Anton Webern
![Webern in [[Stettin]], October 1912](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Anton_Webern_in_Stettin%2C_October_1912.jpg)
Webern was arguably the first and certainly the last of the three to write music in an aphoristic and expressionist style, reflecting his instincts and the idiosyncrasy of his compositional process. He treated themes of love, loss, nature, and spirituality, working from personal experiences. Unhappily peripatetic and often assigned light music or operetta in his early conducting career, he aspired to conduct what was seen as more respectable, serious music at home in Vienna. Following Schoenberg's guidance, Webern attempted to write music of greater length during and after their World War I service, relying on the structural support of texts in many .
He rose as a choirmaster and conductor in Red Vienna, championing Gustav Mahler's music there and abroad. With Schoenberg based in Berlin, Webern began writing music of increasing confidence, independence, and scale using twelve-tone technique. Marginalized as a "cultural Bolshevist" in Fascist Austria and Nazi Germany, he maintained "the path to the new music", enjoyed international recognition, and relied more on teaching Hanns Eisler, Arnold Elston, , Karl Amadeus Hartmann, Philip Herschkowitz, Roland Leich, Kurt List, , , Karl Rankl, George Robert (briefly of the First Piano Quartet), , Humphrey Searle, Leopold Spinner, Othmar Steinbauer, Eduard Steuermann, Stefan Wolpe, , and possibly René Leibowitz.}} for income. Though he espoused pan-Germanism, he opposed fascist cultural positions, torn, like his divided friends and family, among uncertainties. His hope for moderate, stable, and successful governance of Austria within Nazi Germany proved misplaced, and he helped Jewish friends emigrate and hide while repeatedly considering emigrating himself.
A soldier accidentally killed Webern after World War II. In a phenomenon known as post-Webernism, his music was celebrated by composers, musicians, and scholars. René Leibowitz, Pierre Boulez, Robert Craft, and Hans and Rosaleen Moldenhauer established it as an important part of modernism through performance, study, and advocacy. Igor Stravinsky assimilated it. To many, it represented a path to serialism. Broader understanding of Webern's expressive agenda, performance practice, and complex sociocultural and political context lagged. An historical edition of his music is underway. Provided by Wikipedia
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by Webern, Anton, 1883-1945
Published 1960
Other Authors:
“...Webern, Anton, 1883-1945...”Published 1960
Musical Score
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