Arnold Schönberg Popular Songs Ranking [2026]

Piano Piece, Op. 33aArnold Schönberg8rank/position

Schoenberg: Piano Piece, Op. 33a – Miyuki Maruyama (piano)

Arnold Schoenberg is one of the defining composers of the 20th century.

He is known as a pioneer of atonal music and the founder of the twelve-tone technique.

Piano Piece Op.

33a is a solo piano work he composed late in his career.

Written in 1928, the piece is highly regarded as a masterpiece that distills his innovative musical language.

It may sound challenging at first, but the unique sonorities generated by the twelve-tone method will transport the listener to another dimension.

Expanding the possibilities of piano music, this piece is a must-hear for anyone interested in contemporary music.

Piano Piece, Op. 33bArnold Schönberg9rank/position

Schoenberg Piano Piece (Klavierstück) Op. 33b Classical Background Music for Work

Arnold Schoenberg continued to explore the twelve-tone technique throughout his life.

Using this method to full effect, he composed Piano Piece Op.

33b in just three days in 1931, a work known as his final piece for solo piano.

The piece vividly reflects Schoenberg’s commitment to pursuing a unique musical language while weaving innovative ideas into traditional musical forms.

By employing the tone row in various forms—such as retrograde and inversion—he generates a wealth of sonic combinations; it also features hallmarks of Schoenberg’s style, such as the second theme appearing before the first in the recapitulation.

This is a highly recommended work for pianists eager to take on challenging contemporary music.

Piano Suite, Op. 25Arnold Schönberg10rank/position

Schönberg: Piano Suite, Gould (1965) — Schoenberg Piano Suite, Gould

Would you like to experience Schoenberg’s innovative musical style through his Piano Suite, Op.

25? Known as the founder of the twelve-tone technique, he composed this suite between 1921 and 1923.

Each of its six movements reveals a distinct character while fully exploring the possibilities of a tone row.

For example, in the Trio of the Minuet, he employs a technique known as “mirror canon,” successfully drawing new expression from a single row.

This piece allows you to fully savor Schoenberg’s creativity.

Even for those unfamiliar with contemporary music, it offers a rare opportunity to encounter his uniquely original musical vision.

Pierrot LunaireArnold Schönberg11rank/position

Complete performance: Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire

Also known in Japanese as “Tsuki ni Tsukareta Pierrot” (Pierrot Lunaire), this work was originally a French poetry collection published by a Belgian poet, and the musical piece is based on its German translation.

Among the several composers who set these poems to music, the most famous version is by the Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg.

Schoenberg is known for founding the twelve-tone technique, which broke away from traditional tonal music, and after emigrating to the United States he taught, among others, the famed John Cage—an influence that profoundly shaped contemporary music.

The Pierrot Lunaire introduced here predates Schoenberg’s establishment of the twelve-tone method; it is written in an atonal style that abandons tonality, making it not only a masterpiece of contemporary music but also one of the most important works in 20th-century music history.

It departs radically from conventional chamber music with a succession of striking dissonances, and intertwines songs that fall somewhere between singing and poetic recitation, creating a complex and uncanny world.

There are no beautiful melodies to be found, and it is by no means comfortable listening, but as a musical experience unlike any other, I encourage you to give it a try—Japanese translations of the texts in hand.

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Three Songs for Voice and Piano, Op. 48Arnold Schönberg12rank/position

Arnold Schoenberg – Three Songs for Voice and Piano, Op. 48 (1933) [Score-Video]

Arnold Schoenberg, an Austrian composer, is known as the founder of the twelve-tone technique and had a profound impact on 20th-century music.

Born into a Jewish family and largely self-taught, he published a series of experimental works without tonal centers.

Three Songs for Voice and Piano, Op.

48, composed in 1933 just before his exile to America, is a song cycle that expresses deep emotions in music—end-of-summer weariness, the stillness of death, and a young girl’s bright hope.

Although it may seem daunting at first glance, Schoenberg’s innovative music is a must-listen not only for fans of contemporary music but also for those who have yet to explore his works.