by a small group of key figures in pc set theory—Milton Babbitt and Allen Forte chief among them—and their disciples, that theorist will always be on the inside looking out, never able to gain a perspective that would allow for a deeper understanding of key concepts or a historical context that could explain some of the passionate debates surrounding pc set theory. Herein lies the great advantage of Michiel Schuijer’s Analyzing Atonal Music, a superb historical account of American pc set theory. First, Schuijer has the advantage of being a historical musicologist first and foremost, albeit one with an in-depth knowledge of twentieth-century music-theory topics. As such, he is free of the biases inherent in those holding advanced degrees specifically in music theory (which are almost always from North American institutions, since such degrees are rare in Europe and elsewhere). Thus, his work falls firmly within the field of the history of music theory and “aims to establish a new rapport between musicology and music theory” (xv). Second, and more important, he is a Dutchman trained in the Netherlands. This allows for a wonderfully unvarnished and incisive view of pc set theory, this bedrock of American music theory. Schuijer’s unprejudiced and keen judgment is readily apparent when reading this book and, with all the blood that’s been spilled on the topic of American pc set analysis, it is refreshing to finally have a book that takes no sides and tells it like it is. Analyzing Atonal Music is rigorous, well laid out, and extremely well documented; one can only stand in awe of its attention to detail. It is, in fact, a rewrite of Schuijer’s 2005 dissertation.

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