Serial Checklist

 

This is not a complete explanation, but simply a reminder list. For "kinds of tone rows" and "compositional usages of tone rows", try to think in a style-specific way: which composers favored which types and usages of rows, and why?

 

Five important general considerations:

ordered, not ordered
examine Po
find the row forms
how are the row forms used?
why these row forms?

 

The basics:

P, I, R, RI
transposition (transposition or index number)
matrix
order numbers (0-11, not 1-12)

Kinds of rows:

all-interval row
derived row
symmetrical row
embedded subsets
tonal implications in a row
source sets

Compositional usages of tone rows:

aggregates and combinatoriality
all- and semi-combinatoriality
invariant subsets
overlap of row forms
rotation
secondary set
"total" serialism