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Which play inspired Arnold Schoenbergâs symphonic poem Pelleas und Melisande?
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Arnold Schoenberg
Austrian-American composer Arnold Schoenberg was one of the most influential teachers of music composition of the 20th century. He also was known for his creation of new methods of musical composition involving atonality, namely serialism and the 12-tone row.
Arnold Schoenbergâs symphonic poem Pelleas und Melisande (1902â03) was inspired by the play of the same name written by the Belgian author Maurice Maeterlinck.12
First published in 1892, Maeterlinckâs PellĂ©as et MĂ©lisande is a masterpiece of French Symbolist drama. The play is a dreamlike fairy tale set in a medieval, imaginary land, focusing on the tragic love between the title characters. Schoenberg composed his symphonic poem for a large orchestra based on this work with the encouragement of Richard Strauss.12