On the Dynamics of the Grundgestalt

As well known, Schönberg’s concept of Grundgestalt equals the initial element of a piece with the piece itself. Here I provide an interpretation of the Grundgestalt in the light of dynamic systems theory and propose a compositional model based on that interpretation. I show that the model can generate music from the orbits of certain dynamic systems and I exemplify this by means of two combinatorial procedures. Lessons learned thus far, including links to a number of compositions,
are finally provided.