Arnold Schoenberg

 

  Arnold Schoenberg remains Schoenberg remains one of the most controversial figures in the history of music. From the final years of the nineteenth century to the period following the World War II, Schoenberg produced Schoenberg produced music of  great stylisti stylisticc diversity diversity,, inspiring inspiring fanatical fanatical devotion devotion from students, students, admiration from peers like Mahler , Strauss, and usoni usoni,, riotous anger  from conservative !iennese audiences, and unmitigated hatred from his many detractors. orn in !ienna on "# September "$%&, into a family that was not  particularly musical, Schoenberg Schoenberg was  was largely self'taught as a musician. An amateur cellist, he demonstrated from early age a particular aptitude for composition. (e received rudimentary instruction in harmony and counterpoint from )skar Adler and studied +emlinsky,, his eventual brother'in'law. arly in his career, compositio compos ition n briefly briefly with Ale*ander +emlinsky Schoenberg took Schoenberg took -obs orchestrating operettas, but most of his life was spent teaching, both  privately and at various institutions, and composing. (is moves between teaching -obs were as much a result of seeking respite from the bouts of ill health which hampered him as they were due to his being offered a position. he composer/s early works bear the unmistakable stamp of high 0erman 1omanticism, perhaps nowhere more evident than in his first important composition, !erkl2rte 3acht, )p. & 4"$556. With works like the Five )rchestral 7ieces 4"5856 and the epochal 7ierrot lunaire 4"5"96, Schoenberg Schoenberg embarked  embarked upon one of the most influential phases of his career. :ritics reviled this ;atonal; ;atona l; 4Schoenberg 4Schoenberg preferred ;pantonal;6 ;pantonal;6 music, music, whose structure structure does not include include traditional traditional tonality. Still, the high drama and novel e*pressive means of Schoenberg Schoenberg/s /s music also inspired a were  Alban erg  erg  and faithful and active following. Most notable among Schoenberg/s Schoenberg/s disciples were  Anton Webern ebern,, both of whom eventually attained stature e6 and the Fantasy for !iolin and 7iano 4"5&56 to orchestral works like the !iolin :oncerto 4"5#?'"5#>6 and the 7iano :oncerto 4"5&96, to choral works like A Survivor  from Warsaw 4"5&%6. Schoenberg  Schoenberg  fled the poisonous political political atmosphere atmosphere of urope in "5## and spent the remainder  remainder  of his life primarily in the @nited States, becoming a naturalied citien in "5&". Buring this

 

 phase of his career, he at times returned to frank tonality, tonality, as in the heme and !ari !ariations ations for band 4"5, reaffirming his connection to the great 0erman musical heritage that e*tended back to ach. For   For  Schoenberg Schoenberg,, the dissolution of tonality was a logical and inevitable step in the evolution evolut ion of Western Western music. Bespite a steady stream of critical critical brickbats brickbats throughout his entire entire Mann/s /s career, the composer, whose life inspired one of twentieth century/s cen tury/s great novels, homas Mann Boctor Faustus, persisted in his aims, insisting that his music was the result of an overwhelming creative creati ve impuls impulse. e. hough hough debate over the man and his music music rages rages on, Schoenberg  Schoenberg  is today acknowledged as one of the most significant figures in music history. he composer, a well' known triskaidekaphobe, died in Cos Angeles, :A, on Duly "#, "5?".

Compositions

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Year  Year  Accompaniment to a Film'Scene 4egleitungsmusik u einer Cichtspielsene6, )p. #&  #&  Alliance Walter, for 9 violins violins   piano   Am Strande, song for voice E piano allads 496 for voice E piano, )p. "9 "9   Bie eiden Sie trug den echer in der (and, song for voice E piano  piano  he ook of the (anging 0ardens, cycle of songs 4"?6 for voice E piano, )p. "?  "?  piano   rettl'Cieder 4:abaret Songs6, for voice E piano :ello :oncerto 4orchestration of Matthias 0eorg Monn/s ;:oncerto for cello E orchestra in 0 minor;6  minor;6   :ello :oncerto 4transcription of Matthias 0e 0eorg org Monn/s ;:oncerto for keyboard E orchestra in B ma-or;6 4also for cello E piano6  piano6  

"58> :hamber Symphony 3o. " in  ma-or, )p. 5  5  "5""

:hamber Symphony 3o. ", for piano, & hands 4Arr. from :hamber Symphony )p.56  )p.56 

#$   "58> :hamber Symphony 3o. 9 in  flat minor, )p. #$ :hamber Symphony 3o. 9, for 9 pianos 4Arr. from :hamber Symphony )p.#$6  )p.#$6  :oncerto for string H%6  )p.>H%6  piano   Bass gestern eine Wepe Bich, song for voice E piano  "5?8 Be 7rofundis, for chorus, )p. ?8b ?8b   Beinem lick u mich be  piano "59% "58& "$5% "58& "$5% "58&

#%   "5#> String =uartet 3o. &, )p. #% "5&5 String =uartet 3o. ? 4fragments6 4fragments6   String =uartets  =uartets  "58? String =uintet in B ma-or 4fragment6 4fragment6   "5"$ String Septet, @. "%? 4fragment6 4fragment6   "5&> String rio, )p. &? &?   9?   "59" Suite for piano, )p. 9? "5#& Suite for string orchestra in 0 ma-or   95   "59? Suite, septet in  flat ma-or, )p. 95 A Survivor from Warsaw, for narrator, male chorus E "5&% orchestra, )p. &>  &>  ariations iations for orchestra in 0 ma-or, )p. heme and !ar &#b   &#b heme and !a !ariations riations for wind band in 0 minor, )p. "5&# &#a   &#a "$55 ot oter er Winkel, for string se*tet, @. ">% 4fragment6 4fragment6   ranscription ranscription for chamber ensemble of Ma* 1eger/s ;ine romantische Suite;  Suite;  ranscription on for chamber cha mber ensemble of Schubert/s Schu bert/s ranscripti "59" ;(orch, horch die Cerch;  Cerch;  ranscription for chamber ensemble of Dohann Sioly/s ranscription ;Weil ;We il i a alter Braher bin;  bin;  ranscripti ranscription on for orchestra of ach/s ;Gomm, 0ott "599 SchJpfer, heiliger 0eist;  0eist;  "599 ranscripti ranscription on for orchestra of ach/s ;Schmcke ;Sch mcke dich,

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=uartet

:horal  :horal 

Semi')pera

)rchestral   )rchestral

!ariations

Music  and Music 

!ariations

String =uartet

Suite Suite Septet

:hamber Music Music   :hamber Music Music   Suite Music   :hamber Music Music   :hamber Music )rchestral  )rchestral  )rchestral   )rchestral

 

o liebe Seele;  Seele;  ranscripti ranscription on for orchestra of ach/s 7relude E Fugue )rchestral   Fugue "59$ )rchestral in  flat ma-or   ranscripti ranscription on for orchestra of rahms/ 7iano =uartet "5#% )rchestral  =uartet )rchestral   3o." in 0 minor   ranscripti ranscription on for string    !on n (eute auf Morgen, opera, )p. #9  #9   "5#8 !o Waldesnacht Waldesnacht, du Wu Waldesnacht Wunderkhle, nderkhle, song for voice E piano  piano  "$5% Wa Waltes ltes 4""6 for string orchestra 4incomplete6 4incomplete6   Wanderlieder, nderlieder, song for voice vo ice E piano piano   "$5? Wa Warum bist Bu aufgewacht, song for voice E piano  piano  We Weihnachtsmusik ihnachtsmusik 4Musi