# Austro-German composers in the 20th century.



## Portamento (Dec 8, 2016)

Austrian and German composers dominated the music scene throughout history (maybe not baroque) until the 20th century. Other nations caught up, making the 20th century the diverse playing field it is recognized as todayy. For example, there is the British "renaisssance" and the second generation of great French composers (Ravel, Debussy, Vierne, Schmitt, Dukas, Pierne, etc.) .

So Austria and Germany lost their foothold on music, but these two countries still produced great composers during the 20th century (I know produced is a bad word ; composers are not produce). Who are your favorite Austro-German composers of the 20th century ?

My picks aree Henze, Hespos, Lachenmann, and Haas. Yours ?


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Yeah, Henze is a favourite of mine. Rihm is the only composer alive whose current music that I still like. Also the 2nd Viennese school, R. Strauss, Hindemith.


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## jimsumner (Jul 7, 2013)

You do realize the 20th century includes such notables as Mahler, Strauss, Schoenberg, Berg, Webern and Hindemith?


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## Portamento (Dec 8, 2016)

There are many; *Toch* is the first that comes to mind. "Back in the late 30s and early 40s when scores of Europe's leading cultural figures escaped Hitler's depredations and settled along the Pacific shores of Los Angeles, exiles as it were in Paradise, the Germans among them used to regale themselves with the tale of two dachshunds meeting beneath the breeze-wafted palms on the Santa Monica palisade.... Such at any rate was the experience of... Toch, a dachshund who really had been a St. Bernard back in the old country." Vienna-born and largely self-taught, Toch had established himself as a leading composer in Weimar Germany's modernist Neue Musik scene during the decade and a half after the first world war. He was an experimentalist, featured in almost all avant garde festivals, yet firmly planted in the Great German tradition of his heroes Mozart and Brahms. Unfortunately, like others (*Korngold*, *Zeisl*, *Weigl*) that fled to America with Hitler's rise to power, Toch never found success similar to his youth ever again. His Symphony #3 and String Quartets nos. 9 & 11 are a must.

Then there are 20th century staples such as *Strauss* and *Hindemith* (previously mentioned) who continued the German romantic tradition while incorporating innovations of the time; they are well-known so I don't have to elaborate. *Reger* also deserves a mention --while a romantic, he wrote numerous masterpieces in the last 16 years of his life (also the first 16 years of the 20th century). In that regard, I guess *Mahler* qualifies as well; I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more of him. *Stöhr* is also a figure that, while not an entirely first-rate composer, was one of merit and should not be forgotten. I don't know much about *Georg Schumann*, but I bet he's worth knowing as well.

The *2nd Viennese School* (the group of composers comprised of *Schoenberg*, his pupils, and close associates in early 20th century Vienna where he lived and taught). After Schoenberg, *Webern* and *Berg* are the most well-known, but I would like to showcase *Krenek*, whom I consider to be on par with these two. He was prolific, opus numbers reaching well over 200. The piano concertos and sonatas (especially #7) and the string quartets are absolute gems.

Like you mentioned, the avant-gardists *Hespos* and *Lachenmann* are worth one's time. I am not entirely sure what *Henze* is; at times he is a hardcore modernist and others a Stravinskian neoclassicist. *Rihm* and *Haas* are great as well (in vain is a perfect introduction to the latter; next try his innovative string quartet cycle).

*Schnittke* was Soviet-German, if that counts.

Overall I believe the 20th century to be as fruitful for Austria and Germany as any other century; just look at all these amazing composers.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

I agree the 20th century was good for the Germans, but they didn't quite dominate or monopolize like before. Classical was becoming diversified among different countries like Britain, US, France, Russia, Spain, etc. But that is a good thing.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

The Germans/Austrians faded badly after the first decade of the 20th century. By the numbers, the Soviets/Russians ruled. Check the winners of the top-ten compositions by decade, 1910 and forward.

https://sites.google.com/site/kenocstuff/ama/best-works-by-decade


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

KenOC said:


> The Germans/Austrians faded badly after the first decade of the 20th century. By the numbers, the Soviets/Russians ruled. Check the winners of the top-ten compositions by decade, 1910 and forward.
> 
> https://sites.google.com/site/kenocstuff/ama/best-works-by-decade


Interesting website. I never read those quotes from Einstein before; pretty funny in regards to Beethoven.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

My favourite 20th century German composers are Richard Strauss and Paul Hindemith.


