Schoenberg: Five Statements

Abstract

In examining the numerous manuscripts of Schoenberg preparatory to the editing and organization of Style and Idea: Selected Writings of Arnold Schoenberg, many short statements had to be left out of consideration for several reasons: incomplete and fragmentative thoughts, duplication of material, early drafts of articles expanded or revised later on, and, unfortunately, limitation of space. There is, of course, enough additional material to fill two more volumes of similar size including, in particular, those important analyses of Schoenberg's own works which were originally designated for another volume (some of the latter have appeared in other sources, for example, the Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31,1 the Four Orchestral Songs, Op. 22,2 and the String Quartets3). A perusal of Rufer's listing of these statements (in The Works of Arnold Schoenberg)-in general, comprehensive, though repetitive and lacking a few entries-shows the extent of the material at hand.