Theory of Harmony
by Arnold Schoenberg · first published 1983
8mentions
3recommended by
4HN commenters
2012–2025first – last mentioned
75% recommend25% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Explains harmony from the ground up through overtones and the logic of chord progressions, with insight into late-Romantic harmonic substitution. Suits readers who want the reasons behind music theory, not just rules.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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"The distinction between tonality and noise is mathematical form" doesn't have the same ring to it, I suppose. My favorite study of tonal harmony is "Theory of Harmony" by Arnold Schoenberg (sounds ironic; here's a preview on google books: <http://books.google.com/books?id=5Y5MyjbU87oC&lpg=PR3...). It was the first theory textbook that attempted to teach composition…
on “The distinction between music and noise is mathematical form” ↗Theory of Harmony, by Schoenberg The book takes music theory as its subject, but explores perception, culture, the meaning of art, innovation, and other related ideas in its lengthy footnotes and tangents. It shows a…
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗An influential book for me was Arnold Schoenberg's Theory of Harmony. It's half harmonic theory and half a manifesto on art. In a lengthy footnote he advises using materials to their advantages, rather than forcing them to do something they weren't meant to do. I've seen…
on “A rise in vegetarian options leads customers to embrace meat-free meals” ↗A lot of the early music theory comes from discovering resonating overtones before having the full physics & mathematical model to describe it exactly scientifically. The opening chapters of Theory of Harmony by Arnold Schoenberg are a very interesting read from that perspective. In a way its the same question as for math. Do mathematicians invent new mathematical theories or do they discover structures and…
on “Did Bach “invent” the rules of music theory?” ↗Arnold Schoenberg in Theory of Harmony said "There are no rules of music, only rules of style".
on “Did Bach “invent” the rules of music theory?” ↗From my read of "Theory of Harmony" and "Structural Functions of Harmony", it seems to me Schoenberg definitely wasn't aiming to be a great innovator, he was desperate to be part of the great tradition and saw serialism as an inevitable…
on “The Case for Challenging Music” ↗…realized. ... Tone-color melodies! How acute the senses that would be able to perceive them! How high the development of spirit that could find pleasure in such subtle things!" -- Arnold Schoenberg, Theory of Harmony, 1911, toward the end of chapter 22. Personally, I anticipate that if humanlike AGI is achieved, then it will understand the illusion of music. Not merely because music understanding is an attribute…
on “Everything we can't describe in music” ↗…observations. For the conditions of practicality can change, if we take a different view of the material and if the purpose changes. But aesthetics alleges it has discovered eternal laws." -- Arnold Schoenberg, Theory of Harmony
on “A revolution in English bell ringing” ↗