For our next class, we will dig in to our second ’S’ composer, Arnold Schoenberg. Besides being one of the greatest composers of the 20th century (and ever, in my view), Schoenberg invites us to think about the potential synthesis – and many pitfalls – of pure artistic idea with social and political awareness and action. These questions the subject of my next opera. We’ll talk about all of this with Joseph Auner Academic Dean of Tufts University’s School of Arts & Sciences, and one of the world experts on Schoenberg’s music and influence.
You can prepare by covering as much of the material below as you can. Please read the Wikipedia article and Glenn Gould text above all. And listen to as much Schoenberg as you can:
READ
Arnold Schoenberg biography/works, Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg: A Perspective, by Glenn Gould
[** if you only read one thing, read this!!**]
https://deadvoles.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/gould1964a.pdf
Arnold Schoenberg, Style and Idea
https://monoskop.org/images/8/84/Schoenberg_Arnold_Style_and_Idea.pdf
III. New Music, Outmoded Music, Style and Idea (p. 37-52)
V. Composition with Twelve Tones (p. 102-143)
XI. Human Rights (p. 204-210)
XII. On Revient Toujours (p. 211-213)
“Give Schoenberg’s Work a Chance”, The Guardian (London)
https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2010/jan/29/schoenberg-daniel-barenboim
Website and Online Resources of the Arnold Schoenberg Center in Vienna
http://www.schoenberg.at/index.php/en/
Arnold Schoenberg in Hollywood by Dorothy Lamb Crawford
http://web.media.mit.edu/~tod/media/pdfs/Arnold-Schoenberg_in_Los-Angeles.pdf
Composing on Stage: Schoenberg and the Creative Process as Public Performance
http://web.media.mit.edu/~tod/media/pdfs/Auner_Composing-on-Stage.pdf
LISTEN
Pierrot Lunaire (Jane Manning, Simon Rattle, et al)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekX6baCn7qw
English singer Jane Manning on Pierrot Lunaire and other things
http://www.walesartsreview.org/pierrot-lunaire-and-beyond-jane-manning-in-conversation/
Farben (“Colors”) from Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 16
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4cpMepVZyc
Gigue from Suite for Piano, Op. 25, played by Glenn Gould
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLKVe8YikRo
A Survivor from Warsaw (with scrolling graphic of Schoenberg’s original short score manuscript)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z51uNyqdk5E
Wikipedia article on A Survivor from Warsaw, including Schoenberg’s original text for the piece
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Survivor_from_Warsaw
We’ll also check in on Wednesday about the class trip to Western Mass. Hope you enjoy these Schoenberg materials, and look forward to seeing you all on Wednesday!!