1900-Present

Modern/20th Century

Historical Events in America

• 1903: Ford Autos Model A• 1903: Wright Brothers First

Flight• 1908: Ford Autos Model T• 1913: Ford introduces the

Assembly Line Mass Production Industrial Revolution

• 1929: Great Depression• 1969: Apollo 11

World Historical Events• 1900: Poulsen invents first tape

recorder Telegraphone• 1905: First Russian Revolution• 1914-1918: WWI• 1924-1926: Television invented by

John Baird• 1936-1939: Spanish Civil War• 1939-1945: WWII• 1947-1949: Israeli War for

Independence• 1950-1953: Korean War

Historical Figures

• Camille Pissarro (1830-1903): French artist

• Claude Monet (1840-1926): French artist

• Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944): Russian artist

• Henry Matisse (1869-1954): French artist

• Pablo Picasso (1881-1973): Spanish artist

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)• Born in the Austria empire• Father was an innkeeper• Family was Jewish• As a child, demonstrated considerable

talent: successfully auditioned for, and entered, Vienna Conservatory, studying piano (and later composition)

• Programmatic composer• Loved the brass: grew up listening to

brass bands• Drew material from many sources for

his symphonies (bird calls, street melodies, country dances, etc.)

Mahler Continued• 1878: Graduated from Vienna Conservatory• 1880: First conducting appointments with small theatres (conducted opera)• 1886: Became assistant conductor for the prestigious Leipzig Opera• 1888: Left Leipzig for the Royal Hungarian Opera• 1891: Goes to Hamburg Opera (conducting Verdi, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, etc. operas)• 1897: appointed Director of the Vienna Opera House and converted to Catholicism• Conducted the Vienna Philharmonic for several seasons• 1902: Married Alma Schindler• 1907: Leaves to accept a contract to conduct the New York Met Opera for 4 seasons• January 1, 1908: New York debut, conducting Tristan und Isolde• 1909: NY Premiere of Symphony No. 1 Titan, not successful• 1910: Munich Premiere of Symphony No. 8 Symphonies of a Thousand Years, very successful

(easily Mahler’s biggest lifetime success)• 18 May, 1911: Returned to Vienna, where he died of heart trouble

Impressionism• Impressionism: originated with a

group of French painters, working in Paris

• Term first used derogatively, taken from a painting by Claude Monet: “Impression, soleil levant” (1872)

• This approach aimed for a depiction of light and vibrant

• The landscapes were painted outdoors (rather than in a studio)

• Typical subjects were water, light, sun, clouds

• Often a feeling of lightness, of movement is captured

Impression in Music

• Seeks to evoke a mood, sentiment, atmosphere• Very fleeting; not permanent• Not terribly soul-searching; not subjective• Relies on allusion, bits of melody

Symbolism• Literary movement in France, Russia,

and Belgium• In France, an important early writer in

this movement was Charles Baudelaire, with his volume of poetry “Les Fleurs du Mal” (The Flowers of Evil), 1857

• Reaction against realism and naturalism

• Promoted spirituality, the imagination, and dreams

• Very fluid, free verse; the sound of the verse is all important

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)• Leading “Impressionist” composer• His style basically defines

“impressionism” in music• Studied piano as a child• Drew upon medieval modes, early

polyphony, etc.• Especially liked the flute, English horn,

and harp• Debussy himself disliked the term

“impressionism” and preferred to refer to “Symbolism” as an important influence

• Debussy used Symbolist literature as a source for his libretti and other texts

Debussy Continued

• 1872: Entered Paris Conservatoire at age 10• 1884: Won the Prix de Rome• Turbulent personal life: many affairs• 1899: married Rosalie “Lilly” Texier (a fashion model)• 1899: Attended Paris Exposition and heard a Javanese

gamelan (important influence)• 1904: left Rosalie for Emma Bardac • 1908: Marries Bardac, has one daughter “Claude-Emma”

Debussy’s Major Works

• Prelude a l’apres midi d’un faune (1894)• Nocturnes (1899)• Pelleas et Melisande, opera (1902)• La Mer (1903-05)• Jeux, ballet (1912)

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)• Known as the greatest 20th century composer• Born in St. Petersburg, Russia• His father was a professional singer• Studied law at first, but also took lesson from

Rimsky-Korsakov• Met Sergei Diaghilev: Impresario of the Ballets

Russes• Strong French cultural influence in Russia• Diaghilev “Talent Spotted” Stravinsky• Commissioned three ballets, which were premiered

in Paris”• 1910: The Firebird• 1911: Petrouchka (Petrushka)• 1913: The Rite of Spring

