SY

Slides - Avant-Garde Music

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

  • Composed the iconic work Rite of Spring.

  • Noted for his innovative and percussive use of the orchestra.

  • Pushed the limits of dissonance in music composition.

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)

Emancipation of Dissonance

  • Advocated for the freedom of dissonance in music.

  • Developed the concept of atonality, moving away from traditional harmonic structures.

  • Composed Pierrot Lunaire in 1912, a seminal work in atonal music.

12-Tone Row

  • A method of composition devised by Schoenberg.

  • Utilizes all twelve notes of the chromatic scale in a particular sequence or row, forming the basis for the composition.

Thaddeus Cahill's Telharmonium

  • An early electronic musical instrument developed in the late 19th century.

  • Pioneered innovations in sound synthesis and electronic music.

Lev Termin (Leon Theremin)

  • Inventor of the Theremin, an electronic instrument controlled without physical contact.

Components of Electronic Music

  • Volume Antenna: Controls the volume of the sound.

  • Pitch Antenna: Controls the pitch or frequency.

  • Lowpass Amplifier Filter: Filters out high frequencies.

  • Envelope Oscillator: Shapes the sound over time.

  • Filter Detector: Analyzes incoming signals.

  • Speaker Mixer: Combines audio outputs to speakers.

Futurism in Music

Francesco Balilla Pratella and Luigi Russolo

  • Composers associated with the Futurist movement.

  • Emphasized the use of acoustic noise to mimic machinery sounds.

  • Advocated for new timbres and sound beyond traditional instruments.

  • Authored The Art of Noises, proposing a new understanding of musical sound.

Edgard Varèse (1883-1975)

  • Born in Paris in 1883; significant figure in modern music.

  • Studied composition at Schola Cantorum and the Paris Conservatoire.

  • Relocated from Paris to Berlin, influenced by composer Ferruccio Busoni.

  • Attended a performance of Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire in 1912, which greatly impacted his compositional style.

Varèse's Vision on Instruments

  • Proposed the urgent need for new instruments to advance music composition.

  • Encouraged collaboration between musicians and machinery specialists to innovate.

Philips Pavilion

  • Designed by Iannis Xenakis for the Brussels World Fair in 1958.

Poème Électronique

  • A notable work by Edgard Varèse that integrated electronic music with spatial sound experiences.

Henry Cowell (1897-1965)

  • Born in Menlo Park, California, and largely self-taught.

  • Studied with Charles Seeger at UC Berkeley.

  • Known for his exploration of atonality and polytonality in composition.

  • Authored New Musical Resources in 1919, exploring avant-garde musical possibilities.