Schoenberg’s Cinematographic Blueprint: A Programmatic Analysis ofBegleitungsmusik zu einer Lichtspielscene(1929–1930)

Abstract

This study examines Arnold Schoenberg’s only published music for film,Begleitungsmusik zu einer Lichtspielscene[Accompaniment to a Film Scene], op. 34 (1929–30). Although not composed for an existing film scene, evidence ofBegleitungsmusik’s cinematic aspirations motivate this analysis, which approaches the composition as a cinematographic blueprint: a design (or program) for a scene that at the same time serves as its soundtrack. To examine this proposition, I collaborated with artist and filmmaker Stephen Sewell to create a film scene based on my analysis of the piece, which expresses the global narrative described in its program using rhythmic, textural, and structural strategies. While presenting analysis as film proves remarkably appropriate to this composition, in fact, analytical visualization can contribute to various interpretive approaches, allowing listeners to connect an analytical reading in real time to their experience.