Characteristics of Twentieth Century Music

Impressionism-
Expressionism-
Primitivism-
tonality got more complex in the Romantic and twentieth century periods. Traditional tonality was not used often.

Impressionism

Debussy-tone color used for descriptions. whole tone scale(notes equidistant).

Expressionism

Schoenberg-Pierrot Lunaire
Survivor of Warsaw. Very exaggerate, over the top. ex. The Scream.
Kandinsky. Expressionism used the Twelve Tone System

Primitivism

Stravinsky-The Rite of Spring
Poly chords, two chords put together to create a dissonant sound, ostinato, dissonance.

Debussy

Mysterious, fleeting, moody.
The Sunken Cathedral-dark, deep, submerged sound.
Prelude to and Afternoon of a Faun.
Reverie
Used the whole tone scale-six different notes, each a whole step away from one another
Tone color

Stravinsky

The Rite oF Spring -Primitivism written for a ballet. Ostinatos. Primitivism, the deliberate evocation of primitive power through insistent rhythms an percussive sounds, however did not have a lasting impact on twentieth century music.

Schoenberg

Atonality- not having a specific key.
Sprechstimme-speech like voice.
Pierre Lunaire-(sprechstimme used)
A Survivor from Warsaw-dramatic contata about a survivor from a natzi camp. Very dramatic and overdone. Twelve tone composition.

The Twelve Tone System

Tone row created by a composer. Con be created in any order but must use every note in the 12 tone scale before repeating the notes. No pitch can occur more than once in a tone row.

William Grant Still

African-American; first to have work performed by major orchestra; incorporates blues, spirituals, jazz; Afro-American Symphony. Composed during the Harlem Renaissance.

Aaron Copland

-Born in Brooklyn-
American; known for distinctly American sound (jazz, hymns, cowboy songs, folk tunes); clear tonality;
Appalachian Spring(theme and variations)-used a Shaker tune called simple gifts in theme and variations.

Ellen Zwilich

American composer and professional violinist who wrote "Concerto Grosso 1985" (Handel's 300th bday) and won the Pulitzer Prize for her 1st symphony
-Concerto grosso quoted handels sonata

Quotations

composers directly quote music of earlier eras of music.

Poly Chords

Two chords that sound normal apart but when put together create a very dissonant sound.

Arnold Schonberg

A Viennese composer who led modern composer in abandoning traditional harmony and tonality. He composed 12 tone music of the 1920's that arranged all 12 notes of the scale in an abstract, mathematical pattern, or "tow Row"