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. . . Here
is an ordering of the twelve pitch classes
from Schoenberg’s Fourth Quartet. [D, C-sharp, A, B-flat, F, E-flat, E,
C, A-flat, G, F-sharp and B.] . . .
I hope nobody here thinks that we’re talking about mathematics. If I really wanted to represent this set the way I should, I would write down 0, 11, 7, 8, 3, etc. The reason for that is not because these numbers make any mathematical sense—they don’t. They have no virtues whatsoever. They’re not even a Fibonacci series! They represent nothing more than measures of interval. . . . The music doesn’t come from the numbers. The numbers come from trying to represent just that much of the music. These numbers represent a succession of pitch classes without any reference to register. . . .
Milton Babbitt
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