Stravinsky Continued• 1910: The Firebird

• Traditional; lush orchestration (like Rimsky-Korsakov); based on a Russian Fairy Tale• 1911: Petrushka

• Rhythm and meters: irregular; Bitonality (C major and F# major superimposed); otherwise fairly traditional apart from these two elements

• Petrouchaka is a puppet• 1913: The Rite of Spring (Le Sacred du Printemps) (French)

• Story from pre-history• Choreography: by Vaslav Nijinsky• Costumes and scenery: influenced by primitivism• Irregular meters• Vast orchestration• Fragmented melodies: ostinato treatment• Dissonance• The original choreography: really fits the music• Created a sensation: was something totally new, totally modern (“Primitivism”)• There were riots that broke out at the premiere (He kind of enjoyed it; may have caused it)

Stravinsky Continued• Outbreak of WWI caused him to move to Switzerland because it was a

neutral and safe• 1920: After WWI, moves to Paris• 1923: Introduced to the music of Pergolesi (18th century composer); wrote a

ballet based on Pergolesi tunes: “Pulcinella”• Neoclassical is born: a fusion of classical era music with 20th century elements

• 1927-28: Apollo (or Apollon Musagetes): neoclassical ballet• 1939: Moved to Los Angeles in the USA because of WWII• 1945: Became a US citizen• 1969: Moved to NYC• 1971: Died in 1971

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)• Viennese composer who ultimately

settled in the USA• Emancipator of Dissonance• Born in Vienna, Austria• Jewish family• Largely self-taught• Early career: supported himself by

orchestrating operettas• Mahler and Strauss both

supported and encouraged Schoenberg

Schoenberg Continued• Style: late Romantic; heavily dissonant

• 1899: Verklarte Nacht “Transfigured Night”• Highly emotional• Highly chromatic

• 1898: Converted to Lutheranism• 1904: Began teaching harmony, counterpoint, and composition• Important students include: Anton Webern and Alban Berg• Summer of 1908: His wife left him for several months for a young Austrian painter (Gerstl)• 1912: Pierrot Lunaire

• Beginning of Atonal period• Also expressionist

• 1923: Developed the 12-tone method “Serialism”• Method of composing with twelve tones which are related only with one another• Each chromatic note given importance• Ex: A Survivor from Warsaw, Op. 46 (1947)

• 1926: Becomes Composition Professor in Berlin• 1933: Hitler came to power, Schoenberg dismissed from Professorship• Schoenberg flees to Paris and re-affirms his Jewish faith• Eventually emigrates to the USA (Boston and then LA)• Teaches John Cage and Lou Harrison• Died on Friday the 13th

Alban Berg (1885-1935)• Expressionist; emotional side of serialism• Use of quotation: pop, dance, hall tunes,

marches, etc.• 1904: First music teacher is Schoenberg• Taught music• Served in Austrian Army in WWI• Worked with Schoenberg in developing a

society for music “Society for Private Musical Performances” in Vienna

• 1922: Composed Wozzeck• 1925: finally performed• Premiere of Wozzeck conducted by Erich Kleiber

• Died in Vienna on Dec. 24, 1935 from blood poisoning from an insect bite

Anton Webern (1883-1945)• Cool, abstract side of serialism• Born in Austria• 1902: enrolled in University of Vienna;

studied musicology with Guido Adler (father of modern-day musicology); studied composition with Schoenberg

• Composed and conducted• Also assisted Schoenberg and Berg in the

Society for Private Musical Performances• Uneasy relationship with the Hitler regime• Webern moved to Salzburg, Austria• Shot accidently on September 15, 1945

by an American soldier

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)• Russian composer• Music shows stylistic approaches of

nationalism , dissonance, Neo-Classical, and Neo-Romantic

• Amon the most important 20th century composer, especially of symphonies (15), and string quartets (15)

• Born St. Petersburg, Russia• Child prodigy on the piano• Successful early compositions:

successful premieres of Symphony No. 1, etc.

