Style and Idea
The principal function of form is to advance our understanding. It is the organization of a piece which helps the listener to keep the idea in mind, to follow its development, its growth, its elaboration, its fate. - Arnold Schoenberg
This is a collection of music-related essays from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Included are essays on twelve-tone music by composers such as Brahms and Mahler. Schoenberg's style is portrayed as not only understandable and appealing, but it also communicates significant details about the nature of modern music.
It is considered by some to be one of the most important compilations of musical essays ever released, Schoenberg's Style and Idea, has long been out of print. Only a small portion of Schoenberg's literary output was represented by the volume's few essays when it first came out. Leonard Stein, Schoenberg's assistant and editor of his theory and composition books, examined Schoenberg's entire body of work for this new edition and selected a significant number of essays to go with the reprint of the original papers. The result is a treasure trove for those interested in Schoenberg's musical thoughts.
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