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a. social advocacy, oppression of disenfran-
chised people, social alienation
b. disturbed man moves between real ity and
hallucination
c. based on gruesome, real- life events
2. libretto by Berg
a. three acts, five scenes each
b. each scene a “study” on a musical idea
3. atonal- Expressionist idiom
a. looks back to Wagnerian tonal tradition: some
tonality, use of leitmotifs
b. passionate lyricism alternates with
Sprechstimme
c. anticipates twelve- tone procedure
4. plot summary:
a. Wozzeck, main character, a common soldier
b. Wozzeck and Marie have illegitimate son
c. sadistic Captain and scientific Doctor use
Wozzeck for experiments
d. Wozzeck given to hallucinations
e. Marie is unfaithful to Wozzeck
f. Wozzeck kills Marie, drowns himself
g. final scene, playing children find Marie’s body
h. Marie’s son, not understanding, rides off stage
C. LG 47: Berg: Wozzeck, Act III: scene 4, Interlude,
scene 5 (1917–1922)
1. Act III, scene 4: By the pond
a. Sprechstimme, disjunct melody
b. tonal and atonal harmony: dissonant and
chromatic
c. surging dynamics
d. unusual instrument combinations, use of celesta
2. Orchestral interlude in D minor
a. very slow tempo
b. passionate lament for life and death of Wozzeck
OUTLINE
I. The Second Viennese School and the Twelve- Tone Method
A. Second Viennese School
1. Arnold Schoenberg and his students Berg and
Webern, modernist composers
2. First Viennese School: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven
B. Twelve- tone method
1. method of composing by Arnold Schoenberg,
early 1920s
2. breakdown of traditional tonal system
3. revolutionized musical composition
4. also known as serialism
5. tone row: par tic u lar arrangement of 12 tones
a. 12 chromatic pitches, equal weight
b. alternative forms of the row: transposition,
inversion, retrograde, retrograde inversion
c. basis for themes, patterns, harmonies
II. Alban Berg and Wozzeck
A. Alban Berg (1885–1935)
1. Vienna- born composer
2. student of Arnold Schoenberg
3. WWI, military ser vice
4. Wozzeck, brought international fame
5. active as teacher and author
6. works banned in Germany during WWII
7. style rooted in German Romanticism
8. admired master of twelve- tone school
9. premature death, blood poisoning from infected
insect bite
10. small output includes: two operas, orchestral music,
violin concerto, chamber music, piano music, songs
B. Wozzeck
1. opera based on Expressionist play by Georg
Büchner (1813–1837)
CHAPTERfi55 War Is Hell: Berg and Expressionist Opera
226 | Chapterfi55
ASSIGNMENT SUGGESTIONS
1. How does Berg’s Expressionist idiom in Wozzeck con-
trast with Schoenberg’s approach in Pierrot lunaire? Are
there similarities? What about the subject matter and
lyrical content of the two dif fer ent texts?
2. Given the story of Wozzeck, how does Berg incorporate
the orchestra to match or depict the emotional state of
the title character in Act III, scene 4? What about the
other characters? How does the orchestra portray their
reactions and emotions? How does the writing for orches-
tra in this scene compare to the orchestral interlude that
follows it?
TEACHING CHALLENGES
Although the story of Wozzeck is not complicated, there is
much to consider for explaining Wozzeck’s drive to murder
Marie and commit suicide at the end of the opera. These
actions might seem hastily violent for students unfamiliar
SUPPLEMENTAL REPERTORY
SUPPLEMENTAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
YOUR TURN TO EXPLORE
Find examples of musical works designed to bring attention
to social prob lems or to protest against established po liti cal
c. lush, Romantic chromatic chords
d. forceful climax: brass, woodwinds, timpani
3. Act III, scene 5: Children playing in front of
Marie’s house
a. children’s voices and orchestra
b. begins with distorted children’s song
c. disjunct melody followed by speechlike lines
d. lilting 12/8 meter, pulse grows obscure
e. ends with pianissimo accompaniment
OVERVIEW
Schoenberg’s twelve- tone method is introduced in this chap-
ter as the compositional touchstone of the Second Viennese
School. Berg’s Wozzeck illustrates the composer’s blending
of a lyrical post- Romantic style with the abstract methods of
the twelve- tone system to evocatively portray the societal
effects of war and social injustice.
ing lyrical post- Romantic style with the abstract meth-
ods of the twelve- tone system
LECTURE SUGGESTIONS
techniques connected to the lyrical and narrative con-
tent of the text?
2. After completing the previous lecture suggestion, com-
pare the vocal techniques used in Act III, scene 4 with
War Is Hell: Berg and Expressionist Opera | 227
crimination by attempting to focus on the commonalities
among people (as in the closing lyr ics, “Same DNA but born
this way”). The music supporting these lyr ics is driven by an
diminished, however, by the song’s perceived similarities to
Madonna’s Express Yourself (1989) and by some complaints
that the use of terms like “cholas” and “orients” is more dis-
criminatory than empowering.
MODEL RESPONSE
people of all genders, sexual orientations, ethnic back-
grounds, and ability levels to celebrate themselves without
apology. The LGBT community is given the most attention,
with lyr ics such as “ Don’t be a drag, just be a queen” and “No
