World-Wide Webern

Commemorating the Annual Anniversary of Anton Webern's Death on September 15th

Anton Webern, Foto: Ludwig Zenk

Anton Webern © 1940 by Ludwig Zenk
Original photo, property of Karlheinz Essl

About

On 15 September 1945, the Austrian composer Anton Webernwas accidentally shot dead by an American GI in Mittersill, Salzburg, where he had escaped the Russian invasion.

In order to commemorate the annual anniversary of Webern's tragic death, people around the world are invited to take part in a global performance of my sound installation WebernUhrWerk (translated: Webern's Clockwork). Every quarter of an hour, a short musical phrase with Carillon sounds will be heard which is based on Webern's last but unfinished composition.

Everybody is cordially invited to join in! For up-to-date information about this project please visit my Facebook event page.

Software

To participate, download the free music software for macOS or Windows onto your computer. On 15 September, start the software and play the computer-generated carillon music in your environment. You can either place a loudspeaker in an open window to fill the air or run it through a PA system in a public location. Alternatively, you can just use the speakers on your home or office computer. Please share this information so that it can spread around the globe!

User interface of WebernUhrWerk 5.1
© 2005-2024 by Karlheinz Essl

Recording

For those having trouble running the software, I have made a recording that can be used on any computer or mobile device. Simply start it at the beginning of an hour and leave it running. Once it has finished, you can repeat the piece as many times as you like. Please note that the piece consists mostly of silence! You will hear a short carillon phrase every 15 minutes, just like a church bell. If you wish, you can also download the file and install it on your mobile phone, tablet or audio player. Or use this player here:

5 hour recording of WebernUhrWerk
© 2015 by Karlheinz Essl

Finally, here's a little teaser created with my WebernUhrWerk software:

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Updated: 12 Sep 2025