Which of the following lists includes 12-tone composers?

• A. Babbit, Boulez, Webern, Berg, Stickhausen
• B. Hindemith, Stravinsky, Strauss, Copland
• C. Reich, Riley, Glass, Adams, Young
• D. Debussy, Chopin, Vivaldi, Handel

Answer: (A)

12-tone composition uses a fixed row that includes all twelve pitch classes, guiding melody, harmony, and rhythm so no single pitch center dominates. The list that includes Milton Babbitt, Pierre Boulez, Anton Webern, Alban Berg, and Stickhausen features composers who are strongly associated with this serial approach and its extensions. Webern and Berg are central figures of the 12-tone school, Boulez expanded serial techniques in postwar music, and Babbitt was a major American proponent of serialized methods. The other options mix composers rooted in tonal or other modern styles (Chopin, Debussy, Vivaldi, Handel; Hindemith, Stravinsky, Strauss, Copland; Reich, Riley, Glass, Adams, Young), not primarily identified with the 12-tone method.