All original works of composer Arnold Schoenberg, who escaped Nazi Germany, destroyed in Los Angeles wildfires

The Los Angeles wildfires have claimed a victim in the world of music. But instead of a person, it’s their legacy. The original manuscripts and scores from legendary Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg were lost in the fires, the publisher of the composer’s work has confirmed. (Also read: Netflix, Universal donate $10 million each to LA wildfire relief, SAG pledges $1 million for actors affected by disaster)

Arnold Schoenberg’s work lost in Los Angeles wildfires

AP reported that Belmont Music Publishers, located in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, made the announcement Sunday. “We have lost our full inventory of sales and rental materials,” the company said in a statement. “We hope that in the near future we will be able to ‘rise from the ashes’ in a completely digital form. … There are some scores and performing materials for which we have digital scans.”

Who was Arnold Schoenberg?

Born in Austria, Schoenberg moved to the U.S. when the Nazis took power and settled in Los Angeles, where he died in 1951. A composer, music theorist, teacher and writer, he is considered among the first modernists in classical music and is credited for transforming the practice of harmony in 20th-century classical music.

Schoenberg gained attention for a 12-tone technique of composition and along with his students, including Alban Berg and Anton Webern, became known as the Second Viennese School. His most-known works are Ewartung, Gurre-Lieder, Verklärte Nacht and Pierrot Lunaire. Some of his works were political in nature, particularly during and after World War II. he satirized fascist tyrants in Ode to Napoleon, and later memorialised Holocaust victims in A Survivor from Warsaw.

About the LA wildfires

The LA wildfires have destroyed thousands of homes, and 24 people have died as a result of the fires. More are reported missing, and officials expect that number to increase.

(With AP inputs)