Music Appreciation Grade 12 Mr. Gribble The Modern Era It is a blend of many types of music. It blends forms of popular music such as jazz, blues, and folk and many new techniques. Claude Debussy 1862-1918 • Debussy began composing music in the 1890’s and is considered one of the first Modern composers. • When he was a student in Paris, Debussy was stimulated by the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe and the impressionist paintings of Monet and Renoir. Debussy…Continued • Debussy is known for inventing an entirely new scale based on whole steps called a “whole-tone scale” meaning the pianist plays every other key from start to finish. • Some famous Debussy pieces include: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Claire de Lune from Suite bergamasque, La Mer, and Preludes for Piano. Igor Stravinsky 1882-1971 • Like many before him Stravinsky made his mark with ballet music. • He became famous with his music for a ballet based on the legend of the Firebird. Stravinsky…Continued • In 1913, The Rite of Spring launched Stravinsky into stardom when a riot broke out between the people who loved his music and the people who hated his music. Arnold Schoenberg 1874-1951 • At the same time that Stravinsky was in Paris, Arnold Schoenberg was in Austria creating music that was even more far out. • This kind of music was known as “atonal”. Schoenberg…Continued • Atonal music is dissonant, which means it sounds as if all the notes are wrong. • After this, Schoenberg took it even one step further and began using mathematics to choose which notes to play. • He called this “12 – tone music” or “serialism”. George Gershwin 1898-1937 • Gershwin on the other hand, was approaching music in a completely different manner. • He took music from dance halls and Broadway and made it into amazing orchestral music. Gershwin…Continued • Gershwin was a self-taught composer of classical music. • Rhapsody in Blue is Gershwin’s most famous piece. • It has been said that no other music better describes the America of the early century. Aaron Copland 1900-1990 • Copland worked very hard also at creating music that Americans would recognize as their own. • Copland’s, Appalachian Spring won the Pulitzer Prize for music Composition in 1945. Copland… Continued • Billy the Kid and Rodeo are two ballets that are easily liked. • An interesting note is that Copland had a day job as an insurance executive throughout his adult life. Leonard Bernstein 1918-1990 • We probably all know Bernstein best as the conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. • He was also known as a talented pianist and composer. Bernstein…Continued • He is also well known for his musical score to West Side Story. • Bernstein is known for picking up where Gershwin left off and creating more music that appealed to modern audiences. The Modern Era • • • • • • Claude Debussy Igor Stravinsky Arnold Schoenberg George Gershwin Aaron Copland Leonard Bernstein