Violin Concerto

Album: Violin Concerto - Chamber Concerto (1935)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This moving and consoling work is probably Austrian composer Alban Berg's best known and most frequently performed piece. The concerto was composed in response to the tragic death from polio of Manon Gropiys, the 18-year-old daughter of the composer's friends Alma Mahler (once Gustav Mahler's wife) and the architect Walter Gropius. Berg famously dedicated it "to the memory of an angel."
  • Berg worked on the concerto very quickly, completing it within a few months. The score is dated August 11, 1935 and it was the last work that Berg completed as the 50-year-old composer died a few months later on December 24, 1935 of blood poisoning caused by an insect bite. The concerto was posthumously premiered on April 19, 1936, in Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chris Tomlin

Chris TomlinSongwriter Interviews

The king of Christian worship music explains talks about writing songs for troubled times.

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About Transgenderism

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About TransgenderismSong Writing

A history of songs dealing with transgender issues, featuring Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Morrissey and Green Day.

Phone Booth Songs

Phone Booth SongsSong Writing

Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.

Ramones

RamonesFact or Fiction

A band so baffling, even their names were contrived. Check your score in the Ramones version of Fact or Fiction.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

Bryan Adams

Bryan AdamsSongwriter Interviews

What's the deal with "Summer of '69"? Bryan explains what the song is really about, and shares more of his songwriting insights.