20th and 21st Century Music Flashcards:

Front: What is atonality, and which composer is most associated with its development? Back: Atonality refers to music that lacks a tonal center or key. Arnold Schoenberg is most associated with the development of atonality, particularly through his works in the early 20th century​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: What is the 12-tone technique? Back: The 12-tone technique is a method of composition developed by Schoenberg in which all 12 notes of the chromatic scale are used in a fixed, non-repeating sequence (tone row) to avoid traditional tonal hierarchies​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: What is neoclassicism in 20th-century music? Back: Neoclassicism is a movement where composers returned to the forms, structures, and aesthetics of the Classical and Baroque periods, while using modern harmonies and rhythms. Stravinsky’s Pulcinella and Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony are examples​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: What are the defining characteristics of impressionism in music? Back: Impressionism in music, associated with composers like Debussy and Ravel, features fluidity, ambiguous harmonies, modal scales, and an emphasis on tone color and atmosphere rather than strict form​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: What is minimalism in music, and name a prominent minimalist composer. Back: Minimalism is characterized by the use of repeated patterns, static harmony, and gradual transformation. A prominent minimalist composer is Philip Glass, known for works like Einstein on the Beach​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: What is serialism, and which composer expanded on the 12-tone technique to create this method? Back: Serialism is a compositional technique that extends the 12-tone method by applying ordered series to other musical elements such as rhythm, dynamics, and articulation. Anton Webern and later composers such as Pierre Boulez expanded on this​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: What is aleatoric music? Back: Aleatoric music, or chance music, involves elements of randomness or indeterminacy in composition or performance. John Cage’s 4’33” is a famous example, where the music consists of the ambient sounds occurring during the piece's duration​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: Who composed The Rite of Spring, and why was it significant? Back: Igor Stravinsky composed The Rite of Spring. It was significant for its rhythmic complexity, dissonant harmonies, and its role in the development of modernism. The premiere in 1913 caused a famous riot due to its radical style​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: What is electronic music, and who were some of its pioneers? Back: Electronic music is composed using electronic sound-generating devices like synthesizers and computers. Pioneers include Karlheinz Stockhausen and Edgard Varèse, known for works like Poème électronique​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: What is spectralism, and which composers are associated with this movement? Back: Spectralism is a compositional approach that focuses on the analysis and manipulation of the harmonic spectra of sounds. Composers like Gérard Grisey and Tristan Murail are closely associated with this movement​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: What are extended techniques in 20th and 21st-century music? Back: Extended techniques refer to unconventional methods of sound production on traditional instruments, such as col legno (playing with the wood of the bow) on strings or multiphonics on wind instruments. These are often used by composers like George Crumb and Helmut Lachenmann​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: What is musique concrète? Back: Musique concrète is a type of electroacoustic music that uses recorded sounds from the environment (like machinery, voices, or nature) manipulated electronically to create new compositions. Pierre Schaeffer is a key figure in this movement​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: Name a major composer from the Second Viennese School and their compositional approach. Back: Alban Berg, a student of Schoenberg, is a major composer from the Second Viennese School. He combined the 12-tone method with Romantic expressionism, as seen in his opera Wozzeck​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: What is polystylism, and name a composer associated with it. Back: Polystylism refers to the blending or juxtaposition of multiple musical styles within a single work. Alfred Schnittke is a composer known for his polystylistic works, like his Concerto Grosso No. 1​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: What are microtones, and which composers explored microtonal music? Back: Microtones are intervals smaller than a semitone. Composers like Harry Partch and Julián Carrillo explored microtonal scales and instruments that could perform microtonal music​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: What is postminimalism, and how does it differ from minimalism? Back: Postminimalism is an evolution of minimalism that incorporates more emotional expressiveness, complexity, and a wider variety of techniques. Composers like John Adams and Steve Reich moved from strict minimalism to more varied approaches in their later works​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: What is new complexity, and who is a key composer in this style? Back: New complexity is a term used for a highly intricate and detailed compositional style, often featuring dense, dissonant textures and rhythmically complex structures. Brian Ferneyhough is a leading composer of new complexity​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: How did the role of rhythm change in 20th-century music? Back: Rhythm became more complex and central to many compositions in the 20th century, with irregular meters, polyrhythms, and rhythmic cells being used as foundational elements, especially in works by Stravinsky, Bartók, and Messiaen​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: What is a prepared piano, and who pioneered its use? Back: A prepared piano is a piano altered by placing objects (like bolts, rubber, or paper) on or between the strings to create unusual timbres. John Cage pioneered this technique in pieces like Sonatas and Interludes​(Romantic-19th Century).

Front: What are the characteristics of postmodern music? Back: Postmodern music often embraces diversity and eclecticism, rejecting the strict boundaries of modernism. It incorporates past styles and mixes them with contemporary elements. Composers like John Zorn and Arvo Pärt exhibit postmodern characteristics in their works​(Romantic-19th Century).