Description

Webern's three late choral works stand near theculmination of his career, yet they have not receivedthe same attention as his instrumental works from thesame period. By providing more detailed analyses,this document will reveal similarities that thepieces share, and will help elucidate Webern'scompositional methods in his late choral works.Together, these insights will further ourunderstanding of his 12-tone music.This will be done by examining the processes relatingto the "musical ideas" of the pieces. Webern'sinterest in establishing unity and comprehensibilityis paramount in all of his 12-tone music. Hedescribes the process of achieving unity through theconcepts and theories related to "musical idea."Klumpenhouwer networks will help demonstrate how thisunity is created in the music both synchronically anddiachronically. The comprehensible presentation ofthe "musical idea" is a fundamental method wherebyWebern is able to achieve coherence and unity inthese three choral works.