Arnold Schönberg and Composition with Twelve Tones

Arnold Schönberg's (1874–1951) thinking and work, as well as his biography as a Vienna-born Jew, reflect the complexity of culture and history in the first half of the 20th century. In 1923, with the Wind Quintet op. 26, the composer defined the „method of composition with twelve tones related only to one another“, which offered a valid foundation for music beyond traditional harmony. From then on, it served its creator as a tool for the free development of musical ideas. In his book, Eike Feß, researcher at the Arnold Schönberg Center, provides surprising insights into Schönberg's gradual appropriation of the twelve-tone space and at the same time provides a commonly understandable introduction to his compositional style.