What is the primary purpose of Schoenberg's 12-tone technique?

Schoenberg's 12-tone technique was developed as a method to organize atonal music, effectively eliminating the reliance on traditional tonal structures. The primary purpose of this technique is to ensure that all 12 pitches of the chromatic scale are treated equally, allowing composers to create music that does not center around any specific tonal system or key. By doing so, Schoenberg aimed to provide a framework for composing music that is free from the constraints of tonality, leading to a completely new musical language that prioritizes the use of all available pitches equally.

This technique not only defies traditional harmonic relationships but also opens up new avenues for musical expression without the expectation of tonal resolution that characterized earlier Western music. Thus, the correct answer highlights its role in facilitating atonality and the absence of a tonal center, allowing for innovative compositional approaches.