Movements in Music 6Famous Composers of the Post-Romantic Period

IMPRESSIONISM * 1890-1940 * The Impressionist music style was found during the ninetieth century to the beginning of the twentieth century in France * The Impressionist style was a reaction to the romanticism style * It wants to make an impression, not clearly describe the tone of the music
Characteristics
* It uses whole tone scales as opposed to major and minor scales as the romantic style used in the past * It involves a lot of dissonance- chords weren’t used to relieve tension as they had in the past * It includes short melodies that have different moods throughout each piece
Claude Debussy * August 22, 1862 – March 25, 1918 * French composer * Music was not centered around one tone or pitch, he used symbolism * Used many parallel chords and unprepared modulations * Music was usually about events that occurred in his life * Clair de Lune was one of his most famous works * Considered the Father of Impressionist movement in music * Formulated the 12-tone scale and changed how instruments were used for orchestration * Entered the Paris Conservatory at the age of 10, he won the 1884 Prix de Roma at the age of 12 * He sought a style of composition that was free from conventional musical forms and often used descriptive title. * His music was usually about events that occurred in his life * Musical works * Image * Jeux * Madame Bovary
Maurice Ravel * March 7, 1875 – December 28, 1937 * French composer * Influenced by Claude Debussy * Known for his melodies, orchestral, and instrumental textures and effects * His music is found a lot in concert repertoire, also widely known for his orchestra pieces * His piece “Miroirs” (Mirrors) was a five piano piece was a “harmonic revolution”
Impressionism (1890–1940) * The Impressionism period occurred in the 19th century in France and was a painting movement as well * It also focused on literature * Basically, it was a radical movement by all art forms- involving topics and styles that had not been focused on or brought up before
EXPRESSIONISM
* Expressionism is a label applied to a style of music written in the first quarter of the 20th Century. * Like many 20th Century genres, it can be linked to the artistic and literary movements which were happening at the same time. * Expressionist artists aimed to express internal emotions, often using bold colours and distorted images.
The opposite of expressionism is impressionism.
Expressionist Music * Expressionist music sounds very odd to most people! * Characteristics include extremes of dynamics (very quiet to very loud), lots of dissonant chords (clashing) and unusual combinations of instruments, at times playing the very lowest and very highest notes of their range. * The music is described as being atonal (not set in key). * Melodies tend to be disjunct (lots of leaps) and ‘tunes’ are always avoided (you can never whistle a piece of expressionistic music!). * Composers were more concerned with sound colour (combination of instrumental sounds) as oppose to a good melody. * Textures vary greatly throughout a piece of expressionist music, from solo sections to full passages for orