German Classical Music

Schönberg is the famous inventor of the 12 tone series or dodecaphony, a feat with he achieved despite being a self-taught musician. His Harmony Theory is still being studied, thanks to its understanding of the deepest of senses of musical structures. Schoenberg's compositions are usually dramatic in a romantic kind of way, breaching boundaries of melodic tune and pitch, creating a modern sound with his rhythms and unusual orchestration.

Among his most outstanding works are his brilliant Five Pieces for Orchestra, op.16 (1909); The Book of the Hanging Gardens (1907); and his masterpiece Moses und Aron, which, like his early work Friede auf Erden ("Peace on Earth") is based on the idea that music should be a vehicle through which to express philosophy.