The term “Second Viennese School” is used to describe the works and achievements of Arnold Schönberg and his pupils Anton Webern and Alban Berg. Strictly speaking, we are referring to the period between 1903 and 1911, when Webern, Berg, Egon Wellesz and Heinrich Jalowetz studied under Schönberg. The term “Viennese School” came into use later, after the Second World War; we would now say, that the “First Viennese School”, comprised of the 18th century composers, Wagenseil, Muffat, Monn and Gaßmann, who were working in contrast to the members of the “Mannheim School”. 

Schönberg’s opponents described his compositional style as “atonal music”, but it would be more accurate to call it the twelve-tone technique: each octave consists of twelve semi-tones, of which only eight are used per key in traditional music, whereas the four remaining ones, which the ear perceives to be dissonant, are only used very selectively and exceptionally. From 1907 onward, however, Schönberg gave equal importance to all twelve tones, meaning that dischords were not explicitly avoided. From 1920 onward, Schönberg continued to develop this new style into a strict compositional technique: each piece of music, even an entire opera, was based on a single twelve tone row, meaning a single sequence of the twelve available tones, which could be expanded into 48 possible combinations by following almost mathematical rules; Schönberg made a note of these combinations for his “Moses and Aaron” opera, which can be seen on the file cards hanging on the right side of this room, just before the exit. 

So, one could say, that the achievements of Schönberg’s circle were to bring an end to late Romantic tonality and create a new musical beginning. Using the computer terminals, you can listen to music from the Second Viennese School and read biographical information about Berg, Schönberg and Webern, along with an analysis of the 2nd movement of Anton Webern’s Symphony, Op. 21 – to gain a better understanding of the twelve-tone technique.