Alban Berg
Master of the Smallest Link

Theodor W. Adorno (Author), Christopher Hailey (Translated by), Juliane Brand (Translated by)

9780521338844, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 29 September 1994

176 pages
22.9 x 15.3 x 1.5 cm, 0.3 kg

' … a remarkable document; a personal memoir and a study of the composer's works, it is also something more: a revelation of Adorno's belief that modern philosophy ought to be modelled on modern music. Adorno's Berg, one of his most provocative books, has been beautifully translated by Juliane Brand and Christopher Hailey.' The Times Literary Supplement

Adorno's study of Alban Berg is a unique document. Itself now a part of music history, it is a personal account, by a pre-eminent philosopher and aesthetician, of the life and musical works of his mentor, friend and composition teacher. Shortly after Berg's death in 1935, Adorno contributed several analyses to the first Berg biography. Thirty years later he incorporated these chapters and several subsequent essays into one volume. Beyond analyses of individual pieces, the book explores the historical and cultural significance of Berg's music, its relationship to that of other twentieth-century composers, and to the larger issues of contemporary life. This is a classic study, made available here for the first time in English, and it provides a key to understanding Adorno himself as well as offering an individual perspective on one of the major composers of the twentieth century.

Translators' introduction
A note on the translation
Preface
Tone Reminiscence
The works
Analysis and Berg
Piano sonata
Seven Early Songs
First String Quartet
The Altenberg Songs
Clarinet pieces
Orchestral pieces
Towards a characterisation of Wozzeck
Epilogomena to the Chamber Concerto
Lyric Suite
Der Wein
Experiences with Lulu
About the text
Afterword
Adorno's principal writings on Berg
Index.

Subject Areas: Individual composers & musicians, specific bands & groups [AVH]