Essay on Arnold Schoenbergs Musical Influence - 1220 Words

Arnold Schoenbergs Musical Influence Arnold Schoenberg was one of the greatest musical influences of the mid 20th Century. He was born on September 13, 1874, to a Jewish family in Vienna, Austria (Schoenberg 1). Schoenberg was a young Jewish man during World War I (WWI) living in Berlin. He was directly affected by the invasion of the Nazis. In 1933, he had to leave Berlin and desert his faith for Lutheranism later on taking on the faith of Judaism. At the early age of eight, he began violin lessons and almost immediately started composing music (Schoenberg 1). He was self-taught until the age of 10 when he began formal training (Schoenberg 1). He earned a living by orchestrating operettas, directing a cabaret orchestra, and teaching.†¦show more content†¦In 1920, Schoenberg formulated his twelve-tone technique which can be heard in his one-movement Piano Concerto. One of the warmest and richest harmonies Schoenberg created was The Chamber Symphony No. 2 (1939) which had late Romanticism harmonies with neo-clas sic spirit (Schoenberg 1). Through Schoenberg and his students, the twelve-tone method became a dominating force in the mid 20th century composition and strongly influenced the course of western music. Schoenberg made a radical break in music with his un-orthodox pitch combinations and his unique rhythms. Schoenberg stated: â€Å"Whether one calls oneself conservative or revolutionary, whether one composes in a conventional or progressive manner, whether one tries to imitate old styles or is destined to express new ideas-one must be convinced of the infallibility of one’s own fantasy and one must believe in one’s own inspiration. The desire for a conscious control of the new means and forms will arise in every artist’s mind; and he will wish to follow consciously the laws and rules that govern the forms he has conceived â€Å"as in a dream (Norton 1).† Schoenberg was not only a musician but also a writer and painter. This variety of talent allowed him to construct a larger audience. As a musician he only reached those who loved music. With his other talents he was able to attract art lovers and readers. This allows various vehicles of passing onShow MoreRelatedArnold Schoenberg 31268 Words   |  6 PagesArnold Schoenberg was one of the greatest musical influences of the mid 20th Century. He was born on September 13, 1874, to a Jewish family in Vienna, Austria (Schoenberg 1). Schoenberg was a young Jewish man during World War I (WWI) living in Berlin. He was directly affected by the invasion of the Nazis. In 1933, he had to leave Berlin and desert his faith for Lutheranism later on taking on the faith of Judaism. At the early age of eight, he began violin lessons and almost immediately startedRead MoreMusic That Subverts The Standard Form Of Arranging Sounds Produced By Musical Instruments And Approaches1457 Words   |  6 Pa gesSerialism is style of music that subverts the standard form of arranging sounds produced by musical instruments and approaches the composition from an almost mathematical standpoint. It can be described as a compositional strategy in which the composer arranges notes in a particular order based on the characteristics of a sound such as pitch, duration, amplitude or even timbre, but giving no preference to each individual characteristic; all aspects of a sound are equal. Once the notes are arrangedRead MoreThree Most Important Composers of the Twentieth Centruy2805 Words   |  11 Pagesdid not write in that style and instead influenced other aspects of the music world. Arnold Schoenberg, Aaron Copland, and Igor Stravinsky each greatly impacted the musical world around them. Schoenberg’s journey away from tonality to serialism changed the way that composers wrote for the rest of the century, while Copland’s music emancipated American sound from the European styles. Stravinsky brought many musical styles to the height of what could be accomplished in each one, and his excellence influencedRead More Musical Modernism with Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky and Arnold Schoenberg1894 Words   |  8 PagesMusical modernism can be seen as the time where music emerges its liberty from Romantic era style -that started in the late nineteen century to end of the Second World War- and gains new ideas and freedom. With the political turmoil and chaos that took over the European countries, -that lured countries into the First World War- composers and artists started to find, create more and new ways to express themselves. They eagerly began to discover the art of Eastern countries with the hope of findingRead MoreEssay about Negative Music and the Effects on Human Behavior1486 Words   |  6 Pageseffect. One form of negative music is music that is used to express or to stimulate negative emotions. A Viennese classical composer named Arnold Schonberg was th e first person to openly create negative music early in the twentieth century. His music was rejected by European concert attendees of the time and sometimes caused near riots. Based on discords, Schoenbergs music caused listeners to feel uncomfortable and irritated. However, he became the pivotal composer of the early twentieth century andRead MoreTaking a Look at Experimental Music934 Words   |  4 Pagessee distinct influence from the pass composers. The use of different sounds to create different timbre obviously show ties to his fellow composer Claude Debussy. For example the use of various percussion instrument in Hyperprism. The use of layering, blocks of sounds, juxtapositioning his materials of sound points to the influence of Igor Stravinsky. Another interesting feature of the lining up of chromatic notes actually suggests the chromatic saturation technique by Arnold Schoenberg’s atonal musicRead MoreThe Music Of John Cage1172 Words   |  5 Pagesthroughout his schooling career, Cage always showed more interest in writing. He graduated high school, and enrolled at Pomona College as a theology major, but dropped out in 1930 due to lack of interest, but not before a professor could show him some musical work of Marcel Duschamp. After dropping out, Cage backpacked through Europe for eighteen months where he met Lazare Levy, one of his first teachers, who showed him some of the works of composers, including Bach. After backpacking through major partsRead MoreExperiments with the Human Voice: Max Mathews Essay example1716 Words   |  7 Pagespalette but increase the understanding of the voice in it’s naked form. (Jonathan Impett, â€Å"Shadow Boxing: Sequenza X for Trumpet and Piano Resonance† in Halfyard 2007: 85.) Extended Vocal Technique’s history in Art Music can also be traced back to Schoenbergs use of Sprechgesang in Pierrot Lunaire (1912), where the performer is chosen to be the reciter, then delivers the text in a half speaking, half singing voice. It is not always about making outrageous and unusual sounds, but basically how theseRead MoreThe Influence of Music on Self and Society - Values in Music in Eastern and Western Cultures8787 Words   |  36 PagesThroughout history the unspoken but highly evocative language of music has exerted powerful influences on individuals and societies alike. Felix Mendelssohn once remarked that music is more specific about what it expresses than words written about those expressions could ever be. That music has the power to express, convey and illicit powerful emotions is without question, however the issue of musics moral and ethical power, and how that power affects individuals and societies, is one that receivesRead MoreAre Electro-Acoustic s and the Vernacular the Largets Developments in 20th Century Music?2634 Words   |  11 Pages   EAMMON   MSETFI       Contextual studies (MU314) Convenor: Tim Howle Essay 1 Denis Smalley has suggested that the two most important musical developments in the 20th Century are the domains of the electro-acoustic and the vernacular. To what extent is his assumption correct? This piece will demonstrate an understanding of the developments in 20th century music, with a detailed view on the path and expansion of electro-acoustic technology and of the vernacular. This will also be highlighting