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Music of the 20th Century

What is 20th-centurymusic?20th-centurymusicis defined by the sudden emergence of advanced technology for recording and distributing music as well as dramatic innovations in musical forms and styles.

The history and politics of the 20th Century provided inspiration for the diverse range of musical styles developed between 1900 and 1999, pioneered by composers ranging from Elgar and Britten, to Stravinsky, Gershwin, and John Williams. Advancing technology enabled the recording of classical music and jazz, which in turn lead to the rise of globe-straddling artists like Pavarotti and Callas.

The start of the 20th century saw the rise of distinct musical styles that reflected a move away from the conventions of earlier classical music. These new styles were: impressionism, expressionism, neo- classicism, avant garde music, and modern nationalism.

Neo-classicism

What is Neo-classicism? Neo means new Classicism means the revival of a classical style or treatment in art, literature, architecture, or music. Neo-classicism in music-was a twentieth century development, particularly popular in the period between the two World Wars, in which composers drew inspiration from music of the eighteenth century.

Neo- classicism was a moderating factor between the emotional excesses of the Romantic period and the violent impulses of the soul in expressionism. It was, in essence, a partial return to an earlier style of writing, particularly the tightly- knit form of the Classical period, while combining tonal harmonies with slight dissonances. It also adopted a modern, freer use of the seven- note diatonic scale.

Characteristic features include balance, objectivity, economy, and clarity. In spite of its obvious intent of classical parody, with frequent musical quotation, Neo-classic music still sounds fresh and new, never relying on exact mimicry of older styles. Neo-classicism was once considered the pre-eminent 20th century style (prior to 1950), and there were many composers who wrote music under its influence.

Examples of neo- classicism Bela Bartoks Song of the Bagpipe and Piano Sonata. In this latter piece, the classical three movement format is combined with ever- shifting time signatures, complex but exciting rhythmic patterns, as well as harmonic dissonance that produce harsh chords.

ComposersThe neo- classicist style was also used by composers such as:Francis Poulenc Bela BartokIgor StravinskyPaul HindemithSergei Prokofieff

Avant Garde Music

What is Avant Garde Music?Derived from French, "advance guard" or "vanguard", literally "fore-guarddescribes movements or individuals at the forefront of innovation and experimentation in their fields.Avant-garde inmusiccan refer to any form ofmusic working within traditional structures while seeking to breach boundaries in some manner. The term is used loosely to describe the work of anymusicianswho radically depart from tradition altogether. Closely associated with electronic music

The avant garde movement dealt with the parameters or the dimensions of sound in space. The avant garde style exhibited a new attitude toward musical mobility, whereby the order of note groups could be varied so that musical continuity could be altered. Improvisation was a necessity in this style, for the musical scores were not necessarily followed as written.

Characteristics of Avant-garde musicAvant garde was originally used to describe serialism. Serialismis a method or technique of composition that uses a series of values to manipulate different musical elements. Serialismbegan primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique

Famous ComposersGeorge Gershwin John CageLeonard BernsteinPhilip Glass

MODERN NATIONALISM

A looser form of 20th century music development focused on nationalist composers and musical innovators who sought to combine modern techniques with folk materials.Classical style music has often gone hand in hand with the virtue of patriotism especially in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century.

What is modern nationalism?

refers to the use ofmusicalideas or motifs that are identified with a specific country, region, or ethnicity, such as folk tunes and melodies, rhythms, and harmonies inspired by them.

In eastern europe, Prominent figures like Bela Bartok and Sergei Prokofiev who were non- classicists to a certain extent.Famous work of Sergei Prokofiev: Visions Fugitive Five composers known as Russian Five- a highly gifted generation of creative individuals. Modest Mussorgsky, Mili Balakiev, Alexander Borodin, Cesar Cuu, and Nikolai Rimsky Kosakov.

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