the fact that 12 tone serialism works is so wonderful. It really is the ultimate proof of Schoenberg's framework for how music works with his approach that so highly values form.
It's truly a wonderful solution to the problem that it solves. When free atonality was being developed, the biggest issue was giving it coherence while not accidentally becoming tonal. According to Schoenberg, tonality is not an inherent part of music, but rather a very powerful tool for maintaining comprehensibility. So, when you lose that really powerful tool, you gotta do *somethin'*, which is what serialist technique does. Instead of having a tonic, you have a tone row.
Instead of all notes relating only to the tonic, all of the 12 notes are related only to eachother.
It's rather incredible if I say so myself. I love serialism
