Webern, << VAY buhrn, >> Anton (1883-1945), was an Austrian composer best known for his works written in the 12-tone style. The 12-tone style is a method of composition that uses 12 notes arranged in an order chosen by the composer. Such compositions, especially Webern’s Symphony (1928), influenced many composers during the mid-1900’s.
Webern’s early work, the Passacaglia for orchestra (1908), was written in a traditional style. His Five Movements for String Quartet (1909) represents a transition leading to the adoption of his teacher Arnold Schoenberg‘s method of composing with 12 tones. More than half of Webern’s music is for voice, though he never wrote an opera. His major works for solo voices and choir include Das Augenlicht (1935) and the First and Second Cantatas (1939, 1943). The cantatas are among the longest and most lyrical of his works, most of which last less than 10 minutes. Webern’s music as a whole is marked by extreme delicacy of sound.
Anton Friedrich Wilhelm von Webern was born on Dec. 3, 1883, in Vienna, Austria. He was also a conductor and an expert in the history and theory of music. Webern died Sept. 15, 1945.
