Other Harmony: Beyond Tonal and Atonal

Noted composer, theorist, and critic Tom Johnson explores the theoretical discoveries of classical music's forgotten thinkers and composers, (Euler, Hauer, Slonimsky, Obouhow, Schillinger, and Messiaen), before taking the reader on a guided tour of his own investigations into the structure of harmony. He thoroughly analyzes chord families (in the style of Forte) and provides a number of his own techniques as alternate methods for classifying chords. This brief, accessible work provides a survey of alternative harmonic practices, and it is tailored to the composer who wishes to sample some fruitful methods of composition beyond strictly tonal or atonal harmonic practice. The work reflects Johnson's fascination with the mathematical underpinnings of harmonic structures.