Matthew Masiello

12/21/16
Music History IV
Writing Assignment 5

A Survivor from Warsaw op.46 (1947) is a work by the Austrian atonal

composer Arnold Schoenberg (1874 - 1951). The work is scored for a chorus of men, an

orchestra, and a narrator, who depicts the scenes in conjunction with the music. The piece

was dedicated to Natalie Koussevitzky (1880 - 1942), wife of the double bass and

conducting virtuoso Serge Koussevitzky (1874 - 1951). The premiere took place in

Albuquerque on November 4th, 1948.

The piece is an example of serialism in that it uses a 12-tone row as the

foundation of the composition. 12-tone music is an organizational tool that uses the

chromatic scale in such a way as to emphasize and at the same time deemphasize every

note. Music like this became the focus of the 20th century and the expressionist

movement. The movement known, as expressionism is an artistic movement in which the

artist represents the world through the distorted lens of emotion and thought rather than

trying to capture its actuality. A Survivor from Warsaw can be seen as an

epiphenomenon of that concept as the narrator depicts the story from a first person

perspective.

The portrayal delineates the tale of a survivor from the Warsaw ghetto amid the

Second World War, from his time in an inhumane imprisonment. The storyteller does not

recall how he wound up living in the Warsaw sewers. One day, in the camp, the Nazi

powers held a gathering of the Jewish prisoners for roll. The gathering attempted to

collect, yet there was confusion, and the watchmen beat the old and feeble Jews who
couldn't form up fast enough. Those Jews left on the ground were conceded to their

deaths, and the gatekeepers requested another tally, to decide what number of would be

moved to the concentration camps. The watchmen then requests a faster and fast head

count, and the work finishes as the Jews sing the prayer Shema Yisrael. In Schoenberg's

piece, the statement of faith closes with a verse from the bible, Deuteronomy 6:7, which

peruses "and when thou liest down, and when thou riseth up."

The piece begins in 4/4 time marked quarter note equals 80 bpm. The piece begins

a rather erratic and in a dread filled fashion. Schoenberg does this to immediately impress

upon the listener the severity and horror of the situation. Trumpets and strings begin the

piece. The trumpet begin the piece with the beginning of the 12-tone row of F#, G, C, Ab,

E, D#, A#, C#, A, D, F, B. The strings begin with a tremolo in the violins and then in the

basses. This gives the impression of rapid movements and eyes darting around looking

for a source of terror. Schoenberg write includes the rest of the instruments in an erratic

and scattered fashion, with very few points of melody with direct accompaniment.

After the intro (mm. 1 - 11) the narrator final enters and begins singing.

Schoenberg handles the vocal writing style rather interestingly in that it is similar to his

other work Pierrot lunaire (1912). The singer stays around one pitch; this allows the

listener to listen to the words, rhythm and inflections more clearly. Again Schoenbergs

use of rhythm in the narrators line suggests rapidity out of fear. Here (m.12) the rest of

the orchestra takes a more accompanying role as repetition of rhythm can be heard in the

strings. This used to help the listen focus on what is being said while still providing an

atmosphere of horror.
 An interesting moment that truly captures Schoenbergs ability as a composer and

the expressionist style is in measure 63. Here the Narrator depicts the roll call starting

again after the prisons had been beaten. Abzhlen! They started slowly and irregularly:

one, two, three, four Schoenberg helps the narrator actualize the concept of the

irregular count off with syncopations and pizzicatos in the strings. The next instance of

this is when the narrator describes the counting as if it was the sound of a stampede.

Schoenberg creates this sense through an accelerando up until measures 80 81, which

sees the entrance of the mens chorus as they sing their interjection of Shema Yisrael.

Here to gain the full effect and power of the prayer Schoenberg writes Meno mosso

subito. The texture is also thinned out to give room to the voices and allow the prayer to

shine through.

Arnold Schoenberg represents the beginnings of new thought in the music of the

20th century. Keeping the compositional techniques of the past, while merging it with new

organizational tools and expressive elements are why Schoenberg has become known as

one of the three in the Second Viennese School. His writing not only portrays ingenuity

of musicality and craftsmanship, but also the ability to create a scene scape from which

few others would dare create. This daring is what sets Schoenberg apart from other

composers of the time.