Contemporary Harmony: Book

This book refuses to treat harmony as a fixed system, instead showing students how compositional logic evolves across a century of radical musical change. Ulehla's analytical method replaces outdated figured bass with techniques that actually work for serial and post-tonal music, which means you're teaching real tools rather than workarounds.

Rigorous but not dogmatic. Ulehla writes with respect for both the music and the student's intelligence, acknowledging complexity rather than hiding it. You'll find yourself understanding not just the what, but the why behind compositional decisions across radically different styles.

Advanced theory students, composition teachers, and musicians who need to move beyond Romantic harmony into the twentieth century. This works best for post-secondary study or serious pre-college musicians ready to engage with thorough harmonic analysis.

Assign chapters sequentially in upper-level theory courses to scaffold students from late-Romantic chromaticism into twelve-tone writing. The graduated structure and detailed exercises make it ideal for self-study or classroom work across a full academic year.

• Analyzing chromatic harmony and voice leading in Romantic and post-Romantic music
• Understanding harmonic function in non-diatonic contexts
• Reading and constructing twelve-tone rows and serial techniques
• Applying Ulehla's analytical method to contemporary compositions
• Recognizing harmonic ambiguity and understanding why it serves the music