Degree Name

Department

Music

College

Fine Arts and Communications

Defense Date

2006

Publication Date

2006-4

Keywords

Sophie Digital Library of Works by German-Speaking Women, Songs, High voice, String quartets, German-speaking women authors

Abstract

Vilma von Webenau (1875-1953) is not only worthy of study because of her connection with teacher Arnold Schoenberg. Her music is unique in the era of fin-de-siecle Vienna, but it also holds interest today because of its atmoshpheric and durational complexity, self-composed texts, and harmonic ambiguities. This critical edition seeks not only to present two of WEbenau's seventy works, but also to place Webenau in her historical and musical context. Exploring the aspects of Viennese modernism and the world that created it, I wish to give background to Webenau's life, of which so little is known. In trying to understand this woman better, I have also drawn on the content of letters she wrote to Schoenberg and the relationship and personality they show. I then discuss the music of the edition analytically, provide translations for the German texts, and give a critical report of my editorial methods in transcribing the manuscript for this edition.

Copyright Statement

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