ABSTRACT
Free atonal music follows whatever compositional criteria the composer may have established for a particular piece. Atonal music is often based on motivic and intervallic cells that are manipulated by the composer in a variety of ways. Identifying segments for analysis brings up the complex problem of segmentation in atonal music. Expressionism in general favors violent emotions and intense depictions of inner life, which are often presented in a distorted and fragmented way. Expressionist art often delves into the world of the subconscious and of psychic conflicts and displays a taste for the strange, the macabre, or even the grotesque at times. Motivic relationships, however, are immediately observable at the surface level in the piano accompaniment. It is interesting to note that phrasing in the piano part is not synchronic with phrasing in the voice part. That is, phrases in voice and piano overlap, and this helps create a sense of continuity and forward drive in the song.
