Relating to twelve-tone composition technique where all twelve chromatic pitches are used equally without establishing a tonal center. This method was developed by Arnold Schoenberg in the early 20th century.
From Greek dodeka 'twelve' and phone 'sound,' literally meaning 'twelve-sound.' The term was created to describe Schoenberg's revolutionary compositional method that abandoned traditional tonality.
Dodecaphonic music was like musical democracy taken to its extreme - Schoenberg insisted that no note should be more important than any other, creating a completely egalitarian system that shocked audiences but influenced generations of avant-garde composers!
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