Universal Edition (UE) was founded in 1901 in Vienna and is one of the most renowned music publishers worldwide. Located in the famous Vienna “Musikverein”, UE is inseparably linked with the great composers and musical developments of the 20th and 21st century. Our catalogue of contemporary classical music encompasses more than 30,000 works and has been licensed for more films than any other publisher of contemporary classical music. The publishing history of UE is a mirror of the musical history of the 20th century. Along with such outstanding classics as Gustav Mahler, Arnold Schönberg, Kurt Weill, Dmitri Shostakovitch, Luciano Berio and Richard Strauss, we also publish contemporary composers like Arvo Pärt, Wolfgang Rihm, Georg Friedrich Haas, Pierre Boulez, Johannes Maria Staud and Friedrich Cerha.
Music on Request
We are happy to help you find the perfect film music for your
current project. Our promotion team can provide you with CDs of music
based on your brief, helping you to easily find the right music for
your film. Contact: film@universaledition.com
or call +43-1-337 23 – 118.
Film Music Newsletter 7'11 – be prepärt
It is the stillness. It is as if time and space stand still at the first three sounds. Thoughts are paused; the flood of emotions is halted; just to avoid missing one of those rare moments in which everything suddenly becomes clear. You are at one with yourself and the world, and are able to focus on what is really important in life. It is the wonder of stillness which makes Arvo Pärt’s music so unique and unmistakable, and fascinates people around the world – in concert halls and cinemas alike.
It all began in 1976 with the little piano piece “Für Alina”, which marked the birth of his tintinnabuli style. “Tintinnabuli” (Latin = little bell) takes its name from the bell-like triad which is a recurring feature in all his tintinnabuli works. Minimalist, archaic and reduced to the bare essentials: Pärt’s music awakens an awareness of long-forgotten yet well-known sounds and affects us in a way that is unlike almost any other music.
For directors, this is the stuff that dreams are made of. The music of the Estonian composer has already been used in over 100 films, from cineaste and auteur films to blockbuster Hollywood box-office hits. Pärt’s hypnotic scores easily overcome all genre boundaries, from melodrama to comedy, from mystery to documentary thriller. As if in silent compliance, his music is frequently allocated to a certain action and almost reverently awarded plenty of space in order to allow its peaceful strength and unending calm to unfold. With this in mind: Be prepärt!