![]() Ludus Tonalis uses what Hindemith called “Series 1”. In this system, the major–minor duality is meaningless and the practice of modulation is dropped. Hindemith believed that roots are supports of larger harmonic structures, and as such they must exhibit tonal coherence if the chord-successions which take place above them are to be understandable. The affinity of each note with the keynote is directly related to its position on the harmonic scale. ![]() Ludus Tonalis can be thought of as the most direct application of Hindemith’s theory that the twelve tones of the equally tempered scale all relate to a single tone (called a tonic or keynote). Notably, the piece begins with a Praeludium in C, in the style of Bach’s toccatas, and ends with a Postlodium that is an exact retrograde inversion of the Praeludium. Unlike Bach’s work, however, the non-fugal pieces in Ludus Tonalis frequently repeat the work’s main theme. This piece was intended to be a 20th century equivalent to The Well-Tempered Clavier. In 1942, Hindemith composed his work “ Ludus Tonalis – Kontrapunktische, tonale, und Klaviertechnische Übungen “ (Tonal Game – Counterpoint, tonal and technical studies for the piano). One such composer is Paul Hindemith, a prolific German composer perhaps best known for his advocacy of the Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) style of music in the 1920s, with compositions such as Kammermusik (which is in fact reminiscent of Bach’s famous Brandenburg Concerto), including works with viola as solo instruments in a “neo-Bachian” spirit. It is thus no surprise that The Well-Tempered Clavier served as an inspiration to modern composers, who built on Bach’s model by adding in their distinct flavours. This work influenced a variety of now renowned composers from disparate musical periods – Mozart, Chopin (who was inspired to write his 24 Preludes, Op.28 by this piece) and Shostakovich (his 24 Preludes and Fugues are one of the few works that attempt to come close to Bach’s model). Few works in the Western classical canon carry the unique distinction of influencing a multitude of composers across eras, as Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier.
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