Septet

But for the inconvenient and interminally offensive tone row, this could be pure Hindemithian Gebrauchsmusik, n'est-ce pas? It was certainly conceived as such, anyway: a dozen simple bagatelles stepping inconsequentially through the 48 possible rotations of the four major permutations of a very particular series of twelve thoroughly independent tones. This is where the rubber really starts to meet the proverbial road of my seemingly arcane technical theories.

The joke of this piece, however, is definitely on me. For years and years, now, whenever anyone mentions "The Three B's," I always say: "Right: Beethoven, Bartók, and Berg!" And yet, the opening measures of this septet contain a brief clarinet solo that can only be described as Brahmsian; and the whole piece is littered with canonic fragments clearly derived from the practice of Bach. Finally, if asked to name the one composer whose spirit is most frequently evoked in all the movements above, I would have to say: Stravinsky. No contest. I am turning out to be not at all the person I always thought I was.