Arnold Schoenberg

Arnold Schoenberg (1874?1951) was arguably the central musical personality of the 20th century, whose innovative, uncompromising musical language opened up new possibilities for composers and influenced generations of musicians and listeners. A major force in the development of modern music, Schoenberg is famous for abandoning tonality and introducing the 12-tone 'serial' method of composition. In addition to his groundbreaking work as a composer, Schoenberg was an important theorist and an enormously influential teacher, with Anton Webern and Alban Berg among his most famous pupils.

This book presents a clear narrative history of Schoenberg?s life, work and cultural context along with essential reference material and striking illustrations, making it a vital purchase for anyone interested in the composer. Brought up in the rich and cosmopolitan cultural life of Vienna, Schoenberg started to play the violin at the age of nine and began experimenting with composition almost immediately, but had no formal training in music until his late teens. Schoenberg first composed in the late Romantic tradition, and his earliest acknowledged works, including the string sextet 'Verklärte Nacht', date from the turn of the century. Over the next decade in Vienna, he developed his musical style, in due course causing a sensation with the dissonance of his 'serial' technique and the harmonic strangeness and complexity of his material.

CONTENIDO:

Preface
1. An Austrian Setting 1874-89
2. Musical Apprenticeship 1889-1901
3. An Ocean of Boiling Water 1901-8
4. Heroes, clowns and beasts 1908-14
5. The last days of Kakania 1914-19
6. Searching for truth in Vienna 1919-25
7. An uneasy calm before the storm 1925-33
8. Into Exile 1933-44
9. A survivor from Europe 1944-51
10. Schoenberg's legacy
Classified list of works
Further reading
Selective Discography
Index