Prolongation of Harmonies Related to the Harmonic Series in Early Post-Tonal Music

A study is presented that examines the often-ignored theory of the relationship between musical harmony and the harmonic overtone series, focusing on the following works dated around 1910: (1) Alexander Scriabin's "Vers la flamme"; (2) Alban Berg's Song Op. 2, No. 2; (3) Claude Debussy's "Voiles"; and (4) Anton Webern's Song Op. 3, No. 1. It analyzes the harmonic series as relevant to music and theory and suggests that the organization of these works, following contemporary trends, is granted to harmonies that consist of pitches approximating those in the harmonic series up to the 11th harmonic. Such harmonies occur as foreground sonorities and are referential for prolongated organizations analogous to the concept of triadic prolongation.