Alban Berg: Master of the Smallest Link

Book info: Alban Berg: Master of the Smallest Link (Paperback, 176 pages) – Cambridge University Press, 1994. Language: English.

Adorno's study of Austrian composer Alban Berg (1885-1935) is a sui generis document. In addition to Adorno's personal account of of the life and musical works of his mentor, friend, and composition teacher, the book explores the historical and cultural significance of Berg's music, its relationship to that of other nineteenth- and twentieth-century composers, and to the larger issues of contemporary life. Editorial Reviews Review "...anyone with more than a passing interest in Berg must read it." American Record Guide

"Theodor Adorno's study of his teacher Alban Berg is a remarkable document; a personal memoir and a study of the composer's works, it is also something more; a revelation of Adorno's belief that modern philosophy ought to be modelled on modern music. Adorno's Berg, one of his most provocative books, has been beautifully translated and edited by Juliane Brand and Christopher Hailey....Adorno's Berg is a book of great importance. For it is in this book that we can understand how Adorno became, as it were, greater than himself." Richard Sennett, Times Literary Supplement

"This is a major addition to the Berg bibliography." Choice