Schoenberg << SHURN burg >>, Arnold (1874-1951), was perhaps the most influential composer of the 1900’s. Schoenberg’s name is also spelled Schonberg. In 1908, Schoenberg began to write music that was atonal—that is, lacking in key. Use of atonality eventually led to his formulation of the 12-tone system. In his 12-tone pieces, the melodic and harmonic material of a piece is based on a specific ordering of the 12 notes of the chromatic scale, called a 12-tone row or set. This way of composing is called serialism. Although highly organized, serialism presented serious challenges to audiences who found the style chaotic and confusing.
Schoenberg first used atonality in parts of his String Quartet No. 2 of 1908 and all of the Three Piano Pieces (1909). His first work to use the 12-tone system throughout was Suite for Piano (1921-1923). Later and more sophisticated uses of this method include Variations for Orchestra (1928), Violin Concerto (1936), and String Quartet No. 4 (1937). In spite of his revolutionary method of composition, Schoenberg continued to write in such classical forms as sonata, song, and rondo.
Schoenberg was born on Sept. 13, 1874, in Vienna. He began writing in the late romantic tradition of such composers as Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner, and Gustav Mahler. His early works include Five Pieces for Orchestra (1909, revised 1949), the expressionist operas Erwartung (1909) and Die gluckliche Hand (1913); and Pierrot Lunaire (1912), a group of pieces for voice and chamber ensemble. Schoenberg lived in Germany and Austria until 1933, when he moved to the United States to escape the Nazis. He taught at the University of California, Los Angeles, from 1936 to 1944. Schoenberg died on July 13, 1951.
See also Classical music (Atonal music); Erwartung; Moses und Aron; Opera (The search for new forms).
