Composer

:

Anton Webern

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Compose Date

:

1899 - 1903

Average_duration

:

2:30

Anton Webern's "Fromm (3 Gedichte, No. 3)" is a composition for voice and piano, composed in 1909. The piece was premiered in Vienna on March 6, 1910, as part of a concert featuring works by Webern, Alban Berg, and Arnold Schoenberg. The piece is the third and final song in Webern's "3 Gedichte" (3 Poems) cycle, which sets texts by the German poet Richard Dehmel. "Fromm" (Pious) is a short, introspective piece that features a sparse, delicate piano accompaniment and a haunting vocal melody. The text of the poem is a meditation on the nature of piety and the search for spiritual fulfillment. The piece is characterized by Webern's use of atonality and his highly compressed, economical approach to composition. The vocal line is often fragmented and disjunct, with the singer leaping between widely spaced intervals. The piano accompaniment is similarly spare, with brief, angular phrases that provide a subtle counterpoint to the vocal line. Despite its brevity and austerity, "Fromm" is a powerful and deeply affecting work that showcases Webern's mastery of the art of song composition. Its haunting melody and evocative text make it a favorite of many singers and audiences, and it remains a staple of the modern art song repertoire.

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