Music of the 20th Century: Impressions, Movements, and Electronic Innovations

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, composers, and works from the 20th-century music notes.

Impressionism (Music)

A French movement in the late 19th/early 20th century characterized by coloristic timbre, vague melodies, innovative chords, and a lack of strict tonic–dominant finality, often using whole-tone scales to create mood and texture.

Claude Debussy

French composer (1862–1918), considered the father of the modern school of composition and the leading exponent of musical impressionism.

Pelléas et Mélisande

Debussy’s opera (1895) noted for its innovative harmonies and textural treatment.

La Mer

Debussy’s imaginative orchestral work (1905) that paints the sea with atmospheric, coloristic orchestration.

Clair de lune

The third and most famous movement of Debussy’s Suite bergamasque; a lyrical piano piece meaning 'Moonlight'.

Suite bergamasque

Debussy’s piano suite (late 19th century) that includes Clair de lune and other impressionistic pieces.

Première Arabesque

Debussy’s first Arabesque, an early example of his delicate, coloristic piano writing.

String Quartet (Debussy)

Debussy’s impressionist string quartet exploring color and texture over traditional sonata form.

Pavane for a Dead Princess (Pavane pour une infante défunte)

A slow, lyrical orchestral piece by Ravel often described as a reverent, ceremonial pavane.

Maurice Ravel

French composer (1875–1937) known for colorful orchestration and works such as Pavane, Boléro, and Daphnis et Chloé; key figure in early 20th-century music.

Boléro

Ravel’s famous one-movement orchestral piece built on a repeating rhythmic ostinato with evolving timbre.

Igor Stravinsky

Russian-born composer (1882–1971) whose career spans The Firebird, Petrushka, The Rite of Spring, and diverse stylistic phases.

The Firebird Suite

Stravinsky’s 1910 ballet score noted for its imaginative orchestration and rhythmic vitality; a breakthrough in his early style.

Petrushka

Stravinsky’s 1911 ballet famed for its rhythmic innovation and polytonality.

The Nightingale

Stravinsky’s 1914 piece inspired by the tale of a magical bird; part of his early Russian period.

Three Tales for Children

Stravinsky’s 1917 work for young audiences, demonstrating his inventive language.

Duo Concertant

Stravinsky’s 1932 work for violin and piano, blending traditional and modern approaches.

The Rake’s Progress

Stravinsky’s 1957 full-length opera, a satirical take with a modern musical language.

Béla Bartók

Hungarian composer (1881–1945) known for collecting folk music, rhythmic complexity, and influential string quartets and orchestral works.

Duke Bluebeard’s Castle

Bartók’s opera (1918) for voice and orchestra, a dark psychological drama.

The Miraculous Mandarin

Bartók’s ballet depicting a stark, modern narrative with intense musical language.

Three Piano Concertos

Bartók’s set of concertos for piano, noted for rhythmic vitality and rhythmic/harmonic innovation.

Six String Quartets

Bartók’s six quartets celebrated for structural innovation and technical challenge.

Concerto for Orchestra

Bartók’s renowned orchestral work that showcases different sections of the orchestra.

Sergei Prokofiev

Russian composer (1891–1953) whose work ranges from avant-garde to neoclassical; known for clear textures and direct musical language.

Neo-classicism

A 20th-century movement moderating Romantic excess and Expressionism, favoring clear forms and often diatonic harmony; exemplified by Prokofiev’s style.

Avant-garde

A term for experimental, cutting-edge music often challenging traditional rules, sometimes overlapping with early electronic practices.

Electronic Music

Music produced with electronic equipment (synthesizers, tape, electronics) and explored by composers like Varèse, Stockhausen, and Davidovsky.

Chance Music

A style in which performances vary due to randomness or chance procedures, making each performance unique.

Edgar Varèse

French-born composer and pioneer of electronic and avant-garde music, exploring new sounds and technologies.

Karlheinz Stockhausen

German composer central to development of electronic and serial music in the 20th century.

Mario Davidovsky

Argentine-born American composer known for electronic works (e.g., Synchronisms) blending electronic and acoustic forces.

Leonard Bernstein

American conductor-composer known for West Side Story, Candide, and Mass; influential in mid-20th-century music theater and concert music.

West Side Story

Bernstein’s iconic 1957 Broadway musical blending jazz, Broadway, and classical traditions.

Candide

Bernstein’s 1956 musical satire based on Voltaire’s novella.

Mass (Bernstein)

Bernstein’s large-scale choral-orchestral work representing a notable late-20th-century sacred-themed composition.

George Gershwin

American composer who fused popular, jazz, and classical forms, creating works like Rhapsody in Blue and folk-infused operas.