dodecaphonism

Also do·dec·a·pho·ny

[doh-dek-uh-fuh-niz-uhm, doh-di-kaf-uh-]

noun

1. musical composition using the 12-tone technique.

Other Word Forms

• dodecaphonic adjective
• dodecaphonically adverb
• dodecaphonist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dodecaphonism¹

First recorded in 1950–55; dodeca- + -phone + -ism

Example Sentences

What the composer offered instead was music that verged on dodecaphonism, darkly illuminating a libretto that made the bitter story of Montezuma's defeat by Cortes a parable of good intentions gone astray.

From Time Magazine Archive