Webern was born into an aristocratic family. In addition to studying musicology (he wrote a doctoral thesis on Renaissance music), he composed a number of long, late Romantic tone poems which never saw the light of day. In 1904 he became a private pupil of Schoenberg's and pursued the course laid down by his mentor with uncompromising consistency. His highly concentrated style (many works are only a few bars in length) strives for emotional expression in its most distilled form, but it was often misunderstood and mistakenly dismissed as mathematically cold and calculating. In the wake of the Second World War many composers followed Webern's example but placed undue emphasis on his music's purely structural aspects rather than its emotional content. Forbidden by the Nazis to perform or publish his works, this intensely modest and retiring man withdrew to the country towards the end of the war. He was shot by an American soldier as the result of a tragic misunderstanding - he was lighting a cigar outside the house of some friends when a nighttime patrol evidently construed his action as hostile.

Harvey Sachs

Biographical notes (c) 1996, by permission of Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg

A selection of major works:

Orchestral: Im Sommerwind, Passacaglia, 5 Pieces (strings, 6 Pieces (orchestra), 5 Pieces (small orchestra), 5 pieces (orchestra), Symphony, Variations

Chamber: Concerto for Nine Instruments, Quintet (string quartet and piano), Quartet (clarinet, tenor saxophone, piano and violin), 2 String Quartets, 6 Bagatelles (string quartet), 5 Movements (string quartet), 3 Little Pieces (voice and string quartet), Rondo (string quartet), String Trio, Movement (string trio), 4 Pieces (violin and piano), 3 Little Pieces (cello and piano)

Instrumental solo: Variations (piano)

Vocal/Choral: Canons, 2 Cantatas, Lieder (Songs)