Composers and War

Composers work on music during wartime. Some composers were soldiers, some civilians living in the midst of the battle. Some spent time in war camps as POWs. It is an understatement to say the experience affected their music.

Anton Webern was shot and killed by an American soldier during World War II. The story I heard about it was that he stood out on a porch balcony to light up a cigarette in the dark of night. The soldier saw the flame of the match and shot him apparently reasoning it was danger of some kind.

Here is Mazen Kerbaj improvising on his trumpet along with the sound of bombs exploding near his Beirut apartment on July 15 and 16, 2006. The piece is called "Starry Night."