The role of rhythm in the construction and articulation of form in the late works of Alban Berg

Abstract

This thesis examines rhythmic construction in the works composed by Alban Berg between the years 1923 and 1935. It begins by discussing the type of rhythmic and motivic development which was an intrinsic part of the technique of composition as taught by Arnold Schonberg. The principal focus is on those rhythmic developments which are peculiar to Berg, and in particular the manner in which rhythm became for Berg a force which could work independently of the other parameters of musical organisation. Points in the compositions of Berg where the rhythm becomes the primary constructive force are examined in detail.