Impressionism & Expressionism in 20th-Century Music (Exam Notes)

Impressionism

  • Style emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; focuses on creating moods and atmospheres using timbre, orchestration, and progressive harmonies. It departs from traditional tonal harmony, prioritizing the impression of a sound or mood over detailed depiction.

  • ELEMENTS OF MUSIC (Impressionism)

    • Rhythm: free, flexible, irregular
    • Melody: flowing lines; uses the whole-tone scale (Claude Debussy)
    • Harmony: breaks Romantic/Classic rules; color-based and dissonant; often uses parallel chords for color
    • Timbre: emphasis on tone color; exploring unique instrument combinations

  • CHARACTERISTICS OF MUSIC (Impressionism)

    • Atmosphere and Mood: evokes a moment/impression, like a visual impressionist painting
    • Tone Color (Timbre): new/unique instrument sounds; e.g., muted horns, flutes in lower registers
    • Harmony: new and unusual chords; exotic scales; whole-tone scale
    • Fluidity and Rhythm: less defined, more flowing; tempo can be flexible
    • Structure: shorter forms (nocturnes, arabesques, preludes); avoids large-scale Romantic forms
    • Lack of Emotional Excess: subtle, suggestive rather than overt emotion
    • Key Composers: Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel

  • Note: Debussy and Ravel are leading figures in musical impressionism.

Expressionism

  • A movement in the early 20th century characterized by the exploration of intense emotions and subjective experiences, often through dissonant harmonies, distorted melodies, and a departure from traditional musical structures. Key features include high levels of dissonance, extreme dynamic contrasts, and fragmented melodies with wide leaps.

  • ELEMENT OF MUSIC (Expressionism)

    • Rhythm: complex and irregular due to liberation of form and harmony
    • Melody: distorted melodies and harmonies; uses the 1212-Tone Scale (1212-Tone Scale) created by Arnold Schoenberg
    • Harmony: harsh dissonance and atonality (no tonal center)
    • Dynamics: extreme contrasting dynamics and pitch range
    • Texture: constant change in texture; sounds dark and heavier

  • CHARACTERISTICS OF MUSIC (Expressionism)

    • Dissonance & Atonality: frequent dissonant chords/harmonies; move away from tonality toward atonality, where all twelve notes are treated equally
    • Distorted Melodies & Angular Leaps: angular, fragmented melodies with wide leaps
    • Extreme Dynamics & Changing Textures: dramatic shifts in dynamics; changing textures
    • Rejection of Romantic Excesses: focus on subjectivity and darker psychological emotions
    • Emphasis on Subjectivity: composers seek to convey inner states
    • Twelve-tone Technique: developed by Arnold Schoenberg; ensures all 1212 notes of the chromatic scale are sounded as often as others
    • Chromatic Scale: interval between consecutive notes is a half step

  • Works:

    • Pierrot Lunaire — Sprechstimme (speech-singing) style
    • Verklärte Nacht, Op. 44 (Transfigured Night) — string sextet
    • String Quartet No. 11 in D Minor, Op. 77 (1904) — dense texture; challenging premiere

  • Notable figures:

    • Arnold Schoenberg: pioneer of twelve-tone technique