20th Century Period

The 20th century is the period of new musical styles in music moving away from the conventional techniques of the previous period to improvisations and innovative style. These new styles were impressionism, expressionism, electronic music and chance music.

Impressionism

One of the earlier but concrete forms declaring the entry of 20th century music was known as impressionism. It is a French movement in the late 19th and early 20th century characterized by sublime moods and impressions. It was meant to create an emotional mood rather than a specific picture. In terms of imagery, impressionistic forms were translucent and hazy, as if trying to see through a rain-drenched window. Claude Debussy is the primary exponent of the impressionist movement and the focal point for other impressionist composers.

Expressionism

Expressionism revealed the composer's mind, instead of presenting an impression of the environment. It served as a medium for expressing strong emotions, such as anxiety, rage, and alienation. Arnold Schoenberg is the primary proponent of expressionism in music.

Electronic Music

The capacity of electronic machines such as synthesizers, amplifiers, tape recorders, and loudspeakers to create different sounds was given importance by 20th century composers like Edgard Varese.

Chance Music

Chance music refers to a style wherein the piece always sounds different at every performance because of the random techniques of production, including the use of ring modulators or natural elements that become a part of the music. Most of the sounds emanate from the surroundings, both natural and man-made, such as honking cars, rustling leaves, blowing wind, dripping water, or a ringing phone. As such, the combination of external sounds cannot be duplicated as each happens by chance. John Cage was known as one of the 20th century composers who experimented with what came to be known as "chance music".

Impressionism

In impressionism, the sounds of different chords overlapped lightly with each other to produce new subtle musical colors. Chords did not have a definite order and a sense of clear resolution. Other features include the lack of a tonic-dominant relationship which normally gives the feeling of finality to a piece, moods and textures, harmonic vagueness about the structure of certain chords, and use of the whole-tone scale, which uses the notes with whole intervals.

Expressionism

Expressionism is characterized by a high level of dissonance, extreme contrasts of dynamics, constantly changing textures, 'distorted' melodies and harmonies with wide leaps. Expressionism uses the twelve-tone scale, basically applying all the tones in music, which is also called chromaticism

Electronic Music

‘ Electronic Music is the capacity of electronic machines to create different sounds. Music that uses the tape recorder is called musique concrete, or concrete music. The composer records different sounds that are heard in the environment such as the bustle of traffic, the sound of the wind, the barking of dogs or the strumming of a guitar. These sounds are arranged by the composer in different ways, thus, experimentation is always the process.

Chance Music

Music always sounds different at every performance because of the random techniques of production, including natural elements that become a part of the music. Assuch, the combination of external sounds cannot be duplicated as each happens by chance

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

The primary exponent of the impressionist movement and known as the "Father of the Modern School of Composition" Debussy's compositions is clearly seen by the way he avoided metric pulses and preferred free form and developed his themes.

He was fascinated by the Javanese gamelan, an ensemble with bells, gongs, xylophone, and occasional vocal parts which he later used in his works to achieve a new sound. He is the proponent of whole-tone scale.

Images, Suite Bergamasque, and Estampes-his most popular piano compositions; a set of lightly textured pieces containing his signature work Claire de Lune (Moonlight).

His musical compositions total more or less 227 which include orchestral music, chamber music, piano music, operas, ballets, songs, and other vocal music.

Arnold Schoenbeg (1874-1951)

He taught himself music theory, but took lessons in counterpoint. His tonal preference gradually turned to the dissonant and atonal, as he explored the use of chromatic harmonies.

His works were met with extreme reactions, either strong hostility from the general public or enthusiastic acclaim from his supporters.

He is credited with the twelve-tone system. His works include Pierrot Lunaire and Verklarte Nacht (Transfigured Night, 1899), one of his earliest successful lyricism, melodicbeauty pieces, blends the instrumentation, and of Brahms with the chromaticism and construction of Wagner.

His works is a total of more or less 213 which include concerti, orchestral music, piano music, operas, choral music, songs, and other instrumental music.

John Cage

He experimented with what came to be known as "chance music."

In one instance, Cage created a "prepared" piano, where screws and pieces of wood or paper were inserted between the piano strings to produce different possibilities.

percussive Famous Works: Concert for Piano and Orchestra, 4'33"

Edgard Varèse

He challenged the very idea of music by manipulating musical instruments in order to achieve new sounds. known as the "Father of Electronic Music" for his use of new instruments and electronic resources

The musical compositions of Varese are characterized by an emphasis on timbre and rhythm. He invented the term "organized sound," which means that certain timbres and rhythms can be grouped together in order to capture a whole new definition of sound.

His famous work is Poème Électronique.