Octatonicism inLuigiDallapiccola'sTwelve‐NoteMusic

Abstract

This survey addresses perhaps the least‐known aspect of Luigi Dallapiccola's twelve‐note music, namely the composer's preference for octatonic collections. Part I summarises the different arrangements of octatonic hexachords that are possible within a twelve‐note context. Parts II–IV then examine some of the octatonic characteristics which recur across a number of specific works, several of which have not previously been the subject of critical attention. Octatonicism is thereby revealed as a consistent feature of Dallapiccola's harmonic language that runs throughout his twelve‐note canon.