Grade 10 MAPEH – 20th-Century Music (Lessons 1–6)

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, composers, styles, and landmark works from Grade 10 MAPEH—Music Lessons 1–6 on 20th-century music.

20th-Century Music

Era marked by experimentation, modern sounds, dissonance, new rhythms, and electronic instruments, emphasizing expression over traditional form.

Dissonance

A combination of tones that clash or create tension, widely used to add drama in modern music.

Electronic Sounds

Tones generated or modified by electronic means, a hallmark of many 20th-century compositions.

Impressionism (Music)

Style featuring soft, blurry, dreamy textures that evoke moods or scenes rather than clear structure.

Claude Debussy

French Impressionist composer famed for atmospheric works like “Clair de Lune.”

Clair de Lune

Debussy’s iconic piano piece exemplifying Impressionist tone-painting and delicate sonorities.

Maurice Ravel

French Impressionist composer celebrated for rich orchestration and works such as “Boléro.”

Boléro

Ravel’s hypnotic orchestral piece that repeats a single theme while gradually increasing intensity.

Expressionism (Music)

Style focused on dark, intense emotions, using heavy dissonance and atonality.

Atonality

Music without a clear key center, creating an unsettled, non-traditional sound world.

12-Tone Technique

Method that arranges all twelve chromatic notes in a fixed series to avoid tonal hierarchy.

Arnold Schoenberg

Austrian composer who pioneered Expressionism and invented the 12-tone technique; wrote “Pierrot Lunaire.”

Pierrot Lunaire

Schoenberg’s Expressionist melodrama for voice and chamber ensemble employing atonal language.

Neoclassicism (Music)

Movement mixing classical forms with modern harmonies and rhythms for balanced yet fresh works.

Igor Stravinsky

Russian composer whose pieces like “The Rite of Spring” showcase rhythmic drive and Neoclassical traits.

The Rite of Spring

Stravinsky ballet famed for its primal rhythms, bold harmonies, and revolutionary impact.

Francis Poulenc

French Neoclassical composer noted for clarity, wit, and modern harmonic color.

Sergei Prokofiev

Russian Neoclassical composer known for melodic inventiveness and vibrant orchestration.

Peter and the Wolf

Prokofiev’s narrated orchestral tale introducing instruments as characters.

Nationalism (Music)

Compositional approach that expresses national identity through folk songs, dances, and cultural themes.

Béla Bartók

Hungarian nationalist composer who collected and integrated folk music into classical works.

Jazz Influence and Modernism

Trend that merges jazz, popular styles, and classical techniques, featuring syncopation and theatrical flair.

Leonard Bernstein

American composer–conductor who blended jazz and classical idioms; created “West Side Story.”

West Side Story

Bernstein’s musical retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in New York, mixing jazz, Latin dance, and classical forms.

Syncopated Rhythm

Accent on normally weak beats, creating the off-beat feel central to jazz-influenced music.

Folk-Based Composition

Work built on traditional melodies and rhythms from a composer’s native culture, common in nationalist music.