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This prototypical counterpoint, which Schenker called the ''Ursatz'' (see more specific. Schenker defined tonal music as that of the masterpieces of the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras. According to Allen Forte , "Schenker's major concept is not that of the ''Ursatz'', as it is sometimes maintained, but that of structural levels, a far more inclusive idea." Schenker called these levels ''Schichten''. He called only the ''Ursatz'' background or ''Hintergrund'' and he called the foreground ''Vordergrund''. (Beach 1983) Schenker used traditional musical notation with modified implications, and his own symbols, on graphs or graphic analyses. Forte groups Schenker's graphs into "rhythmic" and "structural" types. In rhythmic reduction, often called metric reduction, the original note durations and their meanings are kept, while in structural analysis longer rhythmic values indicate greater structural importance or level. In ''Free Composition'' half notes, sometimes whole notes, are used for the fundamental line also accompanied by careted scale degree and its supporting bass. Quarter notes indicate middleground, linear progressions and their supporting bass lines, and eighth notes usually indicate embellishments or leading tone motion to the tonic. Beams and slurs connect and group together parts of the same structural level. Other symbols include those for interruptions and omissions. (Beach 1983) While contemporary authors such as Forte and Beach present Schenker's analysis as a process of reducing a composition to an Ursatz, Schenker himself saw analysis as generating from the premise of an Ursatz (see Snarrenberg 1997). However, either way, truly completed analyses must show all levels of a composition and their relationships. DIMINUTION Other important concepts include Diminution . In Schenkerian theory a diminution, or "division", rather than a diminishing is an expansion, "the process by which an interval formed by notes of longer value is expressed in notes of smaller value." Those notes of smaller value represent the notes of longer value, and thus the latter need not be present. A diminution may be classified as a passing note (P), neighboring note (N, upper or lower, complete or incomplete, direct or indirect), consonant skip (CS), arpeggiation (Arp). These are all also terms for Nonchord Tone s, but Schenkerian analysis differentiates levels not expressed by the terms chordal and nonchordal tones. Diminutions may also be prefixes or suffixes. (Forte and Gilbert 1982) "The function of a note is determined by its harmonic and contrapuntal setting." Thus whether a note is part of or a diminution is determined by its context. For example, if two adjacent notes alternate, the one which is 'unsupported' by the harmony is a neighboring note. (Forte and Gilbert 1982) Schenkerian analysis uses its own form of notations, or creates successive notations of musical works. The first step is often a rhythmic reduction, removing some or all diminutions. Then the time signature and barlines are removed, with stems and slurs added. Slurs indicate dependency upon stemmed notes. (Forte and Gilbert 1982) LEGACY AND RESPONSES Fred Maus (2004, p.162) compares Schenker's "creation of an elaborate tonal theory in response to post-tonal music" with "sexologists' back-formation of the concept of heterosexuality as a complement to their new concept of homosexuality." Finding similarities, "to some extent" including the "conceptualization of the normative or unmarked category" following "awareness of an alternative." Though Schenker considered nontonal or Atonal music unnatural, unlike the sexologists who focused more on minoritized categories, he focused on elaborating his theory of tonal music. Milton Babbitt admired Schenker's work and his own work may be seen as part response, revision, and alternative to Schenker's. For example, he suggests that the properties described as natural phenomenon by Schenker be considered axioms and he also formulated a system to compose Twelve-tone Music that was "equally intricate and fruitful." Allen Forte also responded to Schenker by providing an alternative system applicable to the analysis of nontonal nontwelve tone music. (ibid, p.162-163) FURTHER READING
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