Overcoming the Crisis of Tonality: The Resemantized Tonality of Modernism

Abstract

In this article I analyse the context and features of resemantized tonality, historically linked with the first half of the 20th century. The renewed interest in tonality occurred after the crisis of tonality — the system that prevailed in music until its ‘collapse’ in the late 19th and early 20th century. The consequence of the crisis was the emergence of atonality, as well as different tonal idioms which are here collectively referred to as “resemantized tonality”. This reaction led to a whole series of works based on the concept of linguistic-stylistic resemantization in the context of modernist expression. I will discuss some of the basic characteristics and linguistic strategies of the resemantized tonality that have established it as an autochthonous linguistic-grammatical system. Furthermore, I will analyse two highly illustrative works: Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 Classical and Paul Hindemith’s cycle of solo songs The Life of Virgin Mary.