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| Arnold Schoenberg |
Friede auf Erden / Peace on Earth
Op.13
A Cappella [Unaccompanied choir]
From a poem by Conrad Meyer (1886)
Composed: 1907
Duration: 8.21 mins. (approx.)
Schoenberg: 'A Survivor from Warsaw,' Op. 46 (1947)
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) was an Austrian-born composer. He is important for introducing the concept of atonality in western classical music. As a result, his music is dissonant – it does not return to a ‘home chord’ and it avoids the repetitive phrases seen often in Mozart.
Friede auf Erden or Peace on Earth is divided into four verses sung in German. The first describes the birth of Jesus. The second, war and bloodshed. The third and fourth verse sing of hope and peace. The work ends with a vision of heaven.
In 1933 he was forced to flee from France -where he was on holiday - fearing Nazi reprisals in Germany for his support of the Jews. He came to America where he ‘recomposed’ a number of baroque works, notably Handel’s Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 7.
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Aired on AIR FM 105.4 Khz on 26th Feb. 2021. Pic courtesy antiwarsongs(dot)com; video courtesy Arnold Schoenberg Centre.
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