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Alban Maria Johannes Berg was born on February 9, 1885, in Vienna, Austria. He was the third of four children in the affluent family of Conrad Berg and his wife Johanna, née Braun. Initially trained for a career in accounting, Berg's life changed after his father's death in 1900, which led to depression and the onset of asthma. He began composing music and moved with his mother to their estate near Schönbrunn Palace. Berg was inspired by Vienna's vibrant cultural scene, where figures like Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, and the emerging Arnold Schönberg were pushing musical boundaries.
In 1904, Berg became a student of Arnold Schönberg despite having little formal education. Open-minded and free from dogma, Berg embraced the twelve-tone (dodecaphonic) system developed by his teacher. His lessons were free, and he held a special apprentice status, much like Schönberg had under Mahler. Berg's music was publicly performed for the first time in 1907. Under Schönberg’s guidance, he composed five piano sonatas and the 'Seven Early Songs.' Their lessons ended in 1911 when Schönberg’s mentor Mahler died and Schönberg relocated from Vienna to Berlin. Around this time, Berg married Helene Nahowski. In 1913, Berg invited Schönberg to conduct the premiere of his new work, "Altenberger Lieder," but the concert was disrupted by a hostile audience. Though Schönberg, who traveled from Berlin for the event, was somewhat critical of Berg's music, their close relationship endured.
Berg paused composing during his military service in World War I, though his creativity persisted. A 1914 performance of Georg Büchner’s play 'Wozzeck' in Vienna inspired Berg to turn it into an opera. He worked on sketches for several years, completing the opera in 1921. Its three acts premiered in Frankfurt in 1924, conducted by Hermann Scherchen. In 1925, the full opera debuted at the Berlin State Opera under Erich Kleiber. In 1927, Berg traveled to Leningrad for a successful 'Wozzeck' performance by the Leningrad Opera, which was staged multiple times at the Mariinsky Opera House, Russia’s premier company. 'Wozzeck' followed Sergei Prokofiev's 'Love for Three Oranges' in the Mariinsky repertoire, with both composers present. However, Soviet censorship soon banned both operas. In 1930, 'Wozzeck' premiered at the Vienna State Opera to acclaim, and in 1931 it had its American premiere in Philadelphia.
Berg’s second opera, 'Lulu,' faced harsh condemnation from Nazi ideologues following its symphonic premiere at the Berlin State Opera under Erich Kleiber in November 1934. Two months later, Kleiber emigrated. Berg’s works were banned in Germany, and even positive critics faced official denunciation. Berg halted work on 'Lulu' and instead composed the Violin Concerto, dedicated to Alma Mahler’s daughter. He died of blood poisoning caused by an insect bite on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1935. After the 1938 Anschluss, Nazi control extended to Austria, imposing a ban on all music from the 'New Viennese School.
