Free Composition (Der freie Satz) is a treatise by Heinrich Schenker, and possibly Schenker's most well-known work. The third volume of New Musical Theories and Fantasies (preceded by Harmony and Counterpoint), it was first published posthumously in 1935. Heinrich Schenker Heinrich Schenker (June 19, 1868 - January 13, 1935) was a music theorist, best known for his approach to musical analysis, now usually called Schenkerian analysis. ... Counterpoint (Kontrapunkt in the original German) is the second volume of Heinrich Schenkers New Musical Theories and Fantasies (the first is Harmony and the third is Free Composition). ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Free Composition aims to present a complete and systematic outline of Schenker's mature theory, relying heavily on his previous writings. It is divided into three parts, dealing respectively with background, middleground, and foreground levels of structure. The word theory has a number of distinct meanings in different fields of knowledge, depending on their methodologies and the context of discussion. ...