The Celebrated Composer, 1928–34

In this chapter aspects of Berg’s life during his last eight years are recounted. Berg’s childhood friend Hermann Watznauer proposed a biography of Berg, in which project the composer concurred. Berg was offered an academic appointment at the Berlin Musikhochschule, but he preferred to stay in Vienna, hoping for a position at the Vienna Music Academy, which did not materialize. His complex relations with his family contributed to a slowing of his attention to music. As his mood darkened, he complained of losing his ability to compose, and he attempted to revive his spirits by flirtations with two women, Anny Askenase and Edith Edwards. Berg purchased a summer retreat, the Waldhaus, in 1932. From about this time, with the rise of the Nazis, Berg’s music had few performances in Germany and Austria and he gradually faced a financial crisis. In 1929 he received a lucrative commission from the soprano Ružena Herlinger to compose a concert aria for her use. Berg then composed Der Wein, a setting for voice and orchestra of poetry by Baudelaire. The work was his first to bring in styles from popular dance music such as the tango.