Schonberg

fish-head

I came across Arnold Schonberg's music in my Musicology class in college last week and thought he might be of some interest to you Exp. heads. We listened to this piece about a jewish ghetto in Poland called 'A Survivor From Warsaw'. It was really disjointed and haunting, with this fellah narrating and sometimes kinda half singing a story of a load of Jews being marched to a death camp.. Very eerie stuff.

Anyway, he seems to have been a big innovator in atonal music and developed what is now known as the 12 tone technique as a way of getting away from traditional musical values, thought he might spark your minds.

John

Any good links you'd recommend?

cornbb

I learnt about Schoenberg in college too and wasn't crazy about his stuff. 12 tone music/serialism seemed like a bit of a fad, something invented just for the sake of it without any real consideration for the aesthetic value of the music. It caught on a lot in the first half of the 20th century though so maybe some of you would find it interesting. Also check out the works of Berg and Webern, who were Schoenbergs students.

tonyhiggins

Olivier Messaien also, for later 20th century cerealism... i mean, serialism..

fish-head

Nah I don't have any links John...

John

Some use you are

DadaKopf

cornbb wrote:

I learnt about Schoenberg in college too and wasn't crazy about his stuff. 12 tone music/serialism seemed like a bit of a fad, something invented just for the sake of it without any real consideration for the aesthetic value of the music. It caught on a lot in the first half of the 20th century though so maybe some of you would find it interesting. Also check out the works of Berg and Webern, who were Schoenbergs students.

That's bollocks. Serialism was the creation of a new aesthetic that didn't rely on tradition or out-dated ideas. Amazing if you ax me.

Rigsby

John wrote:

Any good links you'd recommend?

If you'r interested in checking out some 12-tone music Joe Maneri is one to try. He must be aged around 80 by now. He was "discovered" about 10 years ago by Paul Bley. He has been studying/teaching/playing this music for most of his life.

cornbb

DadaKopf wrote:

That's bollocks. Serialism was the creation of a new aesthetic that didn't rely on tradition or out-dated ideas. Amazing if you ax me.

Yeah, but did it have any real significance as a new aesthetic? Anyone can create a new system for writing music and I think serialism is even more small minded as the stuff that preceded it. If you ask me, creating a system as restrictive, rule-based and as instantly bewildering as serialism is bollocks. Look at minimalism, another big movement in 20th century music. It stripped away the worst of the rules of mainstream/classical music, left behind some basic principles which made it accessible yet progressive, and went on to inspire some of the best music of the 20th century and still inspires today. On the other hand, serialism is history.

BGFlynn

As possibly one of the greatest websites for any composer as far as the sheer samount of archive material (including scans of his original scores and scoops of other stuff) the Schoenberg centre http://www.schoenberg.at/default_e.htm kicks all others from their zimmerframe.

I used it for an essay on his early Opera Gurrelieder (sort of Wagnerian - non serial)

If you want it from the horses mouth here it be.

Shnack,

BGF