Webern, Anton von, 1883-1945, Austrian composer and conductor; pupil of Arnold Schoenberg. He conducted theater orchestras in Prague and in various German cities until 1918, devoting himself thereafter to composition and teaching. His first composition, a passacaglia for orchestra (1908), which showed the postromantic influence of Mahler, gave no hint of the exclusive use of the twelve-tone technique (see atonality) of Schoenberg that was to characterize the rest of his output. In his relatively few works, mostly for small chamber combinations or for voice, he reduced music to its barest essentials, depriving it of traditional harmonic concepts. He concentrated many fragmented musical events, ordered by intricate contrapuntal, rhythmic, and dynamic patterns, into extremely contracted time spans. For example, the whole of Five Pieces for Orchestra (1911-13) contains only 76 measures. In later works, such as Variations (1940) for orchestra, he strove for total variation, the opposite of traditional developmental technique. His individual style was both poetic and intensely expressive, and his music has become increasingly influential, although it remains outside the popular taste. Webern was accidentally killed by a sentry during the American occupation of Germany.

Wolmar Anton von Schlippenbach, (1658–1739), was Governor General of Swedish Estonia from 1704 to 1706.

Born in Livonia, Schlippenbach participated as a captain in the Swedish army Scanian War under Charles XI and served later as a major in Swedish Pomerania and Prussia. In 1688 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in governor Soop's regiment in Riga; in 1693 he was transferred to young prince Charles's life regiment in Stockholm.

When the Great Northern War broke out after the prince was crowned as Charles XII, Schlippenbach raised a regiment of dragoons in Livonia, of which he became the colonel. When Charles broke winter camp at Dorpat (present-day Tartu) and headed towards Riga in early 1701, Schlippenbach was left behind to defend the Livonian border. He won the battle of Rauge on September 5, 1701 and was subsequently promoted to major general, but was then defeated by a large Russian force under Boris Sheremetev at Erastfer on December 30 the same year and at Sagnitz and Hummelshof on July 19, 1702. In 1703 he had to transfer a good part of his forces to reinforce Lewenhaupt's in Kurland. This left him powerless to prevent Narva and Dorpat from falling into Russian hands in 1704, the same year he was named Governor General in Reval (present-day Tallinn).

When Lewenhaupt marched into Russia in 1708, Schlippenbach followed as colonel of his dragoon regiment. At the battle of Poltava he led the cavalry on the right wing and was captured. He stayed loyal to the Swedish cause for six years, but began serving Russia in 1715, dying in Moscow in 1739.

Source

• Nordisk Familjebok, Owl Edition.

External links

• W.A.v.Schlippenbach's Army of Livland

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