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Schoenberg and the Film City: A Look From the Mid-2020s



Author(s)

Alexander Rosenblatt

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DOI:10.17265/2328-2177/2025.07.003

Zefat Academic College, Zefat, Israel

The article explores the pivotal moments, significant encounters, and lasting influences in the life of Austrian modernist composer Arnold Schoenberg, who spent his final 17 years in Los Angeles after fleeing Hitler’s Europe with his family in 1933. As the United States’ film capital and a city featured by the technological advancements of sound in cinema at that period, Los Angeles attracted numerous musicians, including émigrés like Schoenberg. However, it also set limits on their professional aspirations. The article delves into Schoenberg’s legacy in the city and the efforts to preserve his memory within this cultural landscape. Through uncovering little-known, forgotten, or newly discovered facts about Schoenberg’s life, it reconstructs the vibrant cultural scene of early 20th-century Vienna and, more importantly, Los Angeles during the 1930s. The article also highlights the pedagogical aspect of Schoenberg’s activities, offering a holistic view of his multifaceted personality as a composer, artist, and teacher.

Schoenberg, Kandinsky, Alma Mahler, Los Angeles, Gershwin, Hollywood, Arnold Schoenberg Institute