Music in the
th
20 Century
20th Century Culture and the
Arts
Cultural Background
 Impact on the Arts

Cultural Background
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Technology and Scientific Advancements
Economics
World Conflict
Psychological Research
Age of Diversity, Age of Eclecticism
Impact on the Arts
• The arts reflected culture’s diversity,
eclecticism (from Greek eklektikos,
“selective”)
• Artists tended to be of three sorts: those
that sought to overthrow the status quo
(current status), to shock; those that
experimented and seldom perfected; those
that combined the two, who honored the
past but felt free to move beyond it.
Visual Arts
• Impressionism
Claude Monet
(1840-1926)
French
• Cubism, Surrealism
Pablo Picasso
(1881-1973)
Spanish
• Abstract
Wassily Kandinsky
(1866-1944)
Russian
• Modernism
Henri Matisse
(1869-1954)
French
Classical Music in the 20th Century
• Music from 1900 to 1950
– Musical Elements
– Variety of Styles
• Music After 1950
Music Elements
• Melody
– Music relied less on melody
– Irregular, unbalanced melodies
– Angular, instrumental in conception
• Rhythm
– Hallmark – one of the most striking elements
– Increasingly complex, irregular meters and
accents, use of polyrhythms
• Harmony
– No single accepted harmonic language
– New chords: polychord, quartal, tone cluster
– Atonality – freedom from a tonal center,
greatly dissonant
• Texture
– Homophonic
– Renewed interest in polyphony (counterpoint)
• Timbre/Orchestration
– Became more important than ever
– Trend toward smaller orchestra with a leaner sound
(economics)
– Emphasis on percussion
– Less emphasis on a blended sound
• Dynamics
– Gradual, less extreme
• Form
– Divergent
• Genres
– Vocal: Mass, Requiem, art song, opera
– Instrumental: Symphony, Concerto, String Quartet
Musical Styles
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Impressionism
Nationalism
Neoclassicism
Expressionism
Serialism
Avant-garde
Impressionism
• Transition style from late 19th century to
early modernism
• Sought to suggest, rather than to define
• Impacted by impressionist art and
literature
Claude Debussy
(1862-1918)
French
“Prelude to the
Afternoon of a
Faun”
Nationalism
• Encouraged use of authentic national
songs, dances, stories
Aaron Copland
(1900-1990)
American
“Appalachian
Spring”
Neoclassism
• Revived the techniques, forms and
musical styles characteristic to
Renaissance, Baroque and Classical
music
• Introduced 20th century elements of sound
within these older styles
Igor Stravinsky
(1882-1971)
Russian
“Rite of Spring”
Expressionism and Serialism
• Sought to express inner emotions (as
opposed to Impressionism)
• Abandoned tonality, used 12-tone scale
• Total Serialism
Arnold Schoenberg
(1874-1951)
Austrian/American
“Vorgefühle” from
Five Pieces for
Orchestra
Avant Garde
• Sought to overcome years of neglect in
the musical elements: timbre and rhythm
• Public often disassociated from this style
• Styles: Aleatory (chance), electronic,
multimedia, digital
Edgard Varese
(1883-1965)
French
“Poeme Electronique”
Classical Music Traditions
Since 1950
• Important Influences: women’s
movement, economics of composing,
computer and digital improvements
• Eclectic, diverse styles: electronic,
computer generated, serialism, romantic
revival (melodically centered)
Folk and Popular Styles
• Jazz
• Music Theatre
• Rock
Jazz
• America’s Musical Art
• Major contribution of the Black culture to the contemporary
culture
• It was a player’s art.
• Styles:
– Ragtime: 1890’s, keyboard, Scott Joplin
– Blues: 1920’s, Bessie Smith
– New Orleans Dixieland: 1920’s, dance music
– Swing: 1930’s, Big Band, Louis Armstrong
– Bebop: 1940’s, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker
– Cool Jazz: 1950’s, Dave Brubeck
– Latin and Soul Jazz: 1960’s and 1970’s
– Fusion: 1980’s to Present
Music Theatre
• Flourished with jazz in the first half of the 20th
century
• Maintains a strong presence today
• Began with operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan
(England)
• Important Composers: George M. Cohan,
Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George
Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Leonard Bernstein,
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim
Rock
• Grew from two streams in the 1950’s: white country
music and black rhythm and blues
• Huge influence of the black culture
• Recording studios of Chicago, St. Louis and New York
were instrumental in the popularization of rock and its
importance as a commodity
• 1960’s: British invasion, soul
• 1970’s: disco, funk, punk, reggae
• 1980’s: new wave, rap
• 1990’s: grunge, pop
• 2000’s: alternative