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

KenOC said:


> The Germans/Austrians faded badly after the first decade of the 20th century. By the numbers, the Soviets/Russians ruled. Check the winners of the top-ten compositions by decade, 1910 and forward.
> 
> https://sites.google.com/site/kenocstuff/ama/best-works-by-decade


Creepy atonalists, etc.

Schoenberg being one of the best 20th century (and thus all-time) composers, that is good enough, but there is more!


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Arnold Schoenberg, Franz Schmidt, Walter Braunfels.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Xaltotun said:


> Arnold Schoenberg, Franz Schmidt, Walter Braunfels.


Agree, and

Alban Berg, Paul Hindemith, Gustav Mahler, Max Reger, Richard Strauss, Richard Wetz, Alexander von Zemlinsky.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

I think I should make Reger my next project. The man interests me, and that usually leads into understanding the music.


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

Schmidt, Berg, and Mahler are my top 3.


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## Myriadi (Mar 6, 2016)

i like music said:


> Austrian and German composers dominated the music scene throughout history (maybe not baroque) until the 20th century.


Sorry to be a jerk, but you may want to brush up your knowledge of music history. German-speaking countries only really started producing historically important composers in the 17th century. Looking at the past 1000 years of music in Europe, French-speaking countries and Italy played a far, far more important role in the shaping of CM.

(As for 20th century favorites, I'd go with Webern and Stockhausen.)


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

i like music said:


> Austrian and German composers dominated the music scene throughout history *(maybe not baroque)* until the 20th century.


Not the point of the thread, but I strongly disagree with this. German late Renaissance/early Baroque is a high water mark: Isaac, Senfl, Schutz, Biber, Schein, Scheidemann, Bustehude, Kuhnau, Tunder, Graupner...all before you even get to Telemann and Bach.

Anyway the German speaking world did fall off after Webern. Stockhausen should get a fair amount of credit despite the unevenness of his output. But the French, Russians and other eastern Europeans, and even Americans did take over.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Judging by the quantity of illustrious composers that Germany produced without any discernible break in continuity I would say that German music remained in rude health throughout most - if not all - of the 20th century. 

The same cannot be said for Austria. Even allowing for her much smaller post-Habsburg Empire population Austria no longer has that conveyor belt effect which provided great composers right up to the final 1900s-1930s glory era of Zemlinsky, Korngold, Lehár, Schoenberg, Berg, Webern and Schmidt - since the death of Korngold in 1957 the only Austrian-born composers I can think of who held on to anything like an international reputation were Hanns Eisler (d. 1962) and Ernst Krenek (d. 1991), although there are numerous others such as Ernst Toch and Egon Wellesz whose careers have been posthumously re-evaluated and various works subsequently recorded during the CD era. 

Compare this to Finland who has a smaller population still, yet the amount of composers of international renown coming from there in the wake of Sibelius's fame is extremely impressive.


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

elgars ghost said:


> The same cannot be said for Austria. Even allowing for her much smaller post-Habsburg Empire population Austria no longer has that conveyor belt effect which provided great composers right up to the final 1900s-1930s glory era of Zemlinsky, Korngold, Lehár, Schoenberg, Berg, Webern and Schmidt - since the death of Korngold in 1957 the only Austrian-born composers I can think of who held on to anything like an international reputation were Hanns Eisler (d. 1962) and Ernst Krenek (d. 1991), although there are numerous others such as Ernst Toch and Egon Wellesz whose careers have been posthumously re-evaluated and various works subsequently recorded during the CD era.


I introduce to you Georg Friedrich Haas and Beat Furrer.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Chronochromie said:


> I introduce to you Georg Friedrich Haas and Beat Furrer.


Thank you. Looks like I've got some reading up to do.


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