20th century music

Characteristics of 20th-century music

Tone color is more important. Unusual playing techniques for sound effects. Glissando- rapid slide up or down a scale. Also flutter tongue, col legno, extended notes. Percussion use greatly expanded. New instruments added/created; noisemakers. Xylophone, celesta, woodblock. Piano as percussion instrument. Less emphasis on blended sound. Unusual groupings of instruments in small ensembles. Harmony- harmony and treatment of this have changed. Rhythm- expanded, irregularity and unpredicatability, shifting meters and irregular meters. Melody- no longer tied to traditional chords, major/minor keys.

What are the main focuses of Impressionist art?

Light, color, and atmosphere.

What is the focus of French Symbolist poetry?

To suggest or symbolize topics rather than make hard statements.

all the disparate genres that Charles Ives employed in his music

Patriotic songs
Revival hymns
Ragtime

Which piece by Still was the first composition by a Black American composer to be performed by a major American symphony orchestra?

Afro-American Symphony

Claude Debussy

French impressionist composer. Crossed romantic/20th century (1862-1918). Studied in Paris and Rome. Lived large; like luxury, but stayed in debt. His music: Attempted to capture in music what impressionist painters did in visual art. Titles imply a program music type approach. Used orchestra as pallet of sounds, not tutti. Expanded harmonic vocab and practice. Used 5-note chords instead of traditional 3. Made use of pentatotic and whole-tone scales. Obscured harmony, tempo, meter, rhythm. His works: Piano solo, chamber music, songs, orchestral (program), opera (Pelleas et Melisande)

How did Symbolist poetry influence music?

It became the basis for many Impressionist musical works.

What techniques did Neoclassicism use to organize 20th-century harmonies and rhythms?

Earlier techniques

What type of music did Neoclassicism eschew?

Program music

Name a Neoclassical composer from Italy.

Ottorino Respighi

What years did Arnold Schoenberg live?

1874-1951

What is Arnold Schoenberg known as the father of?

The 12-tone system

Anton Webern

Born in Vienna, 1883-1945. Schoenberg's other famous student. His music was ridiculed during his lifetime. Shy family man, a devoted Christian. Shot by a US soldier by mistake near end of WII. His music expanded Schoeberg's idea of tone color being part of melody (tone color melody) Melodies are frequently made up of several two to three note fragments that add up to a complete whole. Tone color replaces "tunes" in his music.

19th Century

Dramatic population increase led to greater diversity in music. Bands were the most important instrumental organizations. Few symphony orchestras were founded (New York, Boston, Chicago, etc.), who toured the country in concerts. Songs were performed at home with piano accompaniment. Italian opera tradition, usually with translation text. Nationalism flourished in the US, infused with African American and Native American melodies, Civil War and other popular songs; later influences included jazz, blues, spirituals, and cowboy songs.

Which description explains the "emancipation of dissonance"?

It eliminates the general principle that determines whether a chord is stable or not.

The combination of two chords being played at the same time is called a ______.

polychord

Twentieth-century music often uses ______ to generate power, drive, and excitement.

rhythm

Consonance

Stable, needing no further resolution

all the organizations that broadcast weekly performances for a nationwide audience in the early twentieth century

Metropolitan Opera
NBC Symphony Orchestra

Which French composer is closely identified with the style known as impressionism?

Debussy

Which is a famous orchestral tone poem by Debussy?

Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun was inspired by the poem of the same name by ______.

Mallarmé

When did primitivism have a significant impact on composition?

Between 1910 and 1915

Which instrument in Bolero, by Ravel, is unusual in an orchestra?

Saxophone

Where did Maurice Ravel study piano and composition?

The Paris Conservatory

Musical Styles since 1945

• Many societal changes since WWII
• Instant communication has altered the world
• Constant demand for novelty

Rhythm and Form

Some new compositions ignore rhythmic notation and specify sound in seconds/minutes. Traditional forms giving way to new ideas.

Who is the best-known practitioner of chance music?

John Cage

The development of the tape studio and synthesizers after World War II ushered in the age of ______ music.

electronic music

What term refers to electronic music that is presented with visual elements?

