Where music and architecture intertwine a unique story unfolds right here at Anton-von-Webern-Platz. This square is named after the influential Austrian composer Anton Webern. But who was Anton Webern and why does this place bear his name?
Anton Webern was born in Vienna in 1883. He became one of Arnold Schönberg’s first students. Webern was part of the inner circle of the Second Viennese School.
In 1998, the city honored him. It named this area in front of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna after him. Before 1998, this place was simply known as the area in front of the former Veterinary University.
Webern’s journey began far from this square. He grew up in Graz and Klagenfurt. His family had been elevated to the Trentino nobility in 1753. Early on, Webern received piano lessons from his mother. Edwin Komauer later gave him private lessons in music theory. He also learned to play the cello.
From 1902 to 1906, Webern studied musicology at the University of Vienna. He earned his doctorate in 1909. His dissertation focused on Heinrich Isaac’s Choralis Constantinus II.
From 1904 to 1908, Arnold Schönberg taught Webern composition. Webern’s career included stints as Kapellmeister in various cities. He worked in Bad Ischl, Teplitz, Danzig, Stettin and Prague. He often complained about these jobs in his letters.
After World War I, Webern led the Wiener Schubertbund. He also conducted the Vienna Workers’ Symphony Concerts. Additionally, he was a choir master of the Vienna Workers’ Singing Association. In 1927, he became a permanent conductor for Austrian Radio. He also made guest appearances in Switzerland, England, Spain, and Germany.
Webern played a significant role in the International Society for New Music. He was a conductor, juror, and composer. Several of his works premiered at their World Music Days. These included Five Pieces for Orchestra Op. 10 and Concerto for 9 Instruments Op. 24.
His relationship with the Nazi ideology remains controversial among researchers. Despite some agreement with National Socialism, he had no chance in the official music scene after Austria’s annexation in 1938. He was considered a “cultural Bolshevik”. From 1939, he created piano arrangements for the Universal Edition. He increasingly withdrew from public life.
Tragically, on September 15, 1945, a US Army soldier accidentally shot Anton Webern in Mittersill. Webern had stepped outside during a raid to smoke a cigar. His son-in-law was suspected of black market trading.
Webern was buried in Mittersill. His grave is an honorary grave of the municipality. A poem by Hildegard Jones, whom Webern had set to music in 1935, is inscribed on the back of his tombstone.
Webern’s early works were in the late Romantic tradition. Later, he developed an atonal style. This style established his reputation as an expressionist composer. Igor Stravinsky famously said that Webern polished “his diamonds, his glittering diamonds, of whose mines he had such perfect knowledge”.
After World War II, composers of the Darmstadt School adopted Webern’s techniques. Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen expanded these techniques. They developed the compositional methods of serial music.
Anton-von-Webern-Platz stands as a testament to Webern’s enduring legacy. It connects his innovative spirit to the future of music. The square provides a space for students and artists to explore new musical horizons. It encourages them to push boundaries just like Webern did. As you stand here, consider the echoes of Webern’s music. Think about his dedication to his art.