g ., ▁medieval , ▁r ena issance , ▁and ▁modern ▁modal ▁music ▁to ▁which ▁this ▁definition ▁does ▁not ▁apply . ▁ ▁" Serial ism ▁arose ▁partly ▁as ▁a ▁means ▁of ▁organ izing ▁more ▁coh er ently ▁the ▁relations ▁used ▁in ▁the ▁pre - serial ▁' free ▁at onal ' ▁music .   ... ▁Thus , ▁many ▁useful ▁and ▁cru cial ▁ins ights ▁about ▁even ▁strictly ▁serial ▁music ▁depend ▁only ▁on ▁such ▁basic ▁at onal ▁theory " ▁. ▁ ▁Late ▁ 1 9 th - ▁and ▁early ▁ 2 0 th - century ▁compos ers ▁such ▁as ▁Alexander ▁S cri ab in , ▁Claude ▁Deb uss y , ▁Bé la ▁Bart ók , ▁Paul ▁Hin dem ith , ▁Serge i ▁Pro k of iev , ▁Ig or ▁Stra vin sky , ▁and ▁Ed g ard ▁Var èse ▁have ▁written ▁music ▁that ▁has ▁been ▁described , ▁in ▁full ▁or ▁in ▁part , ▁as ▁at onal ▁( ; ▁; ▁; ▁; ▁; ▁; ▁; ▁; ▁; ▁; ▁; ▁). ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁While ▁music ▁without ▁a ▁t onal ▁center ▁had ▁been ▁previously ▁written , ▁for ▁example ▁Franz ▁Lis zt ' s ▁Bag at elle ▁sans ▁t onal ité ▁of ▁ 1 8 8 5 , ▁it ▁is ▁with ▁the ▁coming ▁of ▁the ▁tw enti eth ▁century ▁that ▁the ▁term ▁at on ality ▁began ▁to ▁be ▁applied ▁to ▁pieces , ▁particularly ▁those ▁written ▁by ▁Arnold ▁Sch o enberg ▁and ▁The ▁Second ▁V ienn ese ▁School . ▁The ▁term ▁" aton ality " ▁ ▁was ▁co ined ▁in