second Viennese school
The collective term for Arnold Schoenberg and his students Alban Berg and Anton Webern, who developed atonality and the twelve-tone technique in early 20th-century Vienna.
In Depth
Webern's entire published output lasts about three hours in total — yet these incredibly concentrated miniatures influenced virtually every major composer of the second half of the 20th century.
Related Terms
More in Theory
Browse allA sharp, flat, or natural sign that alters a note from the prevailing key signature.
Symbols placed before notes to raise or lower their pitch by a semitone or return them to their natural state
Relating to sound or the properties of sound, especially music produced without electronic amplification.
The natural minor scale, with the pattern W-H-W-W-H-W-W, producing the most common minor tonality in Western music.
Music in which some element of the composition is left to chance or to the performer's discretion.
The second-highest voice type, or an instrument pitched between soprano and tenor.
The measure of a sound wave's intensity, perceived as loudness or volume.
One or more notes before the first full bar of a piece, also called a pickup or upbeat.