Compare & contrast the musical style of Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, and Anton Webern

Arnold Schoenberg, along with his two most well-known pupils, Alban Berg and Anton Webern, altogether form the Second Viennese School in the early 20th century during the Modern era. All three of them are credited with developing and perfecting the revolutionary twelve-tone method, a new musical language grounded in atonality; Schoenberg having invented it (thus being the father of twelve-tone or dodecaphonic music), whereas his pupils Berg and Webern having developed and perfected it in their own works. It is because of this connection that, despite some differences, many of them share common characteristics in terms of musical style.

          Schoenberg’s musical style can be divided into four different style periods. His early years show influences of post-Romanticism, drawing inspiration from Romantics and post-Romantics of his time such as Wagner, Mahler, and Strauss (as seen in works such as Verklärte Nacht or “Transfigured Night”); his Expressionist Period saw a him growing more distant from tonality (evident in works such as Pierrot lunaire); his Twelve-tone Period saw the application of his new twelve-tone method and return to Classical forms (found in Variations for Orchestra, op. 31); while his time in America saw a more liberal approach to twelve-tone music and embracing greater stylistic diversity, along with religious influences (e.g. A Survivor from Warsaw). While Schoenberg’s musical style had developed and evolved over the years, the musical style of his pupils Berg and Webern have not changed much throughout their lives. Berg was most famous because he was able to make his twelve-tone music more “accessible” to the public so that the average person could understand it better, resulting in greater emotion and lyricism than either Schoenberg or Webern; while Webern had a more strict approach to twelve-tone composition, resulting in carefully mathematically calculated works such as Symphony, op. 21. Berg, like Schoenberg, was also influenced by Wagner and Mahler, however, he was also drawn to Debussy and Impressionism. On the other hand, Webern did not have much inspiration from Romantics and post-Romantics: instead, he was influenced by Renaissance polyphony, specifically that of Heinrich Isaac, whom he did his doctoral thesis on. As a result, many of his works were contrapuntal, featuring canonic and palindromic elements. Additionally, his style was often described as pointilistic, with brief, sparse textures. Both Berg and Webern, like their mentor Schoenberg, utilized Expressionist elements in their works such as Klangfarbenmelodie (“tone-colour melody,” where instruments often span a wide range, resulting in angular and disjunct lines), with Berg notably having used Sprechstimme (literally “pitched speaking”). As well, both pupils had a preference of Classical forms such as fugue, sonata, rondo, passacaglia, etc., not to mention that Berg also was fond of technical demanding, virtuosic writing. His operas, in particular, have remained influential and widely performed.

Altogether, each composer has contributed to twelve-tone music in different unique, distinct, and influential ways, reflecting their aesthetic goals. Each composer is best remembered for their own style and contributions: Schoenberg for his invention of the twelve-tone method in the first place, along with Expressionism; Berg for his integration of twelve-tone technique with dramatic development and traditional tonality; and Webern, with an emphasis on strict serial procedures and a focus on brevity, economy, textural innovation, and complex rhythmic structures.