MUSIC

20th Century Period

20th Century Period

The period marked by new musical styles moving away from conventional techniques to improvisations and innovative styles.

Impressionism

A French movement characterized by sublime moods and impressions, focusing on emotional mood rather than specific imagery.

Expressionism

Music style revealing strong emotions like anxiety and rage, emphasizing the composer's mind over the environment.

Electronic Music

Music utilizing electronic machines like synthesizers and tape recorders to create diverse sounds.

Chance Music

Style where each performance sounds different due to random production techniques, incorporating natural elements into the music.

Claude Debussy

Primary exponent of impressionism, known for avoiding metric pulses and using the whole-tone scale in compositions.

Arnold Schoenberg

Composer credited with the twelve-tone system, known for exploring chromatic harmonies and atonal music.

John Cage

Composer experimenting with "chance music," known for creating a "prepared" piano and famous works like Concert for Piano and Orchestra.

Edgard Varèse

Considered the "Father of Electronic Music," challenging traditional music by manipulating instruments to create new sounds and emphasizing timbre and rhythm in compositions.