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Anton Webern: Concerto for Nine

Instruments Movement II

Renz Eulric Adame

Prof. Roxane Prevost

MUS4374

February 5, 2017
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Anton Webern was an Austrian conductor and composer. Himself along with his mentor

Arnold Schoenberg, and Alban Berg comprised the core circle of the Second Viennese School.

Weberns influence was even so strong as to inspire even Schoenberg himself. Weberns music is

known for his usage of the 12-tone technique and his application of it in the concision and

organization of symmetry found in his music, both visually, tonally, and mathematically.

Innovations in his music and contrapuntal techniques and organization of pitch, rhythm, melody,

and more greatly informed and inspired European 20th century music. Anton Weberns Concerto

for nine instruments is a fantastic example of his application of 12-tone technique and symmetry

within his music. His concerto is composed of 3 movements. Analysis and studies of the second

movement will be shown later on. The first 11-bar passage of the second movement will be

analyzed for patterns and symmetry in Weberns music as well as an overarching connection

throughout the passage. This will be done through intervallic analysis of the music and looking

for intervallic connections throughout the melody, accompaniment, and overall harmony with

connections through transposition and inversion. This will then show the link between different

pitch classes and how it shows phrasing and the end cadence. Anton Webern creates symmetry

throughout the melody, accompaniment, and harmony through the usage of SC[014] and

SC[0148] throughout and creates many different symmetries in the passage and helps its sound

like its own self-contained musical phrase.

The opening of the movement contains a lyric melody being passed from instrument to

instrument during the first 11-bar phrase of the movement. Through analysis of the 11 bar

melody, its analyzed through intervals and shows that the first three notes of the melody acts as

a motive for the entire phrase. Through analysis of the rest of the phrase, we start to see that

theres a recurring pattern of the same set class (SC[014]) throughout the melody connected
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through different sets of transpositions and inversions as it shows in the anaylsis (A-1). The first

three notes of the motive shows connection to the second three notes through transposition (T8)

The next is a connection with the three notes in bar 4-5 tp bar 6-7 which is also connected

through transposition (T3) The following connection (bar 6-7 and 8-10) which is through, this

time, inversion (I2) we see as the melody progresses that it becomes more and more elongated to

the point in which the melody spans 3 bars. Through further analysis, we see that all of the

different trichords are all connected through the same set class and that an inversion links the last

trichord to the first trichords through I3. This then leads to believe that perhaps therein lies the

same connection not only in the melody but also in the accompaniment.

As we begin to analyze the accompaniment, we begin by analyzing each dyad by intervals.

Through simple visual inspection, we see that the accompaniment is grouped through tetrachords

and that they are all grouped either as a dyad separated by Pitch Interval 4 or Pitch Interval 7.

Each group of tetrachords are in three groups of 2 tetrachords. Each group of 2 tetrachords are

inverted to each other and the same pattern occurs for the next 2 sets of 2 tetrachords. Each set is

then connected by translation through each set of 2 tetrachords as shown in the analysis (A-2).

As we analyze deeper, we can see that through interval analysis, that all share the same Set Class

(SC[0148]) and theyre all related by Transposition or inversion (A-2). The first tetrachord (bar

1-2) and the second tetrachord (bar 3-4) are connected by inversion (I7), and the second

tetrachord is connected to the third tetrachord (bar 5) by transposition (T11), the next two

tetrachords (bar 5 and bar 6-7) are connected by I5, the next two sets of tetrachords (bar 6-7 and

bar 8) are connected by T3, and finally the last two tetrachords in the accompaniment are

connected by I11. We then see that a similar pattern is occurring in the accompaniment. Finally,
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we see the same occurrences happening with tetrachords between the melody and the

accompaniment.

As the passage begins to be viewed as a whole, analysis show that the 11-bar passage is

actually divided into three separate sets that is followed by 3 dyads that conclude the phrase. The

first set, or the beginning starts at bar 1 up until beat 1 of bar 4, the following set, or the middle

starts at the second beat of bar 4 up until the first beat of bar 7, and finally the last set, or the end

starts at the second beat of bar 7 and goes up until the first beat of bar 10. A more detailed

analysis of this is shown in the analysis (C-1). Upon closer inspection of the relation of the

melody and the accompaniment in each set, it becomes evident that (as per usual in Weberns

methods) the separate sections were planned to be 3 separate sets. These sets are connected

through the fact that each section completes after going through the cycle of 12-tones and that

each section is connected through transposition (set 1 and set 2:T11 and Set 2 and Set 3:T3) as

shown through the analysis (C-1). Finally, the final 3 chords concluding the whole passage are

also very connected as per Weberns thoroughness and concision. All three dyads are connected

by transposition of T8 to which allows for listeners ears to hear the three dyads as some sort of

final cadence (C-2). Through these series of analyses, Weberns compositional techniques

become incredibly evident through the multitude of connections that can be found even with just

the first 11 bars of the second movement of this concerto.

Through analysis of the piece we find many different patterns that connect the piece into

one group that sounds like a self-contained musical phrase which shows the amazing concision

and attention to detail that Webern has in all of his compositions. By analyzing the passage as

intervals, we are shown that a lot of these connections are in fact consistent throughout the 11-

bar phrase that was analyzed. Weberns Concerto uses SC[014] and SC[0148] throughout the
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passage in order to create symmetry throughout the passage. There are many obvious analytical

symmetry within the passage such as in the melody and in the harmony of the movement but

there are also connections of this set class that can be found throughout that combines notes in

the melody as well as notes in the accompaniment. The same set class are used similarly in many

different trichords and tetrachords connected through transposition and inversion. Through

Weberns thorough writing and his innovation in concision and symmetry, we can see that there

are three separate units in which he uses all 12 tones before moving on to the next unit clearly

demarcating a beginning, a middle, and an end. He then concludes the passages with 3 major 7th

dyads that is all connected by transposition that makes the passage sound like a complete

cadence at the end of the passage. Through this, we are shown Weberns thoroughness and his

skill in manipulating the 12-tone technique in various different iterations that helped shape the

future of 20th century serial music.

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Works Cited:

Strauss, Joseph N. Introduction to Post-Tonal Theory. New York: W.W. Norton & Company,

2016
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Discography

"Anton Webern - Concerto for nine instruments, Op. 24." YouTube. October 01, 2016. Accessed

February 05, 2017. https://youtu.be/pVQambrIKNo?t=2m30s.