Schönbergs Mission zur Rettung der Tonkunst

Vom »Komponieren mit Tönen« zur Zwölftonkomposition

Abstract

The article deals with Arnold Schönberg's development of twelve-tone composition against the background of his reaction to public statements on his current work. The relationship with Heinrich Schenker, whose nationalist ideology Schönberg shared at least in part, is also discussed. Schönberg regarded the ‘rescue’ of German music, which he saw as threatened by internationalisation tendencies, as his task. The twelve-tone method played a central role in this. Its development is examined in detail on the basis of detailed sketch analyses.