1. Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) (1899): This chamber work, for string sextet, is based on a poem by Richard Dehmel. It is an early work of Schoenberg, written before his move to twelve-tone composition, which marked the beginning of atonality in Western classical music. The piece reflects a late-Romantic style with lush harmonies, complex textures, and dramatic emotional expressiveness.
2. Pierrot Lunaire (1912): A set of 21 melodramas for voice with instrumental ensemble. Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire is considered a landmark composition of the 20th century. Instead of a traditional orchestra, the ensemble consists of a small chamber group of flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, violin, viola, cello, and piano. The work features Sprechstimme (speech-song), a technique in which the singer alternates between speaking and singing, emphasizing the text's declamatory nature. Pierrot Lunaire is renowned for its innovative use of atonality, instrumental color, and its evocative portrayal of the poetry.