total serialism: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowTechnical/Academic
Quick answer
What does “total serialism” mean?
A compositional method in music where every element (pitch, duration, dynamics, timbre) is organized according to a series, often a twelve-tone row.
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Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A compositional method in music where every element (pitch, duration, dynamics, timbre) is organized according to a series, often a twelve-tone row.
The strict and comprehensive application of serial techniques to all musical parameters, representing an extreme form of atonal composition that rejects traditional tonal hierarchy and seeks a fully predetermined structure. In broader contexts, it can metaphorically describe any system or process governed by rigid, exhaustive rules.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences. Usage is identical across both varieties within academic music discourse.
Connotations
Equally technical and specialised in both regions. May carry a connotation of intellectual rigour or, conversely, of extreme abstraction and emotional coldness, depending on context.
Frequency
Exceedingly rare outside of musicology, composition, and critical theory. Frequency is equally negligible in general British and American English.
Grammar
How to Use “total serialism” in a Sentence
[Composer/Work] employs/practices/uses total serialism.Total serialism is evident/characteristic in [Work].The [piece/movement] is composed in a style of total serialism.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “total serialism” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The composer sought to total-serialise every parameter of the score.
- They are total-serialising the rhythmic structure.
American English
- The composer aimed to total-serialize every element of the piece.
- He total-serialized the dynamics based on a pre-composed row.
adverb
British English
- The piece is composed totally serially.
- He worked totally serially during that period.
American English
- The piece is composed totally serially.
- She approached the project totally serially.
adjective
British English
- His total-serialist approach left little to chance.
- A total-serialist work from the 1950s.
American English
- Her total-serialist method was rigorously mathematical.
- The total-serialist composition required precise execution.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Academic
Common in musicology, critical theory, and history of 20th-century arts. Used to analyse the works of composers like Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Milton Babbitt.
Everyday
Virtually never used.
Technical
The primary context. Precisely describes a compositional methodology where series govern pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and articulation.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “total serialism”
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “total serialism”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “total serialism”
- Using 'total serialism' to describe any atonal or discordant music.
- Confusing it with 'minimalism', which is often highly repetitive and tonal.
- Misspelling as 'total surrealism' (a different concept).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Twelve-tone music serializes only pitch. Total serialism applies serial organization to all musical parameters (duration, dynamics, timbre, etc.). All total serialism is twelve-tone, but not all twelve-tone music is total serialism.
Key figures include Pierre Boulez (France), Karlheinz Stockhausen (Germany), Luigi Nono (Italy), and Milton Babbitt (USA) in the period roughly from 1949 to the mid-1960s.
Only metaphorically or analogously. It might be used in criticism to describe an overly rigid, systematic approach in another field (e.g., "the total serialism of his management style"), but this is a figurative extension of the core musical term.
It avoids traditional melodies, harmonies, and rhythmic patterns. The complex, pre-determined structures offer few familiar auditory landmarks, requiring listeners to perceive relationships based on abstract series rather than tonal expectations.
A compositional method in music where every element (pitch, duration, dynamics, timbre) is organized according to a series, often a twelve-tone row.
Total serialism is usually technical/academic in register.
Total serialism: in British English it is pronounced /ˈtəʊtl ˈsɪəriəlɪz(ə)m/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈtoʊtl ˈsɪriəlɪzəm/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think TOTAL control: TOTAL SERIALism means SERIALizing (putting in a strict series) ALL (TOTAL) aspects of the music.
Conceptual Metaphor
COMPOSITION IS A MATHEMATICAL SYSTEM; MUSIC IS A CALCULATION.
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary domain of the term 'total serialism'?