Schenker, Heinrich

Schenker, Heinrich
born June 19, 1868, Wisniowczyk, Galicia, Russia
died Jan. 14, 1935, Vienna, Austria

Austrian music theorist.

Schenker studied law and composition in Vienna before settling there as a private teacher and occasional performer. He proposed that Jean-Philippe Rameau's harmonic theory had erred in making harmony fundamental at the expense of counterpoint. His own study of C.P.E. Bach led him to posit counterpoint as equally fundamental and to recognize the subtle integration of the two. Schenker's most influential perception was that tonal music consists of layers of ornamentation of simpler musical statements. His controversial theories and graphic notation
presented in texts such as Harmony (1906), Counterpoint (1910–22), and Free Composition (1935)
were widely disseminated in the 1970s and by the end of the 20th century had become the basis of the most widely employed analytical techniques for tonal music.

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▪ Austrian music theorist
born June 19, 1868, Wisniowczyki, Russia
died Jan. 14, 1935, Vienna

      Austrian music theorist whose insights into the structural hierarchies underlying much of 18th- and 19th-century music led to a new understanding of the laws of melodic and harmonic construction and form. Schenker was not well known in his time; he worked as a private teacher in Austria. He studied composition with Anton Bruckner and was an accompanist before turning his energies to the exploration of the fundamental principles of musical organization and coherence.

      Taking works of the 18th and 19th centuries as models of musical perfection, he based his analyses on the compositions of the masters of tonal harmony (prevalent c. 1650–c. 1900). In this connection he edited works of J.S. Bach and G.F. Handel and the piano sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven. His theoretical writings include essays on particular works, among them “Beethovens neunte Sinfonie” (1912; “Beethoven's Ninth Symphony”) and the monumental Neue musikalische Theorien und Phantasien (three sections, 1906–35; “New Musical Theories and Phantasies”). Schenker's most important theory, expounded in Das Meisterwerk in der Musik (“The Masterpiece in Music”), was that great musical compositions grow from a single idea and that their contrasting themes represent only a different aspect of this one basic thought. His hypotheses greatly influenced 20th-century theoreticians.

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  • SCHENKER, HEINRICH — (1868–1935), music theorist; the most important 20th century theorist of tonal music. Born in Wisniowczyki, Galicia. Schenker studied law as well as harmony with Bruckner in Vienna. After an early career as a composer, accompanist, editor, and… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Schenker, Heinrich — (19 jun. 1868, Wisniowiecki, Galicia, Rusia–14 ene. 1935, Viena, Austria). Teórico de la música austríaco. Estudió derecho y composición en Viena antes de establecerse en esta ciudad como profesor privado e intérprete ocasional. Afirmó que la… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Heinrich Schenker — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Schenker. Heinrich Schenker, né le 19 juin 1868 à Wisniowczyk en Galicie (auj. en Ukraine), mort le 13 juin 1935 à Vienne, est l un des principaux théoriciens de la musique du XXe siècle. On lui doit une… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Heinrich — /huyn rik/; Ger. /huyn rddikh/, n. a male given name, Germanic form of Henry. * * * (as used in expressions) Johann Heinrich Belter Bernstorff Johann Heinrich count von Böll Heinrich Theodor Boveri Theodor Heinrich Brauchitsch Heinrich Alfred… …   Universalium

  • Heinrich — (as used in expressions) Johann Heinrich Belter Bernstorff, Johann Heinrich, conde von Böll, Heinrich (Theodor) Boveri, Theodor Heinrich Brauchitsch, (Heinrich Alfred) Walther von Brüning, Heinrich Brunner, (Heinrich) Emil Bülow, Bernhard… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Heinrich Schenker — (* 19. Juni 1868 in Wisniowczyk, Ukraine; † 13. Januar 1935 in Wien), österreichischer Musiktheoretiker und Komponist galizischer Herkunft. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Ursatz 3 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Heinrich Schenker — (June 19, 1868 January 13, 1935) was a music theorist, best known for his approach to musical analysis, now usually called Schenkerian analysis.Schenker was born in Wisniowczyki in Galicia in Austria Hungary (now Ternopil oblast, Ukraine). His… …   Wikipedia

  • Heinrich Schenker — (19 de junio de 1868 13 de enero de 1935) fue un teórico de la música, más conocido por su aproximación al análisis musical, ahora llamado análisis schenkeriano. Schenker nació en Wisniowczyki, en Galitzia, Polonia. Se trasladó a Viena, donde… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Schenker — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Friedrich Schenker (* 1942), deutscher Komponist und Posaunist Gerd Schenker (* 1948), deutscher Schlagzeuger Gottfried Schenker (1842–1901), Schweizer Unternehmer Hans Schenker (* 1952), Schweizer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Schenker — is a German family name.Schenker may refer to: *Heinrich Schenker (1868–1935), German Music theorist *Rudolf Schenker, German guitarist, founding member of Scorpions (band) *Michael Schenker, German guitarist, founding member of Scorpions (band)… …   Wikipedia

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