20th-Century Music: Impressionism, Expressionism, Electronic & Chance

These flashcards review key composers, works, concepts, and stylistic characteristics of Impressionist, Expressionist, Electronic, and Chance music as covered in the lecture notes.

When and where was Claude Debussy born?

August 22, 1862, in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France.

On what date did Claude Debussy die, and what was the cause of death?

March 25, 1918; colon cancer.

Name two orchestral works by Claude Debussy that exemplify Impressionism.

Prélude à l’Après-midi d’un faune and La Mer.

Which Debussy piano suite was dedicated to his daughter?

Children’s Corner.

What Debussy opera is noted for its unique sound world?

Pelléas et Mélisande.

When and where was Maurice Ravel born?

March 7, 1875, in Ciboure, France.

When and where did Maurice Ravel die?

December 28, 1937, in Paris, France.

Give two famous compositions by Maurice Ravel.

Boléro and Gaspard de la nuit.

Where is Maurice Ravel buried?

Levallois-Perret Cemetery, France.

Which post-humous award was given to Maurice Ravel?

Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

List any three characteristics of Impressionist music.

(Any three) Tone color as ‘musical painting,’ whole-tone scale, unusual soft dreamy chords, use of modes, free rhythm, atmospheric sounds.

What scale, with notes the same distance apart, is typical of Impressionist music?

The whole-tone scale.

In Impressionist music, what term describes the free-flowing timing that ‘moves like waves’?

Free rhythm.

Which musical movement centers on intense emotion, atonality, and dissonance?

Expressionist music.

Where and when did musical Expressionism originate?

Early 1900s in Germany and Austria.

Who was the leading figure of Expressionist music and inventor of the twelve-tone technique?

Arnold Schoenberg.

What is the guiding principle of the twelve-tone (dodecaphonic) technique?

All twelve chromatic notes are arranged in a specific series, giving each note equal importance and avoiding any tonal center.

Name Arnold Schoenberg’s first composition to use the twelve-tone method fully.

Suite for Piano, Op. 25.

Which Schoenberg piece for voice uses Sprechstimme and a chamber ensemble?

Pierrot Lunaire.

What Schoenberg work is a dramatic cantata about World War II?

A Survivor from Warsaw.

Define electronic music.

Music produced and manipulated using electronic devices and technology.

Give two sub-genres of 20th-century electronic music.

(Any two) Musique concrète, Klangfarben-Melodie, Elektronische Musik, Elektro-akustische music.

Which German composer created “Gesang der Jünglinge” (1956) blending electronic sounds with a boy’s voice?

Karlheinz Stockhausen.

Who composed “Poème Électronique” (1958) and is dubbed a visionary of electronic music?

Edgard Varèse.

Which American composer wrote “Philomel” (1964) for soprano and synthesized sounds?

Milton Babbitt.

What is aleatoric (chance) music?

Music in which elements are left to chance or performer choice, so no two performances are identical.

Name the three main groups of chance music.

Indeterminate composition, performer’s decision, and random procedures.

Which American composer wrote “The Unanswered Question” and Piano Sonata No. 2?

Charles Ives.

When was John Cage born, and what is his famous silent composition?

Born September 5, 1912; composition is 4′33″.

What is the title of John Cage’s work that can last for centuries?

As Slow as Possible.