Vienna in 1900
Vienna in the 1900's was a place alive with new ideas, music, and innovative art.
By Daniella Garran
Fin-de-siècle, end of the century, Vienna was a fascinating place; it was a hotbed of culture and saw the flourishing of art, music, architecture and theater. The society and its values were informed by the cutting edge work of Sigmund Freud, the work of the Secessionist artists and the innovative music of composers choosing to make a break from the past. The subject matter and the fashion in which it was addressed during this era were not only novel and shocking, but also somewhat diverse. Fin-de-siècle Vienna, in sum, hastened the birth of modernism in Europe.
With your students, you can create a timeline of Viennese history beginning with the Congress of Vienna in 1815 and ending with the end of World War II. Be sure to include significant political, economic and cultural events along the timeline. Display the timeline in your classroom so that students can refer to it as you study Fin-de-siècle Vienna.
Hold a Fin-de-siècle Viennese Festival in which the visual and performing arts of the era are featured. Assign students different artists (Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka), musicians (Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler, Arnold Schoenberg), architects (Otto Wagner, Adolf Loos) and other notable individuals such as Sigmund Freud to portray. Feature the art and music of the era and consider having traditional Viennese food as well.
Play the music of Viennese composers Schoenberg, Mahler and Brahms and ask students to paint a scene of Fin-de-siècle Viennese daily life in the style of the Viennese expressionists that is inspired by the music they are listening to. Display the paintings with corresponding artists’ statements.
Vienna in 1900:
This lesson explores the premier of Beethoven’s "Ninth Symphony" and the issues surrounding it. This offers an opportunity to study artist Gustav Klimt’s "Beethoven Frieze" completed in 1902 for Vienna’s Secession Building. Students learn about Vienna’s turn-of-the-century culture and the issues that resonated with visual and performing artists.
For those seeking to connect with the sciences, this lesson offers an opportunity for students to learn about the work and theories of Sigmund Freud. Students test some of Freud’s theories from "The Interpretation of Dreams" by trying to include a specific stimulus in the dream of a sleeping family member. Although this lesson may be a bit unconventional, it exposes students to the work of Freud which was so significant in early twentieth century Vienna.
Students learn about the music of Arnold Schoenberg and how it was a direct reflection of turn-of-the-century Vienna. The lesson also engages students in an exploration of how Schoenberg's music was received in Viennese society.