Notes on 20th Century Music & Modern Art
Music: 20th Century Music (1901-2000)
Scope and aim
This module covers the progression of historical and cultural backgrounds in music and arts from the early 20th century and its influence on music and arts in the Philippines.
Emphasis on how new styles and movements shape creative output and societal context.
Historical and cultural backdrop (global context)
The 20th century was defined by:
Spanish flu pandemic, World War I, World War II; 1918. and 1939-1945.
Nuclear weapons and later nuclear power; space exploration; nationalism and decolonization; rapid technological advances; the Cold War and post-Cold War conflicts.
These events reshaped political and social structures worldwide.
Environmental note: the century saw rising global population, sea-level rise, ecological stresses, deforestation, water depletion, mass extinctions, and concerns about man-made global warming and extreme weather.
Impressionism (music)
Historical and cultural background
A French movement of the late 19th to early 20th century emphasizing mood and impression over literal depiction.
In music, shift from Romantic program music toward moods, colors, and subtle textures; aim to evoke rather than depict a concrete scene.
Key elements include an extensive palette of colors, new chords, and innovative progressions (extended chords, whole-tone scales, chromatic and pentatonic scales).
The goal was to create emotional mood and impressionistic atmosphere, not a definite tonal resolution.
Open, translucent forms; melodies may be non-centered or suggestive rather than definitive.
Influenced by broader artistic trends and by photography’s emergence as a reference point for perception and color manipulation.
Major composers
Claude Debussy (1862-1918) 1862-1918
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) 1875-1937
Key musical characteristics
Emphasis on timbre, color, dynamic shading, and overlapping chords.
Chords with vague tonality; waning role of traditional tonic-dominant closure.
Use of whole-tone scale, modal and chromatic approaches, and pentatonic scales.
Subtle, overlapping textures rather than solid, loud textures.
Core aims and imagery
Not to depict reality directly, but to suggest an emotional or atmospheric impression.
Translucent, hazy textures akin to a rain-drenched window in imagery.
Notable theoretical and stylistic notes
Debussy’s innovations include coloristic orchestration and flexible form; emphasis on color and mood over narrative clarity.
Ravel’s music maintains classical forms and craftsmanship within impressionist color, often more tightly controlled than Debussy.
Representative works and features
Debussy: La Mer (The Sea) 1905; Prelude à l'après-midi d'un faune; Pelleas et Melisande (1895); Claire de Lune (Moonlight) from Suite Bergamasque; Images; Pelleas et Melisande; String Quartet; La Mer shows imaginative orchestration and coloristic effects.
Ravel: Pavane pour une Infante Défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess) 1899; Jeux d’Eau; Daphnis et Chloe; Gaspard de la Nuit; Bolero; La Valse; Rhapsodie Espagnole; Pavane; Sonatine; Miroirs; Le Tombeau de Couperin; La Valse. These works illustrate refined orchestration, formal clarity, and a preference for precise craftsmanship within impressionist color.
Debussy vs. Ravel – distinctions
Debussy: more spontaneous, libre in form; looser motives; more imagery; broader, more fluid textures.
Ravel: more formal restraint; adherence to classical forms; highly crafted, precise development; still color-focused but within stricter structural norms.
Connections to other art forms and historical movements
Parallel with modern painting: focus on light, color, and momentary impressions; open composition and atmospheric effects.
Influence from photography’s early development and the broader shift toward subjective perception.
Notable influences cited in the module
Eugène Delacroix influence on impressionism via expressive brushwork, movement emphasis, and study of color’s optical effects. Delacroix’s Barque of Dante highlighted droplets of water as a color-emphasis technique that influenced later impressionists.
Noteworthy historical context
Impressionism is often positioned as a bridge between late Romanticism and 20th-century modernism; it laid groundwork for subsequent movements (post-impressionism, expressionism, neoclassicism, avant-garde).
Expressionism (music and arts)
Artistic and cultural backdrop (visual arts)
Expressionism seeks to convey emotional experience more than external reality; distortions, bold color, and exaggerated forms to express inner feelings.
Movements within expressionism include neoprimitivism, fauvism, dadaism, surrealism, social realism, and abstractionism.
Expressionism (music)
Key ideas: atonality, twelve-tone scale (serialism), and the portrayal of psychological states (anxiety, rage, alienation).
Focus on revealing the composer’s mind and emotional states rather than depicting the environment.
Terminology: atonal music (no established key center) and the twelve-tone system (serial technique) as formal techniques.
Central figure(s)
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) 1874-1951
He pioneered the twelve-tone method (serial technique) and explored chromatic harmony, eventually moving toward atonality.
Key concepts and terms
Atonality: absence of a fixed key center.
