From the earliest years of the 20th century composers sought ways in which to break from earlier musical traditions. Serialism is one of the most prominent innovations resulting from this. From Schoenberg to Stockhausen, Berg to Boulez, this introduction tells the story of how serialism emerged, and provides a basic outline of serial compositional techniques. • Introduces serialism - a traditionally complex but key area of music studies - in a thorough and straightforward way • Clearly and concisely describes the technical aspects of serialism, using illustrative music examples • Contains a glossary to aid readers unfamiliar with specialised vocabulary.