The
Second Viennese School is a term used to refer to the
composers who studied under
Arnold Schoenberg in early
20th century Vienna, as well as Schoenberg himself. Their music is characterised by the use of Schoenberg's
twelve tone technique. The principal members of the school were
Alban Berg,
Anton Webern and Schoenberg, although there are lesser known composers who ought to be covered by the term, such as the
Greek Nikolaos Skalkottas[?].
The first Viennese school, which is rarely referred to as such except in comparison to the Second Viennese School, is generally taken to consist of composers working in the late 18th and early 19th century, particularly Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven.