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Musical Lives
The Life of Webern
On September 15, 1945 the composer Anton Webern was shot in confusing circumstances in a small mountain village near Salzburg. The world lost a composer of extreme originality whose mature music was still almost unknown. When Webern's works did come to light, he immediately became one of the most influential figures in music of the second half of this century. This book focuses on several aspects of Webern's life that have been treated only briefly in earlier accounts: his youthful instability, his often embarrassing dependence on Schoenberg, his naive nationalism and his absolute belief in the value of the brief moments of music he produced.
238 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 24, 2008
Kathryn Bailey's THE LIFE OF WEBERN is a concise (200-page) biography of the influential Viennese composer. Bailey made great use of Webern's own notebooks and correspondence to write the biography.
The biography is especially entertaining for its account of Webern's early adulthood, where he never held a job for more than a brief period before fleeing back to Vienna, and when he was slavishly dedicated to Schoenberg. It is also surprisingly objective about Webern and his music. Bailey admits that his twelve-tone works, for all their elegance and charm, lack gestalt. She also discusses in deep Webern's political views in the Nazi period, when he was simultaneously praising the expansion of the German Reich and trying to maintain his mainly Jewish circle of friends. Finally, the discussion of Webern's demise establishes just how little we know about his shooting by an American soldier, and Bailey argues that most of the stories around it are mere rumour and fancy.
Unfortunately, Bailey dwells very little on the music itself and Webern's thoughts in writing it. Much of it comes down to dull accounts of conducting performances. It also assumes a thorough knowledge of Webern's oeuvre before reading. Fans of the composer may want to seek this out, but I await a more substantial and balanced biography.
The biography is especially entertaining for its account of Webern's early adulthood, where he never held a job for more than a brief period before fleeing back to Vienna, and when he was slavishly dedicated to Schoenberg. It is also surprisingly objective about Webern and his music. Bailey admits that his twelve-tone works, for all their elegance and charm, lack gestalt. She also discusses in deep Webern's political views in the Nazi period, when he was simultaneously praising the expansion of the German Reich and trying to maintain his mainly Jewish circle of friends. Finally, the discussion of Webern's demise establishes just how little we know about his shooting by an American soldier, and Bailey argues that most of the stories around it are mere rumour and fancy.
Unfortunately, Bailey dwells very little on the music itself and Webern's thoughts in writing it. Much of it comes down to dull accounts of conducting performances. It also assumes a thorough knowledge of Webern's oeuvre before reading. Fans of the composer may want to seek this out, but I await a more substantial and balanced biography.
February 14, 2012
This biography of Webern, although about the same length, is more serious and probing than the Malcolm Hayes book. Bailey relies a lot on Webern's notebooks and letters, referring to and quoting heavily from them, which, rather than being dry, gives a lot of insight into Webern's way of living and thinking. She does a great job of presenting the events of his life in context, particularly his early struggles to establish himself and create a suitable life for himself and his family. Nothing was easy for him. She also gives a clear-eyed assessment of his character in all its virtues and flaws. Her approach to Webern's disappointing support of the Nazi regime (although Webern himself was thankfully not virulently anti-Semitic) is quite frank, and does not attempt to provide easy answers. Overall, it was a very good biography that not only made me understand Webern's life better, but also made me want to go back and listen to his music within the context of this understanding.
(One quirky feature of the book, however, is that Bailey really hates Schoenberg - not his music, his personality. Never before have I read such negative descriptions and assessment's of his personality and relationships.)
(One quirky feature of the book, however, is that Bailey really hates Schoenberg - not his music, his personality. Never before have I read such negative descriptions and assessment's of his personality and relationships.)
April 15, 2017
While this book contains good information on Webern's life, it reads more like a summary of the content of his notebooks and letters. Much of the book is just a list (in paragraph form) of entries in these notebooks. The author is so focused on these notebooks that she even, at multiple points, spends several paragraphs describing the physical appearance of them. So, if you are interested in reading a book about Webern's notebooks, look no further. If, however, you want to read a more traditional biography of the composer, you can find better options.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews