Arnold Schoenberg

Arnold Schoenberg married Mathilde Zemlinsky, the sister of his teacher Alexander von Zemlinsky, on 7 October 1901. The couple had two children: a daughter named Gertrud, and a son, Georg.

During the summer of 1908, Mathilde, feeling excluded from her husband’s social circle, ran away with the Austrian painter, Richard Gerstl. However, she returned after a few months and the couple lived together until her death in October 1923.

In August 1924, Schoenberg married Gertrud Bertha Kolisch, a sister of his pupil, the violinist Rudolf Kolisch. He had a daughter, Dorothea Nuria and two sons, Ronald and Lawrence, from this marriage.

Arnold Schoenberg was born on 13 September 1874 in Leopoldstadt, a predominantly Jewish district in Vienna. His father, Samuel Schönberg, who ran a small shoe shop, was originally from Bratislava. His mother, Pauline née Nachod, was a piano teacher from Prague.

Arnold was born second out of his parents’ four children. His eldest sister, Adele (Feigele) Schönberg, died at the age of two. Younger to him was another sister named Ottilie Kramer Blumauer and a brother named Heinrich.

Since the apartment they lived in was too small to house his mother’s piano, it is unlikely that he had piano lessons from her. However, he had violin lessons from a professional teacher from the age of eight. Otherwise, Arnold was mostly autodidact.

That he was a genius was evident from the very start. By the age of nine, he could play violin duets of Viotti and Pleye. This was also the time he started composing little pieces for violin.

Not much is known about his education except that he was an average student in school. More significant is the fact that it was while studying in the secondary school that he became friendly with Oskar Adler. Very soon, the two developed a close bonding, which lasted throughout their lives.

Around 1894/1895, Arnold met Alexander von Zemlinsky, a rising young composer, who conducted the amateur orchestra, Musikalische Verein Polyhymnia, where Schönberg played the cello. Subsequently, the two became close friends, and from Zemlinsky, Schönberg had further lessons in harmony, counterpoint, and composition.

Zemlinsky also played an important role in grooming Schönberg for his entry into the cultural as well as social life of Vienna. Indeed, all through his life, Schönberg had acknowledged Zemlinsky as his only teacher.

On 2 March 1896, Schönberg had his debut at a Polyhymnia concert, where his work was performed for the first time in any public concert. However, his first important work was ‘String Quartet in D Major’, which he wrote in 1897.

It was first performed during the concert session in Vienna in 1897-98 and then again in 1898-99. In both the occasions, it was well received by the audience. He was by now well-known enough to receive his first student, Vilma von Webenau.

Very soon, he became a part of the vibrant circle of artists that thronged the city’s coffee shops and beer bars. Yet, he must have felt alienated because of his faith and to strengthen his ties with Western European culture, he converted to Christianity in 1898.

In 1901, Arnold Schönberg moved to Berlin in search of better financial prospects. By then, he had married Mathilde, which was not approved by many in his old circle and they began to avoid him.

In Berlin, he found employment as the musical director at the Überbrettl, an intimate artistic cabaret. Although he continued writing songs for the group, he was not at all happy as the position was neither artistically nor financially rewarding.

While working under such stressful conditions, Schönberg met the German composer Richard Strauss, who quickly recognized his acumen as a composer. Strauss not only helped him to get a job as a composition teacher at the Stern Conservatory, but also played a significant part in securing the Liszt stipend for him.

Strauss also encouraged him to compose for big orchestra. Inspired by him, Schönberg composed his only symphonic poem in 1902-1903. Titled, ‘Pelleas und Melisande’, it was based on a drama by Maurice Maeterlinck. Shortly after that, he returned to Vienna.