6.3 Expressionism and the Second Viennese School

Expressionism and the Second Viennese School shook up music in the early 1900s. Composers like Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern broke free from traditional rules, creating new ways to express deep emotions and inner thoughts through sound.

These guys invented wild techniques like twelve-tone rows and atonality. They wanted to capture the raw, intense feelings of the human experience, just like expressionist painters did with their bold, distorted images. It was a musical revolution!

Key Figures of the Second Viennese School

Arnold Schoenberg: Pioneer of Expressionism

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• Austrian-born composer, music theorist, teacher, and painter (1874-1951)
• Developed the twelve-tone technique and pioneered serialism
  • Revolutionary approach to composition that broke away from traditional tonality
  • Inspired by the need to express inner emotions and psychological states
• Composed works such as "Pierrot Lunaire" (1912) and "Moses und Aron" (unfinished opera, 1932)
  • "Pierrot Lunaire" exemplifies Schoenberg's use of Sprechstimme and expressionist techniques
  • "Moses und Aron" explores complex philosophical and religious themes through atonal music

Alban Berg: Emotional Intensity and Lyricism

• Austrian composer and student of Arnold Schoenberg (1885-1935)
• Adapted Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique to create emotionally expressive works
  • Incorporated elements of tonality and lyricism within the atonal framework
  • Sought to convey profound human experiences and psychological depth
• Composed works such as the opera "Wozzeck" (1925) and the "Lyric Suite" for string quartet (1926)
  • "Wozzeck" explores themes of poverty, oppression, and madness through a powerful atonal score
  • The "Lyric Suite" showcases Berg's ability to create emotional intensity within a highly structured composition

Anton Webern: Concision and Clarity

• Austrian composer and conductor, also a student of Schoenberg (1883-1945)
• Developed a highly concentrated and distilled musical language
  • Focused on brevity, clarity, and the expressive potential of individual sounds
  • Explored the spatial organization of pitches and the use of silence as a compositional element
• Composed works such as "Six Bagatelles for String Quartet" (1913) and "Symphony, Op. 21" (1928)
  • The "Six Bagatelles" demonstrate Webern's ability to create profound musical statements in miniature form
  • The "Symphony, Op. 21" showcases Webern's mastery of orchestral color and texture within a concise structure

Compositional Techniques

Atonality and the Emancipation of Dissonance

• Atonality refers to music that lacks a tonal center or key
  • Breaks away from the traditional hierarchical relationships between pitches
  • Allows for greater freedom in the use of dissonance and unconventional harmonies
• Emancipation of dissonance: the idea that dissonance should be treated as equal to consonance
  • Dissonant intervals and chords are used freely without the need for resolution
  • Creates a sense of emotional intensity, tension, and expressive power

Twelve-Tone Technique and Serialism

• Twelve-tone technique: a method of composition developed by Schoenberg
  • Uses a fixed order of all twelve pitches of the chromatic scale (tone row)
  • The tone row can be used in its original form, inverted, retrograded, or inverted and retrograded
  • Ensures that all twelve pitches are given equal importance and prevents the establishment of a tonal center
• Serialism: an extension of the twelve-tone technique to other musical elements
  • Applies serial principles to aspects such as rhythm, dynamics, and timbre
  • Creates a highly structured and organized approach to composition
  • Allows for the creation of complex musical textures and relationships between various elements

Expressionist Elements

Sprechstimme and Klangfarbenmelodie

• Sprechstimme: a vocal technique that combines speaking and singing
  • Requires the performer to follow the rhythm and pitch contours indicated in the score
  • Creates a heightened, emotionally charged delivery of the text
  • Used extensively in Schoenberg's "Pierrot Lunaire" to convey the psychological states of the characters
• Klangfarbenmelodie (tone-color melody): the use of timbre as a primary compositional element
  • Focuses on the succession of different instrumental colors and textures
  • Creates a sense of continual transformation and shifting perspectives
  • Exemplified in works such as Webern's "Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 10" (1913)

Connections to the Expressionist Art Movement

• Expressionism: an artistic movement that emerged in the early 20th century
  • Emphasized the subjective expression of inner experiences, emotions, and psychological states
  • Characterized by distorted forms, intense colors, and a rejection of realism
• The Second Viennese School composers were influenced by and contributed to the Expressionist aesthetic
  • Sought to convey the same sense of emotional intensity and psychological depth through their music
  • Used atonality, dissonance, and unconventional techniques to express the complexities of the human experience
• Parallels can be drawn between Expressionist visual art and the music of the Second Viennese School
  • Both prioritize subjective expression over objective representation
  • Both challenge traditional forms and conventions to create new modes of artistic expression