Music of the 20 th century

MUSIC OF THE
20TH CENTURY
1st Quarter Music
10

Music of the 20th Century
 The start of the 20th century saw
the rise of distinct musical styles
that reflected a move away from
the conventions of earlier
Western classical music

Music of the 20th Century
The new styles were:
Impressionism
Expressionism
Neo-Classicism
Avant-Grade Music
Modern Nationalism

IMPRESSIONISM
 Based on the art movement started by
19th century Paris-based visual artist,
specifically Claude Monet through his
painting “Impression Sunrise”
 There was an extensive use of different
timbre and effects, vague melodies and
innovative chords.
 Resulting in a non-traditional harmonic
order and resolution.

“Impression Sunrise” by Claude
Monet

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
 One of the most important and
influential 20th century composer.
 He was the primary exponent of the
impressionist movement
 He changed the course of musical
development by evolving traditional
rules and conventions into a new
language of possibilities in harmony,
rhythm, form, texture and color.

 He was born in St. Germain-en-laye,
France
 On August 22, 1862
 His early musical talents were channelled
into piano lessons
 He entered Paris conservatory in 1873
 He added other system of musical
composition
 In 1884, he won the top prize at the Prix

 His musical composition total more or less
227 which include orchestral music,
chamber music, piano music, operas,
ballets, songs and other vocal music
 Debussy highly admired the music of Franz
Liszt, Frederick Chopin, Johann Sebastian
Bach Guiseppe Verdi, and Richard Wagner
 He was fascinated by the Javanese
Gamelan that he heard at the 1889 Paris
Exposition which later used in his works to

 He was named “The Father of the Modern
School of Composition”
 One of his famous composition are: Claire
de Lune, and La Mer
 He spent the remaining years of his life as
a critic, composer, and performer.
 He died of cancer in Paris on March 25,
1918

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
 He was born in Ciboure, France
 Entered the Paris Conservatory at the age of
14
 During his stint with the school where he
stayed until his early 20s, he composed a
number of masterpieces
 His composition style is mainly characterized
by its unique innovative but not atonal style
of harmonic treatment.

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
 Ravel was a perfectionist and every bit a
musical craftsman.
 A strong advocate of Russian music, he
also admired the music of Chopin, Liszt
and Schubert
 Totalling approximately 60 pieces for
piano, chamber music, ballet and operas.
 One of his pieces is the “Bolero”
 Died in Paris in 1937

EXPRESSIONISM
 The term “Expressionism was probably first
applied to music in 1918 especially to Arnold
Schoenberg.
 The emotions of the music are taken to the
extreme, leading to disturbing, unsettling and
sometimes violent.
 Lacking stable and conventional harmonies
 It served as a medium for expressing strong
emotions such as anxiety and rage.

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-
1951)

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-
1951)
 He was born in Vienna, Austria
 He taught himself music theory, he was
influenced by Richard Wagner.
 His works include: Pelleas und Melisande,
Three Pieces of Piano, Verklarte Natch
 He composed approximately 213 musical
compositions including concerti, orchestral
music and other instrumental music.

PRIMITIVISM
 It is a word that describes the
condition or quality that belongs to
something crude and unrefined.
 In its purest form, primitivism
combines two familiar or simple ideas
together creating new sounds.

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
 One of the greatest trendsetter of the 20th
century
 He was born in Oranienbaum (Lomonosov),
Russia
 He was influenced by his teacher, composer
Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov
 His first successful masterpiece, The Firebird
Suite (1910)
 Other outstanding works include the ballets
Petrouchka, featuring shifting rhythms and

Bela Bartok(1881-1945)
 Born in Hungary (now Romania) on
March 25, 1881 to musical parents.
 He started music lessons with his
mother and later entered Budapest
Royal Academy of Music in 1899.
 His first nationalistic poem was
Kossuth in 1903

 In 1906, he published his first
collection of 20 Hungarian folk songs.
 His compositions were successful
because of their rich melodies and
lively rhythms.

Bela Bartok(1881-1945)
 He is famous for his Six String Quartets.
 This represent the greatest achievement
of his creative life, spanning a full 30 years
for their completion.
 Bartok’s approximately 700 musical
composition include concerti, orchestral
music, piano music and songs.

NEO-CLASSICISM
 It was a partial return to a Classical
form of writing music with carefully
modulated dissonances.
 It also adopted a modern, freer use of
the seven-tone diatonic scale.

