'If one is to take Lulu's twelve-tone chord as the integral totality of complementary harmony, then Berg's allegorical genius proves itself within a historical perspective which makes the brain reel: just as Lulu in the world of total illusion longs for nothing but her murderer and finally finds him in that sound, so does all harmony of unrequited happiness long for its fatal chord as the cipher of fulfillment--twelve-tone music is not to be separated from dissonance. Fatal: because all dynamics come to a standstill within it wihout finding release. The law of complementary harmony already implies the end of the musical experience of time, as this was heralded in the dissociation of time according to Expressionistic extremes.'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Adorno links Berg's twelve‑tone music to a tragic yearning for a fatal chord, suggesting harmony is bound to dissonance and a halt of musical time.
- In plain terms
- He says twelve‑tone music expresses a desperate search for a final, impossible chord, freezing musical flow.
- What can you take from it?
- Recognize that some art embraces unresolved tension.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why might unresolved tension be artistically valuable?
- How does time perception affect musical experience?
Another view
The analysis is highly specialized and may be inaccessible to lay readers.
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