serialism: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2Academic / Technical / Artistic
Quick answer
What does “serialism” mean?
A method of musical composition using a fixed series of notes, rhythms, or other musical elements in a predetermined order (a series), which governs the structure of the entire piece.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A method of musical composition using a fixed series of notes, rhythms, or other musical elements in a predetermined order (a series), which governs the structure of the entire piece.
More broadly, any compositional technique or aesthetic principle in music that organizes material according to a pre-composed series. In a general sense, the term can be extended metaphorically to describe any rigid, systematic approach to creating something (e.g., in visual arts, literature), though this usage is rare and technical.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. The term is used identically in musicology and composition across both varieties.
Connotations
Neutral technical term in academic/artistic contexts. May carry a connotation of intellectual complexity, atonality, and modernist difficulty for the general public in both regions.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in general discourse. Exclusively found in specialized contexts like music conservatories, university music departments, academic journals, and programme notes for contemporary classical music. Frequency is identical in both BrE and AmE within these domains.
Grammar
How to Use “serialism” in a Sentence
[Subject] employs/uses/practises serialism.Serialism [verb] as a compositional method.A composition [based on/founded in] serialism.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “serialism” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The composer began to serialise his harmonic language in the late 1940s.
- One can serialise any musical parameter.
American English
- The composer began to serialize his harmonic language in the late 1940s.
- You can serialize rhythms as well as pitches.
adverb
British English
- The piece is constructed serially, with the row governing every aspect.
- He composes serially, deriving all material from a single set.
American English
- The work is organized serially.
- She thinks serially, which gives her music a unique structure.
adjective
British English
- His serialist works from the 1950s are particularly rigorous.
- The festival featured a series of serialist compositions.
American English
- Her serialist approach influenced a generation.
- The analysis focused on serialist procedures in the score.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Primary context. Used in music history, theory, and analysis papers, lectures, and textbooks.
Everyday
Extremely rare. Would only appear in sophisticated conversations about modern classical music.
Technical
The core context. Used by composers, musicologists, and performers specializing in 20th/21st-century art music.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “serialism”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “serialism”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “serialism”
- Pronouncing it as /səˈraɪ.ə.lɪ.zəm/ (like 'serial' in 'serial killer'). Correct stress is on the first syllable.
- Using it as a synonym for any atonal or difficult-sounding modern music.
- Spelling as 'cereal-ism' (relating to breakfast).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, not exactly. Atonality describes music that avoids a tonal centre. Serialism is one specific, highly systematic method of organising atonal music. Not all atonal music is serial.
The foundational system (twelve-tone technique) was developed by Arnold Schoenberg in the early 1920s. It was later expanded into 'total serialism' by composers like Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Milton Babbitt in the 1940s and 1950s.
It is often challenging because serialism deliberately avoids the conventional melodies and harmonies of tonal music. The 'tune' is the series itself, which may not be perceived as a traditional melody.
Yes, but not as a dominant orthodoxy. Its techniques have been absorbed into the broader toolkit of contemporary composers, often combined with or reacted against by other methods like spectralism, minimalism, and postmodern eclecticism.
A method of musical composition using a fixed series of notes, rhythms, or other musical elements in a predetermined order (a series), which governs the structure of the entire piece.
Serialism is usually academic / technical / artistic in register.
Serialism: in British English it is pronounced /ˈsɪə.ri.ə.lɪ.zəm/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈsɪr.i.ə.lɪ.zəm/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms. The term is itself technical.]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a 'series' (a fixed order) controlling the music - 'SERIAL-ISM'. Like a serial number dictates the order of products, serialism dictates the order of musical notes.
Conceptual Metaphor
MUSIC IS A MATHEMATICAL SYSTEM / A CODE TO BE DECIPHERED.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is most closely associated with the core technique of serialism?