What is the musical style of verklarte Nacht?

Verklärte Nacht is a tone poem—that is, an instrumental composition with plot content—in the tradition of Franz Liszt’s Les Préludes and Richard Strauss’s Don Juan. Schoenberg’s piece differs from its models in that it is a chamber piece, not an orchestral work.

Is Transfigured Night atonal?

Transfigured Night was Schoenberg’s first major composition, but the last that would locate him in the late romantic tradition of Brahms, Wagner, and Richard Strauss. Beyond that lay the modernity of atonal composition and the tutelage of Schoenberg’s compositional mentor, Alexander Zemlinsky.

Which of the works of Arnold Schoenberg is considered as one of his earliest successful pieces?

First major works A great step forward took place in 1899, when Schoenberg composed the string sextet Verklärte Nacht (“Transfigured Night”), a highly romantic piece of program music (unified by a nonmusical story or image).

What is the harmony of verklarte Nacht?

“Verklärte Nacht” does not open with strange or unexpected harmony, but with a simple six-note scale descending in D minor. It’s broken into two halves, like a tense breath: three notes in, three notes out.

Does verklarte Nacht have texture?

Ultimately, and rather to his annoyance, Transfigured Night remained the most oft-performed piece Schönberg ever wrote. The harmonic and sonic textures of Transfigured Night, in its version for string orchestra, are thickened into a truly symphonic poem.

Why is Schoenberg’s music so difficult to understand?

He underscores elements of the work that deviate from the norm and pose barriers to its “understanding” and, consequently, its greater acceptance. Berg’s central argument is that a richness of materials and multiplicity of innovative forms make Schoenberg’s music difficult to understand.

Who is the composer of verklarte Nacht?

Arnold SchoenbergVerklärte Nacht / Composer

What is the story of verklarte Nacht?

As the title suggests, Verklärte Nacht is the story of a miraculous transformation. The piece is based on a poem by the German poet Richard Dehmel that tells an emotional story about a couple walking in the woods on a cold winter night. In Dehmel’s poem, the woman is pregnant with the child of a man she never loved.

Who developed sprechstimme?

Sprechstimme is frequently used in 20th-century music. Its introduction is especially associated with the composer Arnold Schoenberg, who first used it in his Pierrot Lunaire (1912). It had been used earlier, however, in the melodrama Königskinder (1897; Children of the King), by Engelbert Humperdinck.

What is the difference between Sprechstimme and Sprechgesang?

Though sometimes used interchangeably, Sprechgesang is directly related to the operatic recitative manner of singing (in which pitches are sung, but the articulation is rapid and loose like speech), whereas Sprechstimme is closer to speech itself (because it does not emphasise any particular pitches).