ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses speculative and polemical content in Schoenberg's music theory, his refutation of past tradition of music theory, and his aspiration to create a new systematic presentation of music theory. These aspects are perceptible in his theoretical disagreements with Schenker and Riemann. Accordingly, the chapter focuses on two main perspectives: the first is related to Schoenberg's polemical debate with Schenker, and the second, to Schoenberg's rejection of Riemann's theoretical pedagogy and his adaptation of functional-harmonic theory. In 1926, Schoenberg addressed the emancipation of the dissonance from a historical-evolutionary perspective. In many of his early tonal compositions, the emancipated dissonance may already be perceived. As far as theory is concerned, the concept suggests an approach to a radical notion of organic structure. This notion denies the existence of different levels in tonal structure; it is also prone, however, to analytical misinterpretation.
