Pitch Registration and Harmonic Fields in Works of Pierre Boulez, Marco Stroppa, and Yukiko Watanabe

Abstract

This paper discusses a method for harmonic field analysis of serial and post-serial music. The method is informed by perception-oriented considerations and was specifically designed for an analysis of Pierre Boulez’s early serial music. It is therefore exemplified by his 1951 composition Polyphonie X. Harmonic field analysis can however be applied to any music where pitch registration plays an important role. Accordingly, I will provide a brief overview of harmonic relations in two more recent compositions by Marco Stroppa and Yukiko Watanabe, demonstrating that harmonic fields have been used by composers to mediate between the generative layers of pitch organization and the sounding surface.