Modern Classical
Music
Modern Era of Music
Music Appreciation

A Short Introduction to Modern Classical Music
The Fast and Friendly Guide to the Modern Era of Classical Music
Characteristics
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A break with the past / “rules” are made to be broken
Dissonance / atonal
Aleotoric Music = Chance Music
Use of prepared pianos, sprechstimme, & musical use
of non-instruments
Modern Era of Music
Music Appreciation
Notable Composers:
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Neo-classicist: Stravinsky
Modernist: Schoenburg
Neo-Romantic: Mahler
Aleotoric composer: Cage
Minimalist: Glass
Electronic: Stockhausen
Many composers write music for films: John Williams
Igor Stravinsky

Seen as the musical
counterpoint to
Picasso
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Changed his style
many times
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Firebird Suite
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZkIAVGlfWk
Arnold Schoenberg
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Developed twelvetone music
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Fled from Germany to
escape Hitler’s reign
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Pierrot Lunaire
(see next slide)
Note use of “sprechstimme” in
song
Pierrot lunaire, Op. 21, No. 8 “Nacht” (“Night”) –1912 [2:06]ARNOLD SCHOENBERG (1874–1951)
Poetic
Structure
Inst’l Intro
1/13/14 4:00 PM
Timeline
Musical Features
0:00
Slow statements of the ostinato motif in piano
0:09
Cello, then bass clarinet add sustained notes
Poetry
Translation
Piano strikes its eighth pitch; all instruments sustain a
0:15
fermata
Refrain (A)
0:20
Bass clarinet resumes the ostinato; reciter enters
Finstre, schwarze
Dark, black
0:25
Cello resumes the ostinato
Riesenfalter Töteten der
giant moths Killed the
0:30
Piano resumes the ostinato
Sonne Glanz.
sun’s brightness.
Ein geschlossnes Zauberbuch,
Like a closed book of magic spells, The horizon
0:35
Reciter re-enters
Ruht der Horizont—
rests—
—verschwiegen.
—mutely.
Cello “trembles” on the bridge; Reciter sings (not using
0:49
Sprechstimme); ends with fermata
B
:55
All performers sustain a silent fermata
Ostinato in different speeds in piano & bass clarinet;
Aus dem Qualm verlorner
trembling effect in bass clarinet & cello
Tiefen Steigt ein
1:04
Upward leap on “Duft” word- paints “steigt”
Duft, Erinnrung mordend!
fragrance, murdering all memory!
Finstre, schwarze Riesenfalter
Dark, black giant mothsKilled the sun’s
1:09
Running lines seem to sag downward
Töteten der Sonne Glanz.
brightness.
:58
Refrain (A)
Out of the vapor of lost depths Arises a
John Cage
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Aleotoric composer
Known for “prepared
piano” pieces &
avant-garde music
4’33’’
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Read as “4 minutes and 33 seconds”
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AND now…a live
performance by your
Queen…or Mrs. Fritts
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Karlheinz Stockhausen
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Known for electronic
& aleatoric music
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Gesang der Junglinge
“Song of the Youths”
Is this music?
Reading Article A & B
Instructions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Find one partner
Decide who will be Reader 1 & who will
be Reader 2
Find a piece of blank paper, a writing
utensil, & your article
Reader 1 reads 1st paragraph out loud to
Reader 2, Reader 2 listens carefully &
takes notes
Reader 2 reads next paragraph & Reader
1 takes notes
Reader 1 & 2 keep switching roles until
entire article is read.
Questions
1.Both articles are titled “Why Do We
Hate Modern Classical Music?” Do
they agree?
2.What does “sound like bus crashes”
refer to & do you agree?
3.Retell a story from the articles that
you remember/thought was
interesting.
Additional Examples of Modern
Classical Music
“Einstein on the
Beach” by Philip
Glass
 “Helicopter Quartet”
by Karlheinz
Stockhausen
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“Clair de Lune” by
Claude Debussy –
example of
Impressionism
Six Bagatelles by
ANTON WEBERN –
example of Twelve
Tone music
20th Century American Classical Music
A
brief list of American Classical Composers
with musical examples
Discussion
Question: Why are these composers not included in the
“Modern Classical Composers” section of this unit?
Modern Classical Review
What do you know?
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Classical/Romantic era rules
broken
Atonal is _______
Dissonance sounds like
________
Major Genres / Styles are
________
Aleotoric music is ________

