Alban Berg: biography, Wozzeck and Expressionism
MUSIC HISTORY
From Vienna to Berlin: series and expression to approach Wozzeck and twentieth-century repertoire.
Source Jean Mislin · Musicologist, organist and choral conductor · teacher of Adeline Toniutti As part of Adeline Toniutti's research
FAQ on Alban Berg
Who is Alban Berg?
A Viennese composer (1885-1935), pupil of Schoenberg, figure of musical Expressionism, author of Wozzeck, Lulu and the Violin Concerto.
Why is Wozzeck so important?
Premiered in Berlin in 1925, it is one of the two major lyric events of the early twentieth century with Pelléas: social critique, atonality, old forms and immediate impact on audiences.
Is Berg only a twelve-tone composer?
No. He adopts the series but stays tied to post-Romanticism; in Wozzeck, tonality returns when the drama allows.
What vocal roles in Wozzeck?
Wozzeck (baritone), Marie (soprano or dramatic soprano), Drum Major (tenor), Captain (comic tenor), Doctor (comic bass), Margret (alto), small roles and chorus.
How can singers prepare?
Through careful score reading, secure intonation and phrasing at the service of text and dramaturgy.
GO FURTHER
In the music history cluster
Sources and quotations
Landmarks and quotations for further reading.
- Jean Mislin: musicologist, organist and choral conductor, teacher of Adeline Toniutti. Notes used within Adeline Toniutti's research.
- Alban Berg (1885-1935): Viennese biography, Schoenberg 1904, Altenberg scandal 1913, Berlin Academy 1930, Violin Concerto 1935.
- Wozzeck: discovery 1914, composition 1917-22, Berlin premiere 1925, forms by act, leitmotiv "wir arme Leut", characters and plot after Büchner.
- Style: softened dodecaphony, post-Romanticism, Expressionism; Stuckenschmidt on Berg's immediate impact.
GO FURTHER
In the music history cluster
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Approach Berg and Wozzeck with a healthy vocal gesture
Connect Expressionism, series technique and vocal hygiene with Adeline Toniutti's CALYP team.