Discordant Melody: Alexander Zemlinsky, His Songs, and the Second Viennese School

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Reveals the significance of the songs of rediscovered composer Alexander Zemlinsky and presents an analysis of them in a cultural, historical, and musicological context. Esteemed by many of his most distinguished contemporaries, including Igor Stravinsky, as one of the greatest composers of his age, Alexander Zemlinsky (1871-1942) was a protege of Brahms and Mahler. Despite this, he was overshadowed by the composers of the second Viennese school, and for many years after his death was remembered merely as the brother-in-law of Arnold Schoenberg. But with centenary celebrations of Zemlinsky's birth, scholars began a careful examination of his works and realized they had discovered a forgotten master. Zemlinsky's wonderful melodic gift was manifested in operas, choral works, chamber music, and symphonic pieces, but was realized most fully in his more than one hundred songs. In this important new study--the first such work in English--Lorraine Gorrell focuses on these songs, revealing the ways in which they represented a bridge between the 19th-century romantic lied and the 20th-century avant-garde. Of interest to scholars studying both the German art song and the development of the second Viennese school, Gorrell's work uses Zemlinsky's songs as a lens through which to examine an important, highly influential musical figure.

Reviews

"Discordant Melody by Lorraine Gorrell is a primer on Zemlinsky, from both the perspective of his songs, and his association with and influence on the composers comprising what has become known as the Second Viennese School....[a] captivating account of Zemlinsky's life and career, his ties to schoenberg and his associates, and his place in music history. It will undoubtedly whet the reader's curiosity to explore the songs of this unsung composer."-Journal of Singing
Discordant Melody by Lorraine Gorrell is a primer on Zemlinsky, from both the perspective of his songs, and his association with and influence on the composers comprising what has become known as the Second Viennese School....[a] captivating account of Zemlinsky's life and career, his ties to schoenberg and his associates, and his place in music history. It will undoubtedly whet the reader's curiosity to explore the songs of this unsung composer.-Journal of Singing
Gorell is here at her literary finest in detailing Viennese life and personal relationships among composers vital to the development of modern music. Her thoroughly researched and vividly portrayed account of the devastating effect of the Nazi regime on Austrian musical life in general, and on Jewish musicians in particular is powerful....Highly recommended. Music students, scholars, and performers interested in compositional trends; upper-division undergraduates and above.-Choice
"Gorell is here at her literary finest in detailing Viennese life and personal relationships among composers vital to the development of modern music. Her thoroughly researched and vividly portrayed account of the devastating effect of the Nazi regime on Austrian musical life in general, and on Jewish musicians in particular is powerful....Highly recommended. Music students, scholars, and performers interested in compositional trends; upper-division undergraduates and above."-Choice

Author Bio

LORRAINE GORRELL is Professor of Music and an artist and performer at Winthrop University in South Carolina. Educated at Hood College and Yale University, she has contributed to such journals as The Music Review and Music and Musicians, and is the author of The Nineteenth-Century German Lied.