»Berlin 1909–10«. Von Schönberg zu Varèse ... und zurück

Fragmente zu einer transatlantischen Geschichte der »atonalen Moderne«

Abstract

This article examines the transatlantic reception and transformation of Arnold Schoenberg’s atonal works from around 1910 by Edgard Varèse, focusing on Varèse’s time in Berlin from 1909 to 1910. Using key works such as Schönberg’s ‘Five Orchestral Pieces, Op. 16’ and Varèse’s ‘Amériques’, the article demonstrates how Varèse adapted and further developed Schönberg’s harmonic and motivic principles. Particular attention is paid to Varèse’s independent harmonic system, which is based on chromatic expansion and trichordal structures. The article also highlights the historiographical significance of this interrelationship for a transatlantic perspective on musical modernism, which breaks away from Eurocentric narratives and recognises Varèse as an independent continuator of the atonal tradition. Sources such as Varèse’s annotated scores and his ‘Hexachord Diagram’ support the thesis of a profound yet critical appropriation of Schoenberg’s innovations.