Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg: A Pioneering Composer of the 20th Century
Full Name and Common Aliases
Arnold Franz Walter Schoenberg was born on September 13, 1874, in Vienna, Austria. He is commonly known as Arnold Schoenberg.
Birth and Death Dates
September 13, 1874 - July 13, 1951
Nationality and Profession(s)
Austrian-American composer, music theorist, and painter
Early Life and Background
Schoenberg was born into a Jewish family in Vienna, Austria. His father, Samuel Schoenberg, was a bookkeeper, and his mother, Pauline Schönthal, was a homemaker. Schoenberg's early life was marked by a passion for music, which he developed through piano lessons from his mother. He showed exceptional talent and dedication to music from an early age.
Schoenberg's musical education began at the Vienna Conservatory, where he studied composition with Franz Schalk. However, due to financial constraints, Schoenberg had to drop out of the conservatory in 1893. Despite this setback, he continued to develop his skills through self-study and composition.
Major Accomplishments
Schoenberg's compositional style was characterized by innovation and experimentation. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. Some of his notable accomplishments include:
Developing the twelve-tone technique, a method of composition that uses all twelve notes of the chromatic scale without repeating any note.
Creating a new system of musical notation, which allowed for greater expressive freedom and flexibility.
Notable Works or Actions
Schoenberg's compositional output was prolific, with over 400 works to his name. Some of his most notable compositions include:
Pierrot Lunaire (1912), a song cycle that showcases the use of Sprechstimme (a form of vocal delivery between speech and singing).
Verklärte Nacht (1899), a string sextet that demonstrates Schoenberg's early experimentation with atonality.
* Moses und Aron (1930-1953), an opera that explores themes of faith, reason, and art.
Impact and Legacy
Schoenberg's innovative compositional style and techniques have had a profound impact on the development of Western classical music. He has influenced generations of composers, including Alban Berg, Anton Webern, and Igor Stravinsky.
Schoenberg's legacy extends beyond the world of classical music. His emphasis on individuality and creative freedom has inspired artists across disciplines, from visual art to literature.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Arnold Schoenberg is widely quoted for his insightful writings on music theory, composition, and aesthetics. His quotes often offer profound insights into the nature of creativity, artistic expression, and the role of the artist in society.
Schoenberg's influence can be seen in the work of countless artists, composers, and writers who have been inspired by his innovative spirit and dedication to pushing the boundaries of creative expression. As a pioneer of modern classical music, Schoenberg continues to inspire new generations of musicians, composers, and art lovers around the world.
Quotes by Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg's insights on:
Music is only understood when one goes away singing it and only loved when one falls asleep with it in one’s head, and finds it still there on waking up the next morning.
Although our “gentle air” cannot improve the way hate and envy look, it does seem not to encourage firmness and decision. All is compromise; caution and refinement are everywhere. Everything has to “make a good impression” – whether or not it is any good: the impression is the main thing.
I never was very capable of expressing my feelings or emotions in words. I don’t know whether this is the cause why I did it in music and also why I did it in painting. Or vice versa: That I had this way as an outlet. I could renounce expressing something in words.
An artistic impression is substantially the resultant of two components. One what the work of art gives the onlooker – the other, what he is capable of giving to the work of art.
I find above all that the expression, atonal music, is most unfortunate – it is on a par with calling flying the art of not falling, or swimming the art of not drowning.
Music is only understood when one goes away singing it and only loved when one falls asleep with it in one's head, and finds it still there on waking up the next morning.
