Composition for Four Instruments

First array of four aggregates (numbered 1–4 at bottom), each vertical line (four trichords labeled a–d) is an aggregate while each horizontal line (four trichords labeled a-d) is also an aggregate.[1]

Composition for Four Instruments (1948) is an early serial music composition written by American composer Milton Babbitt. It is Babbitt's first published ensemble work, following shortly after his Three Compositions for Piano (1947). In both these pieces, Babbitt expands upon the methods of twelve-tone composition developed by Arnold Schoenberg. He is notably innovative for his application of serial techniques to rhythm. Composition for Four Instruments is considered one of the early examples of “totally serialized” music. It is remarkable for a strong sense of integration and concentration on its particular premises—qualities that caused Elliott Carter, upon first hearing it in 1951, to persuade New Music Edition to publish it.[2]

  1. ^ Whittall 2008, 271.
  2. ^ Carter 1976, 30.