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In Chapter 5, the Six Little Piano Pieces of Op. 19 are portrayed as a step in the direction of clear and traditional musical form, and more audible motivic processes, after the more abrupt forms and less obvious motivic relations (though far from non-existent) of Op. 11, No. 3, and Erwartung. I describe Pieces No. 2, 3, and 6 in detail, showing that these miniatures are organized by the same frameworks, “musical idea” and “basic image,” as previous works analysed in the book. Piece No. 2 manifests a musical idea that grows out of a conflict between hexatonic, octatonic, and whole-tone subsets, in which the hexatonic emerges victorious over the other two. Piece No. 3 expresses an “idea” of the same kind, but at the last minute the hexatonic collection’s ability to synthesize is thwarted by diatonic subsets. And piece No. 6, the famous portrayal of Mahler’s funeral bells, portrays an image of Schoenberg reaching up to take Mahler’s mantle as tonal composer, but falling back down into first pandiatonic territory and then chromaticism.

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5 - Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19 (Nos. 2, 3, and 6)

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5 - Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19 (Nos. 2, 3, and 6)

Summary