!!!Schönberg, Arnold

Schoenberg, Arnold, b. Vienna, Sept. 13, 1874, d. Los 
Angeles (USA), July 13, 1951. Composer. Largely self-taught; under the 
strong influence of A. v.  Zemlinsky, who was to become his 
brother-in-law, he began to compose in the tradition of late 
romanticism around 1890. His "Harmonielehre" (1911) is still very 
traditional in character; 1901-1903 and 1911-1915 lived in Berlin. As 
the public performance of his works caused protests he founded the 
"Verein fuer musikalische Privatauffuehrungen" in Vienna in 1919, 
which became a centre of the Neo-Viennese School and its 
representatives. 1925-1933 he directed a master class at the 
Musikakademie in Berlin, then emigrated to the USA and taught in Los 
Angeles and Boston 1934-1944 (1941 American citizen).

\\
S. (with J. M.  Hauer) established the twelve-tone technique ( 
dodecaphony), i.e. compositions with a series of 12 tones of equal 
importance. He was the founder of the Neo-Viennese School, which also 
comprised A.  Berg and A. von  Webern (in contrast to the Vienna 
School or Viennese Classicism). Having his background in late 
Romanticism he soon found that its tonal possibilities did not suffice 
him and regarded a system of "equal rights" for all tones as the 
only possibility for progress in music. The basis for dodecaphony is a 
true series with three main modulations: retrograde, inversion and 
retrograde inversion. While S.´s works were characterized by 
mathematical strictness, his pupils A. von Webern and esp. A. Berg 
enriched this strict principle with musical-tonal elements. 
Dodecaphony had a lasting influence on the development of contemporary 
music in Europe and esp. in America, which became S.´s second 
home. S. was also an important painter and left about 70 
paintings (esp. portraits and visions). In 1998 the City of Vienna 
acquired Schoenberg´s estate from his heirs and opened an Arnold 
Schoenberg Centre.

!Works
period of late romanticism: (1899-1905): Verklaerte Nacht, 1899 
(string sextet); Pelleas und Melisande, 1903 (symphonic poem); 
Gurrelieder, 1902/03; First String Quartet in D minor, 1905. - 
Expressionist period (1906-1921): Chamber Symphony, 1906; Erwartung, 
1908 (monodrama); Second String Quartet in F sharp minor (with soprano 
solo), op. 10, 1907/08; 5 Orchestral Pieces, 1912; Pierrot 
lunaire, 1914 (speaking voice and chamber music); Die Jakobsleiter, 
1917-1922 (oratorio, unfinished). - Serial and tonal works (from 
1921): Five Piano Pieces, op. 23; Chamber Music opp. 24, 25, 
26, 29; String Quartet no. 3., 1927; Von Heute auf Morgen, 1928 
(opera); Variations for Orchestra, 1929; Moses und Aaron, Acts 1 
and 2, 1930-1932 (opera); A Survivor from Warsaw, 1947 (cantata); 
Violin and Piano Concerto. - Edition: Saemtliche Werke, 1966ff. -

!Publications
Harmonielehre, 1911 (%%sup 3/%1922); Models for 
Beginners in Composition, 1942; Fundamentals of Musical Composition, 
1948; Style and Idea 1950. - Edition: Gesammelte Schriften, ed. by I. 
Vojtěch, 1976.

!Literature
P. Stefan, S. 1924; T. W. Adorno, Philosophie der 
neuen Musik, 1949; H. H. Stuckenschmidt, A. S., 1974; G. 
Schubert, S. fruehe Instrumentationen, 1975; D. Newlin, S. Remembered, 
1980; A. Ringer, A. S., 1993; S. Verein fuer musikal. 
Privatauffuehrungen, 1984; The Berg - S. Correspondence, 1987; T. 
Zaunschirm (ed.), A. S. - Das bildnerische Werk, exhibition 
catalogue, 1991; W. Sinkovicz, Mehr als zwoelf Toene - A. S., 
1998.


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