dodecaphonism

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

noun

1. musical composition using the 12-tone technique.

Other Words From

• do·dec·a·phon·ic [doh-dek-, uh, -, fon, -ik], adjective
• do·deca·phoni·cal·ly adverb
• do·deca·phon·ist 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