Krenek, E :: Sonatina op. 92/2b

The Sonatina for flute and clarinet is a Dodecaphonic composition incorporating Krenek s inventive interpretation of the twelve-ton practices of Arnold Schoenberg and the Second Viennese School. Krenek solidified his new interpretation of Schoenberg s serial technique after completing work on his 1933 operatic masterpiece Karl V. His departure from customary twelve-tone principles allowed for the separation of the row into two six-note segments. After separating the twelve-tone row into two six-note halves, or hexachords, he then implemented an ingenious procedure which he called row rotation . This method of transposition and transformation, where pitches are shifted from the beginning of a series to the end, yielded a rich and harmonically varied collection of twelve-tone rows, where octaves and consonant intervals were embraced. The result is a truly liberated dissonant musical language in which Krenek solved one of the most esoteric challenges of 20th century musical discourse: achieving an elegant balance between consonance and dissonance. He would follow the rotation technique to its zenith in the Third Sonata for Piano Op. 92, No. 4, where the row, this time segmented into four groups of three tones, was rotated to the maximum amount. Further development of Krenek s rotation principles would culminate in his 1941/42 a cappella choral masterpiece Lamentatio Jeremiae prophetae Op. 43.