Mixed media

Rapid radical changes in the arts

Shock value becomes the goal in many art forms. US shapes world culture, new artistic center. Picasso and cubism present distorted views as artwork. Kandisky and others no longer try to represent visual world. Expressionists: deliberate disorientation/ugliness as protest. Individual artists do both traditional and radical styles. Nonwestern culture and thought affect all arts. New tech stimulate artists; new art forms. Artists explore human sexuality; extremely frank. More opportunities for women, African-Americans, and minority artists/composers than ever before. Artists express reaction to wars massacres in art. Since 1960s, pop art begins to replace elitist art

Musical Styles 1900-1945

First 13 years brought radical changes
Seen as time of revolt and revolution in music
Composers broke with tradition and rules
Rules came to be unique to each piece
Some reviewers said the new music had no relationship to music at all
1913 performance of The Rite of Spring caused riot
Sounds that were foreign to turn-of-the century ears are common to us now
Key, pitch center, and harmonic progression practices of the past were mostly abandoned
open-minded listening, without expectations based upon previous musical practice; provides an opportunity for musical adventure

1900-1945: An Age of Musical Diversity

Vast range of musical styles during this time. Even more diverse than in romantic period. Musical influences drawn from Asia and Africa. Composers drawn to unconventional rhythms. Folk music incorporated into personal styles. American jazz also influenced composers. For American composers, jazz was nationalist music. For European composers, jazz was exoticism. Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music "re-discovered," performed, and recorded. Forms from earlier periods were imitated, but with 20th century harmonic and melodic practices. Romantic music, especially Wagner, was seen as either a point of departure or a style to be avoided

Harmony

Consonance and Dissonance: Harmony and treatment of chords changed. Before 1900: consonant )stable) and dissonant. Opposite sides of the coin. After 1900: degrees of dissonance. New chord structures

Alternatives to the traditional tonal system

Composers want alternatives to major/minor
Another approach: use 2 or more keys at once: polytonality (bitonality)
Atonality: No central or keynote; sounds just "exist" and flow
12 tone system: Atonal, but with strict "rules" concerning scale use. Serialism, an ultra-strict method, develops from 12 tone system

Rhythm

rhythmic vocabulary expanded. Emphasis upon irregularity and unpredictability. Shifting meters. Irregular meters.

Music and Musicians in Society

Recorded and broadcast music brought concert hall to living room, automobile, and elsewhere.

What is Impressionism in art?

A movement characterized by broad brush strokes and vibrant colors.

How does an Impressionist painting appear when viewed up close?

It appears unfinished.

How does an Impressionist painting appear when viewed from a distance?

It reveals a sense of truth.

What themes are commonly depicted in Impressionist paintings?

Impermanence, change, and fluidity.

What was a favorite subject of Impressionist painters?

Light reflecting on water.

What painting inspired the name of the Impressionist movement?

Monet's painting 'Impression: Sunrise'.

Name three notable Impressionist painters.

Renoir, Degas, and Manet.

Who are some notable Symbolist poets?

Mallarme, Verlaine, Rimbaud, and Maeterlinck.

Name three Impressionist composers.

Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Manuel de Falla.

Which Italian composer is associated with Impressionism?

Ottorino Respighi.

When did Neoclassicism flourish?

1920 to 1950

What did Neoclassicism base new compositions upon?

Devices and forms of the classical and baroque

What did Neoclassical composers prefer to write for?

Small ensembles

Why did Neoclassical composers prefer small ensembles?

Partially due to limited resources in post-WWI Europe

How did Neoclassical music sound?

Modern, not classical

Name a Neoclassical composer from Russia.

Igor Stravinsky or Sergei Prokofiev

Name a Neoclassical composer from Germany.

Paul Hindemith

Name a Neoclassical composer from France.

Maurice Ravel, Erik Satie, or 'Les Six'

Expressionism

attempts to explore inner feelings rather than depict outward appearance. Used deliberate distortions to assault and shock the audience and communicate tension and anguish. Direct outgrowth of the work of Freud. Rejected "conventional prettiness." Favored ugly topics like madness and death. Art also seen as a form of social protest. Anguish of the poor. Bloodshed of war. Man's inhumanity to man.

Where was Arnold Schoenberg born?

Vienna

What was Arnold Schoenberg the leader of?

The Second Viennese School

What significant musical system did Arnold Schoenberg completely abandon?

The traditional tonal system

What happened to Arnold Schoenberg when the Nazis came to power?

He was forced to leave and came to America

Where did Arnold Schoenberg teach until his death?

UCLA

What musical style did Arnold Schoenberg start using in 1908?

Atonality

What does the 12-tone system do with the 12 pitches in an octave?

Gives equal importance to all 12 pitches

In the 12-tone system, how are pitches arranged?

In a sequence or row (tone row)

In a 12-note row of the 12-tone system, how many times can a pitch occur?

No pitch occurs more than once

Alban Berg

Born in Vienna, studied with Schoenberg
Wrote atonal music

Igor Stravinksy

Born in Russia (1881-1971) Studied with Rimsky-Korsakov. Early success writing ballet music. Moved due to both world wars. His music: vocal and instrumental: many styles and forms. Utilized shifting and irregular meters. Sometimes more than one meter at once. Frequently used ostinato

primitivism

a belief in the value of what is simple and unsophisticated, expressed as a philosophy of life or through art or literature.