Twelve-tone technique / serialism: using all twelve pitch classes in a particular order (tone row) to structure a composition.
Sprechstimme: a vocal technique combining speaking and singing, used to literalize expression (as in Pierrot Lunaire).
Notable works and details
Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) – Schoenberg (late 19th century; still central to his development)
Pierrot Lunaire (op. 21) – Schoenberg; includes Sprechstimme and dense chromatic language; complex texture and emotional intensity.
Gurre-Lieder – Schoenberg; large-scale vocal-orchestral work exploring intense emotion and drama.
Stravinsky within expressionism
While often associated with exoticism, primitivism, and later neoclassicism, Stravinsky’s early innovations (e.g., The Firebird, The Rite of Spring) challenged tonal norms and contributed to modernist aesthetics. His later move toward neoclassicism placed him in a different trajectory from Schoenberg’s serialism.
Reception and context
Schoenberg’s music met with controversial reception, ranging from hostility to ardent support.
Additional notes on expressionist art (context linked to music)
The expressionist movement in the arts emphasized inner realities and psychological depth; it often used distorted forms and intense colors to convey mood and emotion.
Others in 20th-century music
Electronic music and avant-garde
Avant-garde music focuses on exploring new sonic possibilities and spatial dimensions of sound; scores may permit improvisation or non-linear interpretation.
Characteristics: varied order of notes, improvisation, and the use of new technologies and nontraditional performance practices.
Notable figures and directions: George Gershwin, John Cage, Leonard Bernstein, Philip Glass, Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Boulez; Bernstein also known for stage works and public lectures.
Chance music
Associated with anti-traditional, aleatoric procedures, where chance determines musical outcomes or structure.
Neo-classicism (musical style)
Distinct from the two movements (impressionism and expressionism); light, entertaining, cool, independent of emotional content.
tonal harmonies with slight dissonance; three-movement format with shifting time signatures and rhythmic variety.
Notable composers: Francis Poulenc, Igor Stravinsky, Paul Hindemith, Sergei Prokofiev.
Igor Stravinsky
Born in 1882 in Oranienbaum (now Lomonosov), Russia; early works influenced by Rimsky-Korsakov; The Firebird Suite (1910) marked rhythmic inventiveness and material handling; The Rite of Spring (1913) pursued new dissonance and near-total departure from traditional tonality; later works included Petrouchka (1911) and The Rake’s Progress (1951) with neo-classical leanings.
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
Conductor, pianist, composer; breakthrough as a substitute conductor for the New York Philharmonic in 1943; best known for stage works like West Side Story (1957) and Candide (1956); also Mass (1971).
Essential questions (EQ)
EQ 1: How does one create a musical piece in 20th-century music styles?
EQ 2: How can you competently participate/show creative movement from the various art movements?
Objectives (Music)
Describes distinctive musical elements of pieces in 20th-century styles.
Explains performance practice: setting, composition, roles of composers/performers, and audience.
Relates 20th-century music to other art forms and media of the same period.
Performs a 20th-century music sample.
Evaluates music and performances using guided rubrics.
Model of Excellence and ethics
Values integrated from Romans 8:28: “for those who love God all things work together for good.”
Ethical and philosophical framing is included in the study of art and music.
Review topics and basic elements (Music-focused review)
Elements and principles of art as applied to music contexts (review context provided in the unit).
Listening logs and activity-based assessments used in class (Claire de Lune, Pavane for a Dead Princess as example excerpts).
Assignments (Music-focused)
Assignment in Music: Listen to excerpts via YouTube, identify distinct musical styles, select a favorite piece, and write a short reaction.
Debussy – Claire de Lune; La Mer; Ravel – Miroirs, Sonatine, Daphnis et Chloe, Jeux d’Eau, Bolero; Schoenberg – Verklarte Nacht, Violin Concerto, Piano Concerto; Stravinsky – The Rite of Spring, Petrouchka.
Listening and analysis tools
Excerpt-based listening logs with categories: Rhythm (stead, syncopation, irregular), Harmony (consonant, dissonant, atonal), Texture (monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic), and personal observations.
Guiding questions prompt analysis of rhythm and harmony and reflection on how 20th-century music differs from classical/romantic styles.
Cross-curricular links with Arts (to be read in the Arts section below)
Discussion questions connect musical style with visual art movements (Impressionism, Expressionism, Cubism, Dadaism, Surrealism, etc.) and their philosophical underpinnings.
Important contextual crossovers
The evolution from Impressionism to Expressionism reflects a broader shift in the arts toward subjective perception, inner experience, and experimentation with form and harmony.
