Contradictory and paradoxical, Schoenberg was responsible for explosively radical innovations in composition - including atonality and the twelve-tone method - that changed the face of music in the twentieth century. This volume explores Schoenberg's life, work and world, offering contributions from internationally recognized musicologists, music theorists, cultural historians, literary scholars and more. Chapters examine the different places where Schoenberg lived, his various approaches to composition, the people and institutions that shaped his life and work, and the big issues and ideas that informed his worldview, including religion, gender, technology and politics. This book is essential for students and educators but also accessible to a general audience interested in the intersections of music, modernity, society and culture, offering a variety of fresh, multi-disciplinary perspectives on Schoenberg and his richly variegated world.

• Examines the rich historical context surrounding Schoenberg from a variety of disciplinary perspectives
• Reflects upon Schoenberg's impact and legacy and on the ongoing relevance of Schoenberg's music and thought in the twenty-first century
• Presents Schoenberg's life, world and work not as historical artefacts, but as part of the ongoing discourse of modernity