MUSIC 10 1ST QT IMPRESSIONISM & EXPRESSIONISM

impressionism

• one of the earlier but concrete forms declaring the entry of 20th century music

• a french movement in the late 19th and early 20th

• rhythm is irregular in terms of phrases

• it avoids the traditional harmonic progression

• it has unresolved dissonance

• uses the whole tone scale, uses the 9th chord, and frequently uses modality and exotic scales

claude debussy and maurice ravel

• french composers in impressionism

• both developed style of composing adopted by many 20th century composers

• respected each other but rivals in music

• ravel preferred structure & clarity

claude debussy

• one of the most important and influential of the 20th century

• the primary exponent of the impressionist movement and the focal point for other impressionist composers

• he changed the course of musical development

• born in st. germain en laye in france on august 22, 1862

• he entered the paris conservatory, gained the reputation an erratic pianist and a rebel in theory and harmony

• father of the modern school composition

• music compositions: more or less 227

maurice ravel

• born on march 7, 1875 in ciboure france

• entered the paris conservatory at the age of 14 where he studied with the eminent french composer gabriel faure

• compositional style: uniquely innovative but not atonal style of harmonic treatment

• virtuoso - a person who excels in musical technique or execution

• “the only love affair i have ever had was with music”

• preferred more structure and clarity don’t want to be called debussy follower

expressionism

• a modernist movement that started in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century and was initially an expression in painting and poetry

• evokes moods and ideas for which the artist seeks to express meaning or emotional experience rather than the physical reality

• conveys true emotions in exaggeration through the application of atonality and dissonance or the lack of agreement

arnold schoenberg and igor stravinsky

composers in expressionism

Arnold schoenberg

• was born in a working class suburb of vienna, austria on september 13, 1874

• composer richard wagner influenced his work as evidenced by his symphonic poem

• full of melodic and lyrical interest, his music is also extremely complex creating heavy demands on the listener

• credited with the establishment of the twelve tone system

• musical compostions: more or less 213

• died on july 13

igor stravinsky

• he was born in oranienbaum russia on june 17, 1882

• his early music reflected the influence of his teacher, the russian composer - nikolai rimsky korsakov.

• the firebird suite - his first successful masterpiece

• he left the country for us in 1939, turned his back on russian nationalism and cultivated his neoclassical style

• the rite of spring - story about human sacrifice

• musical output: 127