Schönberg's moonlit stroll

Follow us for a weekly analysis of some of our favourite musical moments. Today we are presenting an analysis of the last section from Arnold Schönberg’s Verklärte Nacht Op. 4. “Two people are walking through a bare, cold wood; the moon keeps pace with them and draws their gaze. The moon moves along above tall oak trees…” In this excerpt, Schönberg sets to music the homonymous poem by Richard Dehmel describing a couple taking a moonlit stroll through the woods. The musical language explores the Brahms–Wagner dialectic with extensive chromaticism articulated through a cohesive motivic network.    / @-momentsmusicaux-   Arnold Schönberg (1874–1951) Performance: Künstlerseite A Far Cry (strings); Boston: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Video made by MomentsMusicaux.