Who he was and what he proposed
Heinrich Schenker (1868–1935), a Viennese theorist, argued that tonal masterpieces (from Bach to Brahms) are the elaboration in time of a single simple structure: a tonic chord "composed out" in a descending melodic line over a tonic–dominant–tonic bass. His theory, systematized in Der freie Satz (Free Composition, 1935), is the foundation of Schenkerian analysis, taught in almost all North American theory doctorates and in many European courses (Royal College of Music, Royal Academy, German conservatories). Introductory texts: Forte & Gilbert (Introduction to Schenkerian Analysis, 1982), Cadwallader & Gagné (Analysis of Tonal Music: A Schenkerian Approach), Aldwell & Schachter (who apply it to harmony).
The Ursatz (fundamental structure)
The Ursatz consists of two voices:
- the Urlinie (fundamental line): a stepwise descent to the tonic, from 3̂, from 5̂ or (rarely) from 8̂. In C major: E–D–C, or G–F–E–D–C, or C–B–A–G–F–E–D–C.
- the Bassbrechung (bass arpeggiation): I–V–I, that is C–G–C.
The 2̂ of the Urlinie falls over the V of the bass, and the final 1̂ over the last I: the Ursatz is thus a perfect cadence enormously expanded, lasting the entire piece.
The first note of the Urlinie is called the Kopfton (head tone): finding it is the first big problem of any analysis.
The levels
| Level | German name | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Background | Hintergrund | the Ursatz |
| Middleground | Mittelgrund | the main elaborations: arpeggiations, linear progressions, interruptions, secondary keys |
| Foreground | Vordergrund | the music as we hear it, with all the passing tones, neighbor tones, rhythms and figurations |
You go from background to foreground through transformations (prolongations, see the "Prolongation" entry) and, in analysis, you take the reverse path: from the surface you reduce by progressively removing the subordinate notes.
Key concepts to know
- Auskomponierung (composing out): a chord is "spread" in time as a melody or arpeggio.
- Zug (linear progression): a stepwise line connecting two notes of the same chord (for example a descent of a third E–D–C or of a fifth G–F–E–D–C).
- Unterbrechung (interruption): the Urlinie descends to 2̂ over the V (3̂–2̂ ‖) and then starts over until 1̂ (3̂–2̂–1̂). It is the Schenkerian form of the antecedent–consequent period and also of sonata form (the exposition and development reach 2̂/V, the recapitulation completes the descent).
- Anstieg (initial ascent): a line rises to the Kopfton before descending.
- Nebennote (neighbor note) and Durchgang (passing note) at all levels, not only on the surface.
A toy example: "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" (Ah vous dirai-je, Maman) in C
Melody: C C G G A A G | F F E E D D C.
- The G (5̂) reached in the first bar is the Kopfton; A is an upper neighbor note of G.
- Then F–E–D–C is the descent 4̂–3̂–2̂–1̂.
- The implied bass: I – IV – I – V – I (C, F, C, G, C), that is the I–V–I arpeggiation with the IV as preparation.
Urlinie: 5̂–4̂–3̂–2̂–1̂ over I–V–I. It is the same song that Mozart varies in the 12 Variations K. 265: each variation changes the surface, but the Ursatz stays the same.
A historical example
Schenker published a reduction of Bach's Prelude in C major BWV 846 (in the Fünf Urlinie-Tafeln, 1932) in which the high notes of the bars form an Urlinie starting from E (3̂) and the bass, after long prolongations, arrives at the dominant pedal and the final tonic.
Criticisms and limits
- It was conceived for tonal music from Bach to Brahms: with modal pop, blues or post-tonal music it must be adapted or abandoned.
- Schenker's aesthetic judgment (only "German geniuses" supposedly composed organic works) and his political positions are criticized today; however, the reduction technique remains an extremely powerful analytical tool.
- Adaptations exist for pop and rock (Walter Everett on the Beatles) and for jazz (Steve Larson, Henry Martin).
Why it matters to a producer
Thinking in levels helps you understand which notes of a melody are structural (those that must fall on stable chords and strong accents) and which are ornaments. A hook that "works" often has a hidden 3̂–2̂–1̂ or 5̂–4̂–3̂–2̂–1̂ descent beneath the surface.
Related topics
Prolongation, Schenkerian analysis step by step, Inner voices and hidden lines, The period, Sonata form, Cadences.