20th Century Music & Realism

Drama1900-present

20th Century Music

20th Century Music

• Tone Color–Became a more important element of

music than ever before

–Glissando – rapid slide up or down a scale

• Harmony–Dissonance – was treated in the same

way consonance was

20th Century Music (cont’d)

• Rhythm –Irregular and unpredictable

–Polyrhythm – use of two or more contrasting and independent rhythms at the same time, often found in 20th century music

20th Century Music (cont’d)

–Ostinato – motive or phrase that is repeated persistently at the same pitch, used in 20th century music to stabilize a group of pitches

• Melody–Melody became more difficult to sing

Impressionism

• Impressionism – musical style which stresses tone color, atmosphere, and fluidity, typical of Debussy (flourished 1890-1920)

Debussy• 1862-1918

• French Impressionist composer

• Developed a new fluidity of form and explored unusual harmonic relationships and dissonances

Debussy (cont’d)

• Not only among the most important of all French composers but also a central figure in all European music at the turn of the 20th century

• His music virtually defines the transition from late-Romantic music to 20th century Modernist music

Ravel• 1875-1937

• French composer who became a leading exponent of Impressionism

• Along with Debussy he led French music away from Wagnerian Romanticism

Ravel (cont’d)

• He composed highly original, fluid, symbolic music within the outlines of classical forms.

• He excelled at piano composition and orchestration, often scoring his own piano pieces and works by other composers.

Neoclassicism

• Neoclassicism – musical style marked by emotional restraint, balance, and clarity, inspired by the form and stylistic features of 18th century music, found in many works from 1920-1950

Primitivism

• Primitivism – evocation of primitive power through insistent rhythms and percussive sounds

Stravinsky• 1882-1971

• A Russian-American composer, is considered to be the greatest and most versatile composer of the 20th century

• Helped revolutionize modern music

Stravinsky (cont’d)

• His influence is immeasurable, he revitalized the rhythms of European music and achieved entirely new sonorities and blends of orchestral colors.

• The Firebird and The Rite of Spring were both ballets and are known as masterpieces of modern music.

Expressionism

• Expressionism – musical style stressing intense, subjective emotion and harsh dissonance, typical of German and Austrian music of the early 20th century

Sprechstimme

• Sprechstimme – in German, speech-voice; a style of vocal performance halfway between speaking and singing

Schoenberg

• 1874-1951

• Almost entirely self-taught by studying scores, playing in amateur groups, and going to concerts

Berg

• 1885-1935

• A student of Schoenberg

• Music is a unique synthesis of traditional and 20th century elements

Webern

• 1883-1945

• Didn’t live to see the influence of his music in the 1950s and 1960s

Bartók

• 1881-1945

• Music has an individual style that fused folk elements, classical forms, and 20th century sounds

Shostakovich

• 1906-1975

• One of the leading composers of the Soviet Union

• Leningrad, his 7th symphony, became a symbol of resistance against Nazi Germany

Ives

• 1874-1954

• American composer whose original music was ahead of its time

• Music rooted in folk and popular music from his childhood

Gershwin• 1898-1937

• A well-known 20th century American composer born in Brooklyn, NY

• He wrote some of the most original and popular musical works produced in the U.S.

Gershwin (cont’d)

• Wrote scores for several musicals including: Funny Face and Of Thee I Sing

• Combined traditional musical forms with jazz and folk themes and rhythms: Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, and Porgy and Bess

• Composed music for Hollywood films

Still• 1895-1978

• Part of the “Harlem Renaissance”

• Afro-American Symphony (1931) was the 1st composition by a black composer to be performed by a major American symphony orchestra

Copland

• 1900-1990

• A New York composer who used jazz and American folk tunes in his compositions

Copland (cont’d)

• Composed ballets that include Billy the Kid and Appalachian Spring

• Composed music for films including Of Mice and Men

• Major orchestral works are El Salon Mexico and the Third Symphony

• “The Dean of American Composers”

Serialism

• Serialism – method of composing that uses an ordered group of musical elements to organize rhythm, dynamics, and tone color, as well as pitch

Chance Music

• Chance Music (aleatory music) – music composed by the random selection of pitches, tone colors, and rhythms

Minimalist Music

• Minimalist Music – music characterized by steady pulse, clear tonality, and insistent repetition of short melodic patterns

Quotation Music

• Quotation Music – works which make extensive use of quotations from earlier music

tango

• tango – Argentinean dance in quadruple meter for couples in close embrace

vibraphone

• vibraphone – percussion instrument of definite pitch with metal bars, similar to the marimba, with tubular metal resonators driven by electronic impulses

bandoeon

• bandoeon – square accordion used in tango bands, operated entirely with buttons

marimba

• marimba – percussion instrument with tuned wooden bars, similar to the xylophone, but larger and having cylindrical acoustic resonators

Realism Drama

Ibsen

• Norwegian playwright

• “Father of Realism”

• Wrote about many controversial topics that sometimes astonished theatre audiences of the time

Ibsen (cont’d)

• In his play A Doll’s House, Victorian audiences were shocked because the lead character, Nora, leaves her husband and children

Shaw

• English playwright• Realistic characters• Thought of his plays as a way to

educate society and make improvements that would raise the social and intellectual level of its citizens

Shaw (cont’d)

• In 1913, he wrote Pygmalion, a play that exposed the pretentious and phony ways of society