Reaction against Romanticism Simplicity, abstraction World of dreams and the inner soul

The Early 20th Century“The entire history of modern music may be said to be a history

of the gradual pull-away from the German musical tradition of the past century.”

Aaron Copland

Reaction against RomanticismSimplicity, abstraction

World of dreams and the inner soul

(Surrealism, Expressionism)

Expressionism – German response to Impressionism

Neoclassical movement (Ravel)

Maintain balance and objectivity by returning to formal structures of the past – old forms with new sounds! Rejected the nineteenth century by returning to the eighteenth century

New Trends Dadaists –

reacted to the horrors of War. Nonsense was their subject; anti-art

Futurism

Futurism was an international art movement founded in Italy in 1909. It was (and is) a refreshing contrast to the weepy sentimentalism of Romanticism. The Futurists loved speed, noise, machines, pollution, and cities; they embracedthe exciting new world that was then upon them rather than hypocritically enjoyingthe modern world’s comforts while loudly denouncing the forces that made them possible. Fearing and attacking technology has become almost second nature to many people today; the Futurist manifestos show us an alternative philosophy.

Surrealism

--Merged into from the Dada group

--Salvador Dali (exploited the world of dream)

Different musical elements

RHYTHM became very complex Polyrhythm Polymeter Changing meters Irregular meters

MELODY no longer the focus (colors of the instruments)

More elements . . .

HARMONY Polychords Polytonality Atonality

Twelve-Tone (Serialism)

Devised by ARNOLD SCHOENBERG Extreme dissonance became the norm Orchestra SMALLER Composers absorbed other influences

from popular styles, including: Jazz Ragtime

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

Stravinsky

Russian; son of a musician Studied with Rimsky-Korsakov Associated with Diaghilev,

impresario of the Russian Ballet

Compositions

Orchestral music Operas Ballets – Firebird, Petrushka, The

Rite of Spring Choral music – The Symphony of

Psalms, composed “to the glory of God”

Chamber music

His music

“. . . rhythm of unparalleled dynamic power, furious yet controlled.”

“. . . reaction against the restless chromaticism of the Romantic period . . . retained a sense of key”

The Rite of Spring (Scenes of Pagan Russia)

pp. 508-512 Part I

Adoration of the Earth The Dance of the Youths and Maidens Dance of the Earth

Part II The Sacrifice Glorification of the Chosen One Evocation of the Ancestors Ritual Action of the Ancestors

Arnold Schoenberg

Member of the Second Viennese School along with his pupils, Alban Berg and AntonWebern

Highly influenced by Expressionism

His early music created a scene, “and ever since that day, the scandal has not ceased.”

Inventor of

Serialism (twelve-tone row)

The tone row (12-tone or serialism)

The row Original Retrograde Inversion Retrograde Inversion

Pierrot lunaire Uses Sprechstimme (spoken rather than

sung on an exact pitch and in rhythm) Klangfarbenmelodie (each note of a melody

is played by a different instrument) Text (21 poems from Albert Giraud’s Pierrot

lunaire, all in rondo form) Arranged in 3 groups of 7 Set for a female reciter and a chamber music

ensemble of 5 players using eight instruments Conceived in a “light, ironical, satirical tone.” P. 519 – On listening list: “The Moonfleck”