Pierrot lunaire op. 21. No. 7 The Sick Moon. No. 8 Night

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Title	Pierrot lunaire op. 21. No. 7 The Sick Moon. No. 8 Night
Playing time	00:04:35
Authors	Schönberg, Arnold [Komponist/in] [GND]
Contributors	Schönberg, Arnold [Dirigent] [GND] Kolisch, Rudolf [Violine] [GND] Auber, Stefan [Violoncello] [GND] Steuermann, Eduard [Klavier] [GND] Posella, Leonard [Flöte] [GND] Bloch, Kalman [GND] Stiedry, Erika [Gesang] [GND] Columbia [Label]
Date	1940.09.24 [Aufnahmedatum]
Place	Los Angeles, Columbia Recording Studio [Ortsbezug]
Keywords	Musik ; E-Musik ; Unveröffentlichte Aufnahme
	20. Jahrhundert - Nullerjahre
Type	audio
Format	SCS [Schallplatte, Schellack]
Language	Englisch
Signature	Österreichische Mediathek, e11-00159_b01_k02
Media type	Mp3-Audiodatei

Cover. Arnold Schönberg Center, CC BY-SA 3.0 AT

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Content

Arnold Schönberg’s “Pierrot lunaire” op. 21, a key work of musical modernism, was written in 1912 in Berlin for the reciter Albertine Zehme. At the time of its creation, the piece was a unique genre that brought together the characteristics of its ensemble. Sprechstimme and five performers were used in changing instrumentation, that is in varying combinations. In solos, duos, trios, quartets, and quintets of varying constellations, the composer created a cosmos of sounding colors around the Sprechstimme. The specific instrumentation of the texts and their poetic realms follows traditional models – the flute, for instance, is associated with the moon.

Arnold Schönberg’s recording of the work originated in September 1940 as the first and only commercial record project conducted by the composer. It is probable that the recording took place at Columbia Recording Studio in Los Angeles, which opened in 1938. The musicians involved in the project, including the violinist Rudolf Kolisch, pianist Eduard Steuermann and also the singer Erika Stiedry-Wagner, had profound knowledge of his works. One particular challenge for the reciter is balancing a powerful declamation and suitable realization of the pitch – especially when the vocal part communicates with the instruments. This can be clearly heard in “Der kranke Mond” (The Sick Moon) for Sprechstimme and solo flute, and also in “Nacht” (Night), which is written as a Passacaglia.
(Text: Arnold Schönberg Center)

Collection history

Sammlung Schönberg

Im Rahmen einer Kooperation mit dem Arnold Schönberg Center sichert die Österreichische Mediathek seit April 2019 die Schallplattensammlung des Komponisten digital. Der Nachlass Arnold Schönbergs steht seit 1998 im Arnold Schönberg Center in Wien zur Verfügung.

Die Sammlung umfasst über 400 Schallplatten mit eigenen Kompositionen, fremden Werken sowie vereinzelten Sprachaufnahmen. Professionelle Produktionen stehen neben dokumentarischen Mitschnitten. Schönberg war technischen Neuerungen aufgeschlossen und nutzte Medien zur Tonaufzeichnung auf vielfältige Weise. Die frühesten Audio-Dokumente gehen auf Arnold Schönbergs Zeit in Berlin und sein zunehmendes Engagement für den Rundfunk zurück, dessen Potenzial zur Verbreitung aktueller Musik er bereits früh erkannte. Frühe Tonträger der Sammlung entstanden oft als Versuchsaufnahmen im Kontext von Radioübertragungen. Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg wurden seine Schallplatten wichtiges Kommunikationsmittel im Kontakt mit Europa.

2011 wurde der Schönberg-Nachlass von der UNESCO in das Weltdokumentenerbe-Register (Memory of the World) aufgenommen.

Zur Sammlungsgeschichte siehe auch <link>https://www.schoenberg.at/images/stories/bilder_statische_artikel/archiv/ethikbewahrens.pdf<link>

In cooperation with the Arnold Schönberg Center, the Österreichische Mediathek digitally preserved the composer's record collection in April 2019. Arnold Schönberg’s Estate was made available at the Arnold Schönberg in 1998, after the collection had been moved from Los Angeles.

The composer owned over 400 phonograph discs with his own compositions, works by other composers, and also the occasional voice recording. Professional productions are found alongside documentative recordings. Schönberg was open to technical innovations and used sound recording media in various ways. The earliest audio documents stem from the composer’s time spent in Berlin and his increasing commitment to the radio, whose potential for broadcasting contemporary music to a larger audience was recognized by Schönberg at a very early stage. Early sound storage media from Schönberg’s collection often contain test recordings for radio broadcasts and only excerpts of the compositions played. And after the war, phonograph discs were an important means of communication with Europe.

In 2011 Schönberg’s Estate was inscribed onto the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

For the history of the collection see also <link>https://www.schoenberg.at/images/stories/bilder_statische_artikel/archiv/ethikbewahrens.pdf<link>

Location in the digital collection

Keywords

Musik ; E-Musik , Unveröffentlichte Aufnahme

Part of the collection

Sammlung Schönberg

The medium in online exhibitions

This medium is used on these pages:

This medium is used on this page:
Arnold Schönberg – Biography