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Why and where does this article need additional citations for verification? What references does it need and how should they be added? Hyacinth (talk) 03:54, 23 May 2012 (UTC)Reply

There are in fact quite a few claims, especially in the second half of this article, that are specifically tagged as needing citations for verification. References along the lines of the ones verifying other statements in the article are what are needed (Carter, Mead, Dubiel, etc.), and they should be added in a manner consistent with the ones already in place. Since I supplied most of the references in this article, you may take it as read that I have tried and failed to find sources that confirm these queried claims.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 05:54, 23 May 2012 (UTC)Reply

Statements marked citation needed:

1. The presence of serial constraints in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions, though not necessarily discernible by the audience, adds a level of complexity to the piece that is characteristic of Babbitt’s work.
2. The organization of the pitch classes throughout the piece is consistently and undeniably self-referential.
3. In addition to his use of multi-dimensional tone rows,
4. Babbitt expands this idea in later pieces, working instead with a set of twelve unique durational units.
5. In the final three bars of the piece, the clarinet plays the retrograde of the opening duration row with each element multiplied by 4, giving the pattern 8 12 16 4.
6. Babbitt’s manipulation of dynamic contours adds yet another layer of complexity to an already analytically rich composition.
7. The piece demonstrates Babbitt’s remarkable development of musical relationships and technical complexity which he continued to explore throughout his career.

My response:

1. This doesn't seem characteristic of Babbitt's work specifically, but of all twelve-tone music (unified field). Removed.
2. Vague.
3. This either refers to all-combinatoriality or to the use of duration rows. Vague.
4. Perhaps just one piece: Composition for Twelve Instruments.
5. Perhaps the only statement here that isn't vague or an over generalization.
6. Doesn't make much sense ("the baby learned to walk after it learned to walk", "I analyzed it after I analyzed it"). Removed.
7. Could be considered self-evident or not true. Unnecessary.-->"Babbitt continued to explore serialization throughout his career."

Hyacinth (talk) 01:10, 30 October 2012 (UTC)Reply

I agree with all of your assessments except possibly no. 3. "Multi-dimensional tone rows" could refer to arrays, which in Babbitt's case does of course usually involve combinatoriality. I agree, however, that it is vague in that it is not clear whether pitch or duration is meant.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 01:24, 30 October 2012 (UTC)Reply

The last three bars of the piece are a half note, then a quarter tied to a half, then another quarter tied to a half, a quarter rest, and an eighth followed by an eighth rest (Taruskin 2009, 143). If one counts the sixteenth notes (between interonset intervals) this is 8, 12, 16, 4. Hyacinth (talk) 01:48, 30 October 2012 (UTC)Reply