M.A.P.E.H.(Music)-1st Grading period

Music of the 20th Century

Introduction

What is Impressionism?

Impressionism, in music, a French movement in the late 19th and early 20th cent. It was begun by Debussy in reaction to the dramatic and dynamic emotionalism of romantic music, especially that of Wagner. Reflecting the impressionist schools of French painting and letters, Debussy developed a style in which atmosphere and mood take the place of strong emotion or of the story in program music. He used new chord combinations, whole-tone chords, chromaticism, and exotic rhythms and scales. In place of the usual harmonic progression, he developed a style in which chords are valued for their individual sonorities rather than for their relations to one another, and dissonances are unprepared and unresolved. Although conceived in reaction to romanticism, musical impressionism seems today the culmination of romanticism. Its influence was widespread and is evident in the music of Ravel, Dukas, Respighi, Albéniz, de Falla, Delius, C. T. Griffes, and J. A. Carpenter.

 Who are the Impressionistic Composers?

Besides the two great impressionist composers, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, other composers who composed in what has been described as impressionist style include Frederick Delius, Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados, Erik Satie, Alexander Scriabin, Lili Boulanger, Federico Mompou, Charles Tomlinson Griffes and Karol Szymanowski.

Impressionism 

• Claude Monet (Impression - Sunrise)
•   
• Avoids hard outline of form or realism
• Focuses on effect of light and color that leave a momentary impressionism

Impressionism in Music 

• Debussy blurs forms, rhythms, and tonality

• Influenced by Indonesian classical music performed by Gamelan

• Orchestra mainly made of gongs and chime

 Claude Debussy
 

 

• 1862 - 1918
• Educated at the Paris Conservatoire
• Mostly associated with Impressionism in music

 Debussy's "Blurring"

• Used pentatonic scales (5 - tone scale)

• e.g. (C# - D# - F# - G# - A#) - Asian sounding

• Used whole - tone scales

• Scale made up entirely of whole steps

• e.g. (C - D - E - F# - G# - A#)

• Dreamy or water - like quality

What is Expressionism?

• In music, expressionism is a mainly German/Austrian affair, closely linked to the second Viennese school (Arnold Schönberg, Alban Berg and Anton Webern), and atonality. Stylistically, it’s the follow-up of late-romantic music. Emotions are taken to the extreme, leading to disturbing, unsettling and sometimes violent music.

• The term Expressionism was originally borrowed from visual art and literature. Artists created vivid pictures, distorting colours and shapes to make unrealistic images that suggested strong emotions. Expressionist composers poured intense emotional expression into their music exploring their subconscious mind. 

 Expressionist music often features:

• A high level of dissonance 

• Extreme contrasts of dynamics 

• Constantly changing textures 

• ‘Distorted’ melodies and harmonies 

• Angular melodies with wide leaps

Expressionism

Atonality

• Absence of a path hierarchy where all notes are equal in importance 

• Tonality - Tonic path around which all other pitches are oriented (i.e. key of C major)

 Arnold Schoenberg
 

• 1874 - 1951
• Born in Vienna
• Strong admiration for German and Austrian music tradition
• First composer to abandon tonality
• Wrote first atonal piece in 1909, used recurring motives to give piece coherency

Expressionism

• Art that seeks expression of pure emotional states liberated form all repression, exploring dark, previously hidden emotions or pure and ecstatic emotional states once considered taboo
• Music that comes to terms with your fears, insanity, hysteria or other repressed emotions

"Mondestrunken" from Pierrot Lunaire

• Pierrot Lunaire (Moonstruck Pierrot)
• Collection of expressionistic songs
• Centers around a clown, Pierrot, who is a representative of the misunderstood modern artist
• "Mondestrunken" (Moondrunk)
• Rondo form
• Expresses how the moon intoxicates the poet
• Night is dark and a lonely place
• For voice, piano, flute, violin, cello

Pierrot Lunaire

• Schoenberg's singer uses Sprechstimme
• Means speaking voice
• Singer speaks but on certain distinct pitches
• reinforces the surreal quality of the text and music

Igor Stravinsky

• 1882 - 1971
• Studied with Rimsky - Korsakov
• Wrote ballets :
• The Firebird (1910)
• Petrushka (1911)
• The Rite of Spring (1913)
• Russian - Became French Citizen in 1934

                       - Immigrated in America in 1945

The Rite of Spring

• Premiere in Paris in 1913
• Riot broke out!
• Shocked and outraged at primitivism
• harsh dissonances
• Percussiveness
• pounding rhythms
• Introduction represents "Awakening of Nature" - (represented by solo bassoon)
• Introduction gives way to "tick - tock" figure - (violins play pizzicato 4-note ostinato)
• Strings pound out a dissonant chord with unexpected and irregular accents
• Can hear Rimsky-Korsakov's influence in orchestration

Aleatoric / Chance music

• Music by chance

Ex: 1. Experimentation with the magnetic tape (tape used in cassette tape)

by: cutting, splicing, etc.

     2. Use of dice - Rolling of dice to come up with different notes to be used in a composition

John Cage

         uAlso Known As:

       John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer of the 20th century known for his innovative, avant-garde ideas of creating and appreciating music.

  uBorn:

       September 5, 1912, his father was the inventor and electrical engineer John Milton Cage. His mother was the founder of the Lincoln Study Club and editor of the LA Times Women's Club.

  uBirthplace:

       Los Angeles, California

  uDied:

      August 12, 1992 in New York, USA

Types of Compositions