- Thu Oct 17, 2024 9:18 am
#109964
Hi jschmanski,
The biggest problem with Answer A is that the tone is completely wrong. The author's tone toward Schoenberg is very positive. It's really important in this passage to distinguish the tone of the critics (who disliked Schoenberg) from the author (who defends Schoenberg). (By "critics," I don't necessarily mean professional music critics, I just mean listeners who didn't like Schoenberg's music.)
A few of the key clues to the author's positive view of Schoenberg are when the author describes Schoenberg's "awe-inspiring level of technical mastery" (line 42) and describes Schoenberg's music as "essential" (line 51). On a broader scale, the entire discussion of how Beethoven was a musical innovator who wasn't always understood/appreciated during his time is to argue that Schoenberg was also a musical innovator who wasn't always understood/appreciated during his time but is beginning to be appreciated more. In other words, the very comparison of Schoenberg to Beethoven is meant to be positive toward Schoenberg.
This passage follows a common theme in arts passages that focus on an individual artist (writer, musician, dancer, etc.) who was ahead of their time and not given the appreciation that they deserved during their lifetime.
The main point needs to capture this positive tone. It needs to address the fact that Schoenberg deserves appreciation for his musical innovations/achievements. The answer that best expresses this is Answer C, which states that his music is "worthy of admiration."
Answer B also expresses very positive tone toward Schoenberg, but it actually makes a comparison that isn't specifically made in the passage. While the passage compares Schoenberg to Beethoven as both were musical innovators who weren't always understood/appreciated during his time, the passage never claims that Schoenberg deserves to be as highly regarded as Beethoven. (This is an exaggerated wrong answer.)
Answer A, on the other hand, doesn't convey the idea that Schoenberg should be admired for his music at all. Answer A ends on a rather negative note that many still regard Schoenberg's music as shrill and incoherent. While this may be factually true, it misses the entire point that those people are wrong and just don't understand what Schoenberg was doing (according to the author). In other words, the author believes the Schoenberg's critics are mistaken and that Schoenberg will be given more credit in time just as Beethoven was.