Bela Bartok

Hungarian (1881-1945). Taught piano in Hungary and gave recitals throughout Europe. Like many other composers, fled Nazi and came to live in the US. Used folksongs as basis of his music. Went to remote areas to collect/record folksongs (considered a Neo-nationalist composer) His music: Best known for instrumental works, especially piano pieces and string quartets. Compositions contain strong folk influences. Worked within total center, harsh dissonances, polychords, tone clusters

Why did the study of folk music change in the twentieth century?

Because it could be recorded

Colonial America

Singing psalms was the important social activity.

Charles Ives

American (1874-1954). Son of a professional bandmaster (director). Worked as insurance agent: composed music on the side. Published own music at first; initially ridiculed. Won Pulitzer Prize in 1947 for 3rd symphony. His music: Music based upon American folk songs. Polyrhythm, polytonality, and tone clusters. The effect was like two bands marching past each other on a street. Often his music is very difficult to perform.

George Gershwin

American (1898-1937). Wrote popular music, musical theatre, and serious concert music. Frequently blended the three into a single style. At 20, wrote Broadway musical La, La, Lucille. Wrote Swanee, Funny Face, and Lady, Be Good. Also, Rhapsody in Blue, Concerto in F, An American in Paris, and opera Porgy and Bess. Often co-wrote with his brither, Ira, as lyricist. Met Berg, Ravel, and Stravinsky in Europe. Financially successful-songs were popular. Was friends and tennis partner with Schoenberg. Died of brain tumor at age 38.

William Grant Still

American (1895 - 1978)
First African-American composer to have work performed by a major American orchestra
Born Woodville, MS—grew up Little Rock, AR
Worked for W. C. Handy in Memphis, TN
Later wrote film scores in Los Angeles
First African-American to conduct a major symphony orchestra (1936)
Also first to have an opera performed by a major opera company (1949)
Troubled Island about Haitian slave rebellion

Which section of the orchestra grew expansively in the twentieth century, reflecting composers' interest in unusual rhythms and tone colors?

Percussion section

Aaron Copeland

American (1900-1990). Wrote music in modern style more accessible to audience than many other composers. Drew from American folklore for topics. Ballets: Billy the Kind, Rodeo, Appalachian Spring. Lincoln Portrait, Fanfare for the Common Man. Wrote simple yet highly professional music. Other contribution to American music. Directed composers' groups. Organized concerts. Lectured, taught and conducted. Wrote books and articles.

What type of chord is made up of many different tones only a half step or a whole step apart?

tone cluster

Petrushka by Stravinsky is famously known for having passages of music playing in two different keys simultaneously, a technique called ______.

bitonality

The French twentieth-century composer who became fascinated by the percussion music from Indonesia was ______.

Debussy

Which musical technique became more prominent in twentieth century music?

Glissando

What is a common characteristic of rhythm organization in twentieth-century music?

rapidly changing meters

statements that describe the use of harmony by twentieth-century composers

They often used traditionally dissonant chords as stable chords.
They were freer in their views of what could be considered consonance and dissonance.

all the statements about twentieth-century melodies

They often use a wide variety of scales.
They are often unpredictable.
They may not have a tonal center.

The complete absence of a key or tonality is called ______.

atonality

statements that describe recordings made early in the twentieth century

They had a short playing capacity.
They were of poor quality.

all the instruments that were emphasized in jazz-band music in the early twentieth century

Percussion instruments
Woodwinds
Brass

Which world event in the twentieth century led to the largest historical migration of intellectuals to the United States?

WWII

all of the painters that are associated with the beginnings of French impressionistic art

Monet
Renoir
Pissarro

statements about melody in twentieth-century music

The melody is not dependent on traditional chord structure.
The melody often consists of a series of phrases of irregular length.
The melody sometimes has wide leaps.

Which group was the literary equivalent to French impressionists?

symbolists

What was the first opera written specifically for television?

Amahl and the Night Visitors

all the elements that were particularly important for impressionist artists

Color
Light
Atmosphere

What had been abandoned in most music by the early twentieth century?

The traditional distinction between consonance and dissonance

What is the general compositional structure of the Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun?

A B A

Symbolist poets often chose words for their

"musical" effect

all the characteristics that describe Maurice Ravel's style and compositions

Subtle changes of tone color
Lyrical melodies
Clearly defined form and obvious beat

Lili Boulanger was the first woman to win which prestigious composition award?

The Rome Prize

Which piano piece by Debussy is built around the whole-tone and pentatonic scales?

Voiles

statements that apply to Boulanger's Psalm 24

It is a relatively short piece lasting less than four minutes.
It has sharp contrasts of sound and mood.

characteristics of Ravel's music that are NOT considered typically impressionist

Lyrical melodies similar to those of nineteenth-century composers
Repeated rhythmic patterns
Classically balanced phrases