Linkage, Knupftechnic. The often hidden means by which separate sections of a composition are "organically" connected to one another. Typically, a subordinate motive at the end of one section becomes the seed of a new section, but the means by which a linkage can be acheived are limitless. One of Schenker's main objectives in this essay is to demonstrate how Brahms's linkage technique makes an organic whole out of the series of separate variations. The reader may refer to Schenker's analysis of the variations for many examples of linkage technique.

Glossary