Arnold Schoenberg Austrian composer. Date of Birth: 13.09.1874 Country: Austria

1. Biography of Arnold Schoenberg
2. Education and Teaching Career
3. Contributions to Music
4. Periods and Key Works
5. Legacy

Biography of Arnold Schoenberg

Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer and the founder of one of the directions in contemporary "serious" music known as "atonal" or "12-tone" music. He was born on September 13, 1874, in Vienna, Austria. Schoenberg spent a significant part of his life in the United States, where he taught at various institutions.

Education and Teaching Career

Schoenberg lived in Vienna until 1925 and then moved to Berlin, where he became a professor of composition at the Prussian Academy of Arts. He worked there until 1933 when he left Germany and immigrated to the United States. In the US, he initially taught at the Malkin Conservatory in Boston and later at the University of Southern California. In 1936, he joined the faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles. Schoenberg's exceptional skills as a teacher contributed to the widespread adoption of his ideas, and he created the influential "New Viennese School" of composition. Some of his notable students included Anton Webern, Alban Berg, Ernst Krenek, Egon Wellesz, and Hanns Eisler.

Contributions to Music

Schoenberg's influential textbook "Harmonielehre" (Theory of Harmony), published in 1911, presented traditional harmony from the perspective of a contemporary composer rather than a conventional music educator. His music was influenced by the late-romantic artistry of composers such as Richard Wagner, Anton Bruckner, Richard Strauss, and Gustav Mahler. However, Schoenberg's style also incorporated three important qualities that diverged from the romantic tradition.

Firstly, Schoenberg preferred concise musical expression without excessive repetition and featured clear, transparent textures. Secondly, he possessed a logical and structured approach to composition, even in his most romantic works, such as the early sextet "Verklärte Nacht" (Transfigured Night). Lastly, Schoenberg exhibited confident and virtuosic polyphonic techniques, aligning him more with Johannes Brahms rather than the aforementioned romantics.

Periods and Key Works

Although Schoenberg's entire career represented a consistent movement in his chosen direction, it is common to identify three distinct periods or styles in his music. His compositions from the first period (op. 1-10, 12-14) demonstrated a gradual complexity of language and an increased use of dissonance, while still retaining elements of traditional tonality and functional harmony. Starting with the piano pieces op. 11 and subsequent to op. 14, Schoenberg sought to avoid diatonic progressions and employed all twelve tones of the chromatic scale equally, avoiding the establishment of a tonal center.

The third period began with op. 23, marking Schoenberg's inclination towards a more organized musical material. This led to the development of a more universal and rigid method, known as the "12-tone technique." This method organized the twelve tones of the octave into melodic sequences, where each tone was used only once. Each composition typically employed a specific sequence, which could be developed through transpositions and variations, forming the foundation of the entire piece.

Some of Schoenberg's notable works, aside from those mentioned earlier, include the symphonic poem "Pelleas und Melisande" (Pelléas et Mélisande), op. 5; the Chamber Symphony, op. 9; "Fünfzehn Gedichte aus Stefan Georges 'Das Buch der hängenden Gärten'" (Fifteen Poems from Stefan George's 'The Book of the Hanging Gardens'), op. 15; the one-act opera "Die glückliche Hand" (The Lucky Hand), op. 18; "Pierrot Lunaire" – twenty-one poems for a reciter and eight instruments, op. 21; "Fünf Klavierstücke" (Five Piano Pieces), op. 23; "Begleitungsmusik zu einer Lichtspielszene" (Accompaniment to a Cinematic Scene), op. 34; "Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte" for reciter, string quartet, and piano, op. 41; a piano concerto, op. 42; and four string quartets, op. 7, 10, 30, 37.

Legacy

Arnold Schoenberg's innovative and influential contributions to music, particularly in the development of atonal and 12-tone techniques, have left a lasting impact on the evolution of contemporary classical music. His teaching and mentorship also played a crucial role in inspiring and guiding subsequent generations of composers. Schoenberg's willingness to challenge traditional musical structures and explore new possibilities made him a pioneer in the field and solidified his reputation as one of the most important figures in 20th-century music.