Pierrot Lunaire

work by Schoenberg

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July 1, 2026

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Pierrot Lunaire is a seminal work by Arnold Schoenberg, composed in 1912. It is notable for its use of Sprechstimme, a vocal technique that blends speaking and singing, where the singer follows melodic contours indicated in the score but delivers the text in a speech-like manner. This technique was pioneered by Schoenberg and is a hallmark of his Expressionist period.12

The work is also associated with atonality, a style of composition that avoids a key or tonal center, using all 12 tones of the chromatic scale impartially. Pierrot Lunaire is considered a prime example of atonal music, reflecting the broader trend in early 20th-century music to move away from traditional functional harmony. The piece is based on 21 poems by Albert Giraud, translated into German, and is structured in three sections of seven poems each.32

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harmony
Polytonality
…work as the chamber cantata Pierrot Lunaire (1912), tonality has been put aside. In this work it is no longer possible to discuss consonance and dissonance, for these concepts relate to the structure of a composition according to the harmonic principles of tonality.
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…work as the chamber cantata Pierrot Lunaire (1912), tonality has been put aside. In this work it is no longer possible to discuss consonance and dissonance, for these concepts relate to the structure of a composition according to the harmonic principles of tonality.
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chamber music
The 20th century
…quasi-reciting voice and five instruments, Pierrot Lunaire, marked an intermediate stage; and four later works, including the third string quartet, saw the full development of the 12-tone style. In a fourth quartet and a few smaller works the system was carried to completion.
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…quasi-reciting voice and five instruments, Pierrot Lunaire, marked an intermediate stage; and four later works, including the third string quartet, saw the full development of the 12-tone style. In a fourth quartet and a few smaller works the system was carried to completion.
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musical performance
The 20th century and beyond
…the German composer Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire (1912) and the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky’s Histoire du soldat (1918; The Soldier’s Tale). These are chamber works, but their instrumental makeup is a unique mixture of instruments that do not necessarily blend and that seem further to repudiate the orchestra as a…
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…the German composer Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire (1912) and the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky’s Histoire du soldat (1918; The Soldier’s Tale). These are chamber works, but their instrumental makeup is a unique mixture of instruments that do not necessarily blend and that seem further to repudiate the orchestra as a…
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Sprechstimme
…first used it in his Pierrot Lunaire (1912). It had been used earlier, however, in the melodrama Königskinder (1897; Children of the King), by Engelbert Humperdinck.
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…first used it in his Pierrot Lunaire (1912). It had been used earlier, however, in the melodrama Königskinder (1897; Children of the King), by Engelbert Humperdinck.
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Glen Tetley
…and set to the atonal song cycle of the same name by the experimental composer Arnold Schoenberg. Its success gained Tetley a position as guest artist with the Netherlands Dance Theatre in The Hague. He staged several innovative works with the Dutch company, including The Anatomy Lesson (1964), which was…
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…and set to the atonal song cycle of the same name by the experimental composer Arnold Schoenberg. Its success gained Tetley a position as guest artist with the Netherlands Dance Theatre in The Hague. He staged several innovative works with the Dutch company, including The Anatomy Lesson (1964), which was…
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