A lban B erg ’ s P iano S onata , O p . 1

Eventually published in 1926, the Piano Sonata, Op. 1, was completed in 1908, the year after Berg terminated his formal studies with Arnold Schoenberg, and first performed in Vienna in 1911. Berg's decision to assign the first opus number in his compositional canon to this piece was highly significant, since it clearly indicated the status that he accorded to such extraordinary music. The Sonata is one of the most expressive instrumental compositions of the early twentieth century – comparable, for example, to works by Debussy such as L’isle joyeuse (1904) and Bartók's Sonata for piano (1926). The present article situates the work in its contemporary context, illuminating points of theoretical significance as they relate to the composer's ongoing creative development and distinctive musical language

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