Shostakovich Continued• 1934: premiere of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District• 1936: Pravda attacked the opera (adverse criticism came directly from Stalin, who saw the

opera and violently reacted against it)• 1936: “Great Terror:” many artists and Shostakovich’s friends imprisoned or killed by the

Russian police/Communist party• 1937: Shostakovich writes Symphony No. 7 “Leningrad” and regained official approval

(more popular in approach)• Depicts advancing German troops on Leningrad during WWII

• 1948: Shostakovich again denounced by powers that be; again gradually regained official favor

• 1960: Shostakovich joined the Communist party; was very depressed because he was pressured into joining the party

• Out of these depressed thoughts came the 8th String Quartet dedicated to the memory of the victims of fascism and war

Charles Ives (1874-1954)• Born in Danbury, Connecticut• “American Original”• Anticipated many of the 20th century revolutions in music, working without

a model or other example• Nationalism, quotation, chance procedures, bitonality, polyrhythm

• Most important influence on Ives: his father, a bandmaster in Connecticut• As a young man, was a church organist• Went to Yale University: was one of the first students at Yale who was

able to major in music at that institution• Ives became a professional insurance salesman: started own company• Though he was not a professional musician, he was the first American

composer to gain international recognition• Pieces include approaches:

• Quotation • Polytonality• Polyrhythm• Tone clusters• Quarter tones• Aleatoric elements (chance things left out to performance)

Ives Works

• 1906: Unanswered Question (for strings, trumpet, and woodwind quartet or often performed with 4 flutes)

• 1910-14: Three Places in New England for full orchestra• Variations on America (organ work, later orchestrated for

orchestra or band)• Early use of bitonality

• 1909-15: Piano Sonata No. 2 “Concord”• 1910-1916: Fourth Symphony (require huge orchestra and 2

conductors)• First performed in 1965

Aaron Copland (1900-1990)• Used a fusion of folk tunes and dances

within 20th century approaches and created a body of music that was essentially “American” in spirit

• Born in Brooklyn, NY• Had piano lessons as a child• Went to France to study composition with

Nadia Boulanger • Early style: modernist and dissonant

• Dance Symphony• Organ Symphony

• Visited Mexico in the early 1930s; fused Mexican folk tunes with modern approaches in the work

Copland Continued• 1935: El Salon Mexico• 1939: Billy the Kid• 1942: Rodeo• 1942: Fanfare for the Common Man• 1942: Lincoln Portrait• 1944: Appalachian Spring• By the 1950s: “Dean of American Music” (most famous American

composer alive in the mid-20th century)• Had to testify before the HUAC (House of Unamerican Activities Council)

charged with being a Communist; Copland was eventually cleared by President Eisenhower

Minimalism in Music

• Movement in music that began in the 1960s in NYC• Musical elements included:

• Consonant harmony• Reiteration of musical phrases• Repetitive rhythms and melodic fragments • Gradual transformation of pattern

Terry Riley (1935-present)

• American composer• 1964: In C (first minimalist

piece)• Based upon tonal fragments

of music• Element of indeterminacy• Very simple melodic

fragments• Notion of music as a process

Philip Glass (1937-present)• Born in Baltimore• Studied philosophy at University of Chicago at age

15• Subsequently went to Juilliard, studied piano and

composition• Went to Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger• Important influence: Rari Shankar (1960s) and his

sitar playing• Indian music: based upon Ragas (a sort of tone

row) and talas (rhythm patterns)• Very complex music: music to put the listener in a

trance• Philip Glass Ensemble: formed to perform his

music: music is very hypnotic, repetitive, fusion of Western and Easter influences

Glass’ Works• Contrary Motion• Music in Fifths• Music in Similar Motion• 1976: Einstein on the Beach

• Opera• 4.5 hours long• Glass’s face was on the cover of Time Magazine

• 1982: Koyaanisqatsi• Film by Godfrey Reggio• Sound track by Philip Glass• Life Out of Balance

John Adams (1947-present)• Most popular of minimalists • Music includes influences of Stravinsky,

Copland, popular music, as well as “minimalism”

• Studied at Harvard University and at Stanford• 1978: Shaker Loops for strings• 1986: Nixon in China

• Opera• Chairman Dances (an out-take from that opera)

• 1986: Short Ride in a Fast Machine for orchestra

• 2002: On the Transmigration of Souls• 9/11 commemoration

• 2005: Doctor Atomic• Opera

John Cage (1912-1992)• Born in California• Philosopher and composer• Studied with Schoenberg, but it didn’t work out• Invented the Prepared Piano• Sound is more interesting than traditional music• Chance operations- important aspect

• Predetermined by shuffling a deck of cards• Indeterminacy (element of chance momentary

sounds)• 4’33’

• As Slow As Possible• Forever Long

• Minutae• Merce Cunningham-dancer• Ranschenberg-painter

• Speech• 5 radios