Sergie Prokofieff (1891-1953)
 Is regarded today as a combination of a
neo-classicist, nationalist and avant-grade
composer.
 His style is uniquely recognizable for its
progressive technique.
 Born in Ukraine in 1891, he set out for the
St. Petersburg Conservatory. Equipped with
his great talent as a composer and pianist.
 His contact with Stravinsky gave him the
chance to write music for the ballet and

Sergie Prokofieff (1891-1953)
 Notably the ballet “Romeo and Juliet” and
“War and Peace”
 He also wrote “Peter and the Wolf” a light-
hearted orchestral work intended for children.
 Prokofieff was highly successful in his piano
music.
 His musical composition include concerti,
chamber music, film scores, operas and
ballets
 He died in Moscow on March 15, 1953

Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (1899 –
1963)

1963)
 One of few composers born into wealth
and privileged social position.
 Member of the group of young French
composers known as “Les Six”
 He rejected the heavy romanticism of
Wagner and the so-called Imprecision of
Debussy and Ravel
 His composition had a coolly elegant
modernity sense of proportion

1963)
 His compositions include “Concert
Champetre”, the “Concerto for Two
Pianos”, which combines the classical
touches of Mozart and Ravel, Concerto for
Solo Piano written for the Boston
Symphony Orchestra.
 His musical composition total around 185
which include solo piano works as well as
vocal solo.
 He died in Paris on January 30, 1963

AVANT-GRADE MUSIC
 Closely associated with electronic music.
 It made use of variations of self- contained
note groups to change musical continuity
and improvisation.
 The absence of traditional rules on
harmony, melody and rhythm.

George Gershwin (1898 –
1937)

1937)
 Born in New York to Russian
Jewish immigrants.
 His older brother Ira was his
artistic collaborator who wrote
the lyrics of his songs.
 His first song was written in 1916
and his first Broadway musical
“La La Lucille” in 1919

He also composed
“Rhapsody in Blue” and “An
American in Paris” which
incorporated jazz rhythms with
classical form.

1937)
 His opera “Porgy and Bess” remains to
this day the only American opera to be
included in the established repertory of
his genre.
 Gershwin was more fascinated with
classical music. He was influenced by
Ravel, Stravinsky, Berg and
Schoenberg.
 Considered the “Father of American
Jazz”

Leonard Bernstein (1918 –
1990)

1990)
 Born in Massachusetts, USA
 Known as charismatic conductor, pianist
and composer
 His big break came when ha was asked
to substitute for the ailing Bruno Walter
in conducting the New York Philharmonic
Orchestra in a concert in 1943.

He received pre eminence in
two fields: conducting and
composing for Broadway
musicals, dance shows and
concert music

1990)
He was best known for his
composition for “West Side
Story” an American adaptation
of “Romeo and Juliet”

Philip Glass (1937 -
 Born in New York, USA
 Became accomplished violinist and
flutist at the age of 15
 He formed the Philip Glass Ensemble
and produced works such as “Music in
Similar Motion” and “Music in Changing
Parts” with rock-type grooves at extreme
volumes

 Produced a four-hour opera
“Einstein on the Beach” an instant
sell-out at the New York
Metropolitan Opera House

MODERN NATIONALISM
 Focused on nationalist composers
and musical innovators who sought to
combine modern techniques with folk
materials.
 In Europe , prominent figures of this
style were Bela Bartok and Sergei
Prokofieff who were neo classicist to
a certain extent.

20TH CENTURY MUSIC
STYLES
Electronic Music
 it is the capacity of electronic machines
such as synthesizers, amplifiers, tape
recorders and loudspeakers to create
different sounds
 Music that uses the tape recorder is called
“ “musique concrete” or concrete music.

These sounds are arranged by the
composer in different ways, for example, by
playing the tape recorder in its fastest mode
or in reverse.
 In “musique concrete”, the composer is
able to experiment with different sound
that cannot be produced by regular
musical instruments such as the piano or
the violin

Edgard Varese (1883 – 1965)
 Born in December 22 , 1883
 He was considered an “innovative French-born
composer”
 Pioneered and created new sound that
bordered between music and noise
 He invented the term “organized sound” which
means that certain timbers and rhythms can
be grouped together in order to capture a
whole new definition of sound.

Edgard Varese (1883 – 1965)
 He earned the title “ Father of
Electronic Music”
 Total of 50 compositions, with his
advances in tape-based sound

Karlheinz StockHausen (1928
- )

Karlheinz StockHausen (1928
- )
Born in Cologne, Germany
He continued to experiment
with Musique concrete

20TH CENTURY MUSIC
STYLES
Chance Music
 refers to a style in which the piece sound
different at very performance because of the
random techniques of production.

John Cage (1912 – 1992)
 Born in Los Angeles, California, USA.
 One of the most original composers in the
history of Western music.
 He challenged the very idea of music by
manipulating musical instruments in order
to achieved new sounds.
 He experimented with what came to be
known as Chance music

John Cage (1912 – 1992)
 Cage created a “prepared” piano
where screws and pieces of wood
or paper were inserted between
the piano strings to produce
different percussion possibilities.

Music of the 20 th century

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