Aaron reviewed Schoenberg by Harvey Sachs
Schoenberg
4 stars
Sach's book is not strictly a biography of Schoenberg -- he acknowledges up front that there are other, more detailed treatments of Schoenberg's life out there -- but Sachs definitely hits the highlights, and, more importantly, explores the question of why this composer's music and philosophy had the impact that they did on the wider musical world. I don't think I've ever read a book that starts with "A Warning," in which Sachs states plainly that Schoenberg's music is rarely performed by major orchestras around the world. But reading the book it is clear that Schoenberg had an impact on everyone he met; no one came away from him indifferent. Sachs concludes that if we can make room for novels or visual arts that challenge the reader/viewer, then surely we can have challenging music as well. The catch, of course, is that music requires an intermediary (the musicians) in between …
Sach's book is not strictly a biography of Schoenberg -- he acknowledges up front that there are other, more detailed treatments of Schoenberg's life out there -- but Sachs definitely hits the highlights, and, more importantly, explores the question of why this composer's music and philosophy had the impact that they did on the wider musical world. I don't think I've ever read a book that starts with "A Warning," in which Sachs states plainly that Schoenberg's music is rarely performed by major orchestras around the world. But reading the book it is clear that Schoenberg had an impact on everyone he met; no one came away from him indifferent. Sachs concludes that if we can make room for novels or visual arts that challenge the reader/viewer, then surely we can have challenging music as well. The catch, of course, is that music requires an intermediary (the musicians) in between composer and listener; if no one wants to play the music, we won't hear it in the concert hall. But Schoenberg continues to have his advocates, and the place of his students Berg and Webern seems to be solid as well. The subtitle is a statement (why he matters), not a question (does he matter?) -- Schoenberg is a composer worth taking the time to listen to.
