Courtesy of Florence Homolka

Arnold Schoenberg 1874-1951

Born in Vienna, composer Arnold Schoenberg was a pivotal figure in the development of the challenging atonal and twelve-tonal forms of modern classical music. Although a self-taught musician, he became both a groundbreaking composer and an influential teacher of music. During his career, Schoenberg produced a prodigious amount of music - piano pieces, chamber music, operas, concertos, orchestral pieces, and choral works. Also a visual artist, he painted many self-portraits and developed a strong relationship with painter Vasily Kandinsky. The Nazi party labeled his music "degenerate", along with swing and jazz, and Schoenberg fled Austria for America in 1933.