Bard Music Festival Series
350p., 1999, english, Paperback
As the twentieth century draws to a close, Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) is being acknowledged as one of its most significant and multifaceted composers. Schoenberg and His World explores the richness of his genius through commentary and documents.
Marilyn McCoy opens the volume with a concise chronology, based on the latest scholarship, of Schoenberg's life and works. Essays by Joseph Auner, Leon Botstein, Reinhold Brinkmann, J. Peter Burkholder, Severine Neff, and Rudolf Stephan examine aspects of his creative output, theoretical writings, relation to earlier music, and the socio-cultural contexts in which he worked.
The documentary portions of Schoenberg and His World capture Schoenberg at critical periods of his career: during the first decades of the century, primarily in his native Vienna; from 1926 to 1933, in Berlin; and from 1933 on, in the U.S. Included here is the first complete translation into English of the remarkable Festschrift prepared for the 38-year-old Schoenberg by his pupils in 1912; it presciently explored the diverse talents as a composer, teacher, painter, and theorist for which he was later to be recognized. The Berlin years, when he held one of the most prestigious teaching positions in Europe, are represented by interviews with him and articles about his public lectures.
The final portion of the volume, devoted to the theme Schoenberg and America, focuses on how the composer viewed – and was viewed by – the country where he spent his final eighteen years. Sabine Feisst brings together and comments upon sources which, contrary to much received opinion, attest to both the considerable impact that Schoenberg had upon his newly adopted land and his own deep involvement in its musical life.
Preface and Acknowledgments ix
A Schoenberg Chronology MARILYN MCCOY 1
PART I ESSAYS
Schoenberg and the Audience: Modernism, Music, and Politics in the Twentieth Century LEON BOTSTEIN 19
Schoenberg as Theorist: Three Forms of Presentation SEVERINE NEFF 55
Schoenberg and His Public in 1930: The Six Pieces for Male Chorus, Op. 35 JOSEPH H. AUNER 85
Schoenberg and Bach RUDOLF STEPHAN TRANSLATED BY WALTER FRISCH 126
The Compressed Symphony: On the Historical Content of Schoenberg's Op. 9 REINHOLD BRINKMANN TRANSLATED BY IRENE ZEDLACHER 141
Schoenberg the Reactionary J. PETER BURKHOLDER 162
PART II ARNOLD SCHONBERG (1912) Translated by Barbara Z. Schoenberg Introduced by Walter Frisch
Editor's Introduction 195
Biographical 202
The Works 203
As Introduction KARL LINKE 204
Schoenberg's Music ANTON VON WEBERN 210
The Harmomelehre HEINRICH JALOWETZ 231
The Paintings WASSILY KANDINSKY 238
Schoenberg the Painter PARIS VON GUTERSLOH (TRANSLATED WITH JEREMY BRETT) 243
The Teacher (Collected Contributions by His Students)
KARL LINKE 250
DR. EGON WELLESZ 254
DR. ROBERT NEUMANN 254
ERWIN STEIN 255
DR. HEINRICH JALOWETZ 255
DR. KARL HORWITZ 256
DR. ANTON VON WEBERN 257
PAUL KONIGER 258
ALBAN BERG 259
PART III ARNOLD SCHOENBERG SPEAKS
Newspaper Accounts of His Lectures and Interviews, 1927-1933 SELECTED AND INTRODUCED BY JOSEPH H. AUNER TRANSLATED BY IRENE ZEDLACHER 265
Arnold Schoenberg Speaks 268
Where is German Music Headed? 270
A. Schoenberg, Die gluckliche Hand 273
Arnold Schoenberg Holds Forth 274
A Musician Offers a Glimpse into His Workshop 276
Arnold Schoenberg's Idea 279
Music-Ideas from Yesterday 280
PART IV SCHOENBERG AND AMERICA Selected and Introduced by Sabine Feisst
SCHOENBERG ON AMERICA: ARTICLES, SPEECHES, COMMENTARY
Arnold Schonberg: Foremost Representative of Modernistic School in Europe 288
Comment on jazz 290
Crisis of Taste 291
For New York 292
First American Radio Broadcast 293
Driven into Paradise 297
First California Broadcast 298
Oscar Speech 302
"Wien, Wien, nur du allein" 303
Music and Morality 306
Protest on Trademark 307
The Transplanted Composer 308
AMERICAN COMPOSERS ON SCHOENBERG
This Man Schonberg A. WALTER KRAMER 312
Who is the Greatest Living Composer? HENRY COWELL 315
Welcome for the Incoming Modern Master NICOLAS SLONIMSKY 317
Homage to Schoenberg: The Late Works LOU HARRISON 323
Schoenberg in the United States ROGER SESSIONS 327
Index 337
Notes on the Contributors 351