Webern and the Lyric Impulse

This is a study. through the detailed examination of the Trakl cycle, Op. 14, of the compositional process of one of this century's most rigorously intellectual composers. Professor Shreffler's close examination of the manuscript sources of Webern's middle-period songs enables her to shed light on Webern's musical language and his working methods. In particular, she shows how their passionate lyricism, rather than articulating a substantially different aesthetic from the later works, provides the key to understanding the consummate lyricism of all his music.