The 20th-century art movements influenced by modern technology, urban life, and social upheaval inform both music and visual arts.
Arts: Modern Art (mid 1880’s - late 1950’s)
Scope and aim
This unit surveys Modern Art movements from late 19th century into the mid-20th century, focusing on how new styles transformed perception, form, and subject matter.
Emphasis on links between art movements and cultural shifts, and on Filipino contextualization and connections to global modernism.
Core modern art movements covered
Impressionism
Expressionism
Cubism
Dadaism
Surrealism
Abstract Realism
Pop Art
Op Art
Performance Art
Happenings and Mob
Impressionism (arts)
Characteristics and aims
Break with traditional painting conventions: use of color, light, subject matter, and brushwork to capture fleeting moments and impressions rather than detailed accuracy.
Focus on nature, light, and everyday scenes; bright, often unblended color; loose brushwork; visible strokes; emphasis on the optical effect of light.
Techniques and visual strategies
Color and Light: freely brushed colors; short, visible strokes; unmixed colors placed side by side; colors appear to shift with light.
Everyday subjects: casual, candid depictions of daily life; landscapes, cafes, streets, and ordinary people; not idealized; forms can be distorted.
Painting outdoors (en plein air): to capture natural light and color more accurately; freshness and immediacy contrasted with studio rigidity.
Open composition: unconventional visual angles, off-center placement, varied object sizes, visible negative spaces.
Influence of photography: capturing fleeting moments; subjective interpretation of color and light; photography lacked color handling, which painters exploited.
Influential artists and example works
Eugène Delacroix (influence on early impressionists): use of expressive brushwork; movement emphasis; exploration of optical color effects (Barque of Dante – water droplets technique mentioned as a color dynamic).
Edouard Manet: one of the early impressionists; modern life subject matter; works include Argenouille (Argenteuil, 1874), Café Concert (1878), The Bar at the Folies-Bergere (1882).
Claude Monet: central figure; landscapes and water lily motifs; works include La Promenade (1875), Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies (1899).
Pierre-Auguste Renoir: focus on figures and portraits; later, a more formal technique in portraits; notable works include Dancer (1874), Luncheon of the Boating Party (1881).
Post-impressionism as a bridge
Post-impressionists continued the use of vivid color and bold brushwork but pushed further toward form and structure, sometimes distorting reality; key artists include Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh; these artists laid groundwork for 20th-century modernism.
Filipino and broader connections
Text invites reflection on how impressionist principles appear in Filipino contexts through adaptation and interpretation in local art movements.
Expressionism (arts)
Core idea
Depicts emotional experience and inner states more than outward reality; emphasizes subjective perception, anxiety, alienation, and social critique.
Styles that arose within expressionism
Neoprimitivism, Fauvism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Social Realism, Abstractionism, among others.
Key artists and examples (as cited)
Amedeo Modigliani (Neoprimitivism influence): elongated figures and African-inspired forms; Portrait of Jeanne Hébuterne (1918).
Henri Matisse (Fauvism): The Cat with the Red Fish; Blue Window (1911); Blue Nudes (1952).
Marc Chagall and Giorgio de Chirico (Dadaism influence; dream-like, illogical imagery).
Dadaism and Surrealism (concepts)
Dadaism: anti-art, playful yet charged with political critique; aim to protest conventional norms after World War I; artists like de Chirico and Chagall as examples.
Surrealism: depicted illogical dream worlds and subconscious imagery; inspired by Freudian psychoanalysis; Salvador Dalí cited (Persistence of Memory, 1931).
Social Realism and Abstractionism
Social Realism: art used to critique social injustices; Ben Shahn’s Miners’ Wives (1948) cited as example of social reform through art.
Abstractionism: urban rationalism and scientific modernity influenced abstraction; emphasis on geometric forms and color, detachment from representational subject matter.
Notable artists at a glance
Edvard Munch, Georges Braque, Picasso (broadly associated with Cubism and abstraction), Marc Chagall, Giorgio de Chirico, Edouard Manet, Monet, Renoir (earlier impressionists whose works influenced later movements).
Cubism (arts)
Notable figures
Georges Braque (Oval Still Life, 1914) – an early cubist contributor; contributions also by Pablo Picasso (not detailed in the transcript but contextually relevant).
Core ideas
Emphasis on geometric fragmentation, multiple viewpoints, and abstraction of form.
Dadaism, Surrealism, and related movements (arts)
Dadaism
Reaction to World War I; anti-establishment sensibility; dream-like and illogical juxtapositions; use of visual tricks and unexpected imagery.
Surrealism
Emphasis on the illogical, subconscious, dreamlike states; departure from reality; exploration of altered mental states.
Surrealist example
Salvador Dalí: Persistence of Memory (1931) as a canonical surrealist image showing dream logic and distorted reality.
Other major movements and terms (arts)
Social Realism: art aimed at social reform and addressing injustices and societal ugliness; examples like Ben Shahn’s Miners’ Wives (1948).
Abstract Realism: emphasis on abstraction while retaining some referential content; fusion of logical abstraction with representational cues.
Abstract Realism, Pop Art, Op Art, Performance Art, Happenings and Mob: listed as movements under Modern Art, with cross-disciplinary implications in design, mass media, and performance practices.
Artists and key works (high-level overview)
Claude Monet: La Promenade (1875); Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies (1899); The Red Boats, Argenteuil (1875).
Edouard Manet: A forerunner of modern art; works include Argenteuil (1874), Café Concert (1878), The Bar at the Folies-Bergère (1882).
Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Dancer (1874); Luncheon of the Boating Party (1881).
Paul Cézanne: Harlequin (1888-1890); Portraits and Still Life works illustrating transition from impressionism to modernism.
Vincent van Gogh: Self-portrait; Starry Night (1889); Still Life with Fifteen Sunflowers (1888).
Amedeo Modigliani: Portrait of Jeanne Hébuterne (1918) – neoprimitivist influence.
Henri Matisse: The Cat with the Red Fish; Blue Window; Blue Nudes; Fauvism representative.
Giorgio de Chirico and Marc Chagall: Dadaist/Surrealist icons; dreamlike cityscapes and symbolic imagery.
Interpretation and integration with music and culture
Cross-disciplinary insights: Modern art movements parallel 20th-century music’s search for new forms, structures, and modes of expression.
The unit emphasizes historical context, artistic techniques, and the evolution of taste and critical reception across art forms.
Essential questions (EQ) for Arts
EQ 1: How does one participate in or categorize various modern art movements? (Style categorization and analysis)
EQ 2: How can learners relate the messages of diverse artworks to their own creative output and Filipino cultural context?
Objectives (Arts)
Analyzes art elements and principles within specific art styles.
Identifies distinct characteristics of artworks across movements.
Identifies Filipino counterparts and artists within the movements.
Reflects on the mood, idea, or message of selected artworks.
Explains the function and utilization of artworks through evaluation of art elements and principles.
Uses artworks to derive the traditions/history of art movements.
Activity and assessment components (Art)
Topic activities include listening and visual analysis in the music context and style categorization in art.
Review sessions emphasize recognition of movement characteristics and their relevance to Filipino contexts.
Assessment structure and rubrics (art and music)
Rubrics include accuracy of historical and artistic details, clarity of explanation, and creativity in presentation.
There are criteria to evaluate: accuracy, clarity, creativity, and connections to earlier periods.
Group work and individual tasks are assessed with scores and detailed rubrics.
Cross-cutting tasks and outputs (assignments)
Music assignment: listen to excerpts, identify distinct styles, select a piece, and write a reaction.
Art assignment: explore Expressionism in Philippine Art through online research and personal reactions; due with GMAPEH notebook.
Output task: Create illustrated timeline cards comparing Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Modern periods; incorporate a 20th-century music clip for the modern period; provide 1–2 sentence explanations per card about the characteristic shown.
For the Art task, the timeline cards should be 4 frames, illustrating key features of each period along with a modern music clip.
Output format and audience: 4-part illustrated timeline (physical cards or slides) with concise explanations; audio clip for the modern frame.
Additional notes and references
The unit includes references to biblical integration (Romans 8:28) as a model of excellence and values integration.
The unit emphasizes 21st-century skills: adaptability, critical thinking, collaboration, and creative problem-solving.
Model of Excellence and ethical considerations are embedded within the unit’s framework.
Quick reference: key terms to remember
Impressionism, Expressionism, Atonality, Twelve-tone system, Serialism, Sprechstimme, Neo-classicism, Avant-garde, Dadaism, Surrealism, Abstractionism, Cubism, Fauvism, Neoprimitivism, Pop Art, Op Art, Performance Art, Happenings.
Important dates: 1905-1906 (La Mer and related works); 1913 (Rite of Spring); 1899-1937 (Ravel’s active period); 1862-1918 (Debussy); 1875-1937 (Ravel); 1874-1951 (Schoenberg); 1882-1971 (Stravinsky); 1910-1951 (Stravinsky years and neo-classical period).
Summary of the unit’s aim
Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how 20th-century music and modern art emerged from complex historical contexts, how core movements relate to each other, and how these movements influenced cultural output in the Philippines and globally. They will develop critical listening, visual analysis, and creative output skills and connect historical movements to contemporary aesthetic and ethical discussions.