20th Century Classical Music

maximum rational control

serialism and electronic music

minimum rational control

improvisation and the use of indeterminacy (graphic notation)

Edgar Varese

known for his four dimensions of music, wrote “Ionisation”

horizontal dimension

the melody

vertical dimension

the harmony

dynamic dimension

the volume

movement dimension

the pushing and pulling of music

poeme electronique

a pavillion at the world’s fair by Edgar Varese

Milton Babbitt

an American composer known for his work in total serialism and electronic music

John Cage

conceptual artist known for his use of a prepared piano, wrote “4’33” and “Sonata no. 2”

Harry Patch

a composer dedicate to his own craft and musical system, created his own instruments

minimalism

a musical movement that reintroduced tonality and regular rhythm

Steve Reich

the pioneer of minimal music

avant-grade

experimental music

americana

music that draws on American folk traditions and history

Charles Ives

a composer known for incorporating American themes and innovative techniques into his works, significantly impacting modern classical music

Henry Cowell

known for his use of extended musical techniques that allowed him to play instruments in ways they were not intended to be play, wrote “The Banshee”

Lou Harrison

a Pacific Rim artist known for working with Ives

Aaron Copland

worked with Nadia Boulanger and wrote “Morning on the Ranch”

William Grant Still

an African American classical artist that wrote “Afro-American Symphony”

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

a US federal agency that supports and promotes the arts through grants, funding, and initiatives