What is the genre/style of each
composer?
Give examples of each genre
Perform your own sprechstimme
– ready go!
Modern Popular
Music
Modern Pop Music
Reading “What is pop music”?
Instructions:
1.Find
one partner
2.Decide who will be Reader 1 & who will be
Reader 2
3.Find a piece of blank paper, a writing
utensil, & your article
4.Reader 1 reads 1st paragraph out loud to
Reader 2, Reader 2 listens carefully & takes
notes
5.Reader 2 reads next paragraph & Reader 1
takes notes
6.Reader 1 & 2 keep switching roles until
entire article is read.
Questions
1.What is the difference between
“pop” and “popular” music?
2.According to the article, define “pop”
music.
3.What does “Pop Music Melting Pot”
refer to?
4.What does “art is not a concern”
mean?
5.What characterizes a “pure pop”
song?
Popular Music Presenation
Instructions
You be assigned one popular song
from the following eras:
 Pre-1920’s
 1930’s
 1940’s
 1950’s
 1960’s
 1970’s
 1980’s
 1990’s
 2000’s – today
including the following information:
 Title of your song
 Name of artist
 Name of lyricist
 Name of music composer
 Publishing company (record company)
 Year song was released
 Genre
 Analysis of the lyrics
 A 2 minute clip
 3 “Did you know…” facts
Popular Music Presenation
Instructions (continued)
Based on your performance on the modern
classical music assessment, each student will be
given the chance to choose one song from the
following eras:
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Pre-1920’s
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1930’s
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1940’s
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1950’s
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1960’s
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1970’s
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1980’s
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1990’s
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2000’s – today
The song that you choose must:
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Be approved by your teacher
Be from an era that is different from
your first song
NOT be from the same artist as
someone else’s song
Must be presented in a Prezi that
included all the same info as your
first song (see previous slide)
READY???
Modern Popular Music
Pre -1920’s
John Phillip Sousa
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“The March King”
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Emphasized brass
instruments
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Stars and Stripes
Forever
WC Handy
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“Father of the Blues”
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Introduced a new style of
music to the world
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Did not invent the blues
but brought them to a
worldwide audience
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1st blues song– Memphis
Blues
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Beale Street
Modern Popular Music
1920’s
Jimmie Rogers
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“Father of Country
Music”
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Guitar, voice
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Yodel
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In the Jailhouse Now
Modern Popular Music
1930’s
Robert Johnson
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“King of the Delta
Blues”
Used voice and guitar
only
Dubbed father of rock
and roll
Crossroads
Billie Holliday
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“Lady Day”
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Along with Fitzgerald,
considered one of
greatest jazz voices
of all time
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Strange Fruit
Modern Popular Music
1940’s
Bill Monroe
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The Father of Bluegrass
Music
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High lonesome sound
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Mandolin with bass, guitar,
and fiddle
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Blue Moon of Kentucky
Woody Guthrie
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Noted for his
identification with
 the
common man
 the poor
 the downtrodden
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Hated fascism and
exploitation
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This Land Is Your Land
Thelonius Monk
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Pianist who used “stride”
piano techniques along
with more “avant garde”
approach
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Used the entire keyboard,
not just those notes “in
tune”
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‘Round Midnight
Ella Fitzgerald
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“The First Lady of Song”
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Three octave range
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How High The Moon
Duke Ellington
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Jazz musician
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Focused on Big
Band sound
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Take the A Train
Modern Popular Music
1950’s
Buddy Holly
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Rock and roll chords
(C, G, E)
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15 #1 hits on the
Billboard Top 40 in
one year
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Peggy Sue
Elvis Presley
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King of Rock
and Roll
Huge teen idol
and heart throb
Performed
older AfricanAmerican blues
songs
Jailhouse Rock
Ray Charles
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Rhythm and blues
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Added gospel sound to
rock and roll
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Piano and boogie-woogie
sound
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Mess Around
Johnny Cash
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“The Man in
Black”
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Boom-chick-aboom sound
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Folsom Prison
Blues
Louis Armstrong
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“Satchmo”
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Trumpet player and
singer
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Reinvented himself as
both Big Band performer,
pop singer, and jazz
trumpeter
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Summertime
Miles Davis
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Bebop– Throttled notes
Cool jazz—Improvisation
Modal jazz– No keys, just
notes.
Jazz fusion—Soul, R&B,
and jazz added with
electric instrumentation
Tempus Fugit
Modern Popular Music
1960’s
Frank Sinatra/ The Rat Pack
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Big Band Sound
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One lead singer with
full orchestral
arrangement
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Strangers in the Night
My Way
Other?
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Bob Dylan
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Influenced heavily by
Woody Guthrie
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Became most popular
folk musician since
Guthrie, but lost folk
audience for going
electric
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Blowin’ in the Wind
The Beatles
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The British Invasion
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Experimentation
with musical
instruments
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I Want to Hold Your
Hand
Hey, Jude
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Beach Boys
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The California Surf
Sound
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Experimentation with
musical time
signatures, music
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Good Vibrations
Motown
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Berry Gordy
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Black sound
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Back-up singers and
doo-wop groups
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I Heard it Through the
Grapevine
Modern Popular Music
1970’s
James Brown
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“The Godfather of
Soul”
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Soul music
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Funk music
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Get Up Offa That
Thing
Led Zepplin
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Hard rock/ heavy
metal
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Volume to 11
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Kashmir
Bee Gees
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Disco genre
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Known for 3 part
vocal harmonies
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Stayin’ Alive
Sugar Hill Gang
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MC– Master of
Ceremonies
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A mix of spoken word,
sampled melodies, and
“scratching” records
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Rapper’s Delight
Modern Popular Music
1980’s
Bob Marley
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Reggae genre
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Kettle drums with
basic electric guitar
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Redemption Song
Michael Jackson
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Changed pop music
into upbeat numbers
with synthesized
beats
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“The King of Pop”
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Thriller
Modern Popular Music
1990’s
Modern Popular Music
2000’s - now