1. Tonality: Schoenberg rejected the traditional tonal system based on major and minor scales, which had been the foundation of Western music for centuries. He embraced atonality, a compositional technique that abandoned the concept of a tonal center, resulting in music with a more dissonant and unstructured sound.
2. Harmony: Schoenberg's music often employed complex and unconventional harmonic structures. He experimented with novel chord progressions, dissonant intervals, and expanded tonal resources, challenging the traditional harmonic practices of functional tonality.
3. Melody: Schoenberg's melodic writing deviated from the traditional lyrical and symmetrical melodies of classical music. He utilized irregular and angular melodic lines, incorporating disjunct intervals, frequent leaps, and a wide pitch range.
4. Rhythm: Schoenberg's rhythmic language was also innovative. He broke away from the regular and predictable rhythmic patterns of classical music and introduced irregular rhythms, syncopations, and complex rhythmic structures.
5. Form: Schoenberg experimented with unconventional musical forms, challenging the traditional structures of sonata-allegro form, rondo, and variations. He created new formal designs that were often fragmented, asymmetrical, and unpredictable.
6. Timbre: Schoenberg placed great importance on the use of timbre and instrumental color. He often employed unusual combinations of instruments, explored extended techniques, and experimented with new sounds and textures.
Schoenberg's music was revolutionary and challenging to contemporary audiences accustomed to traditional classical forms. His innovations laid the groundwork for the development of modernism and atonality in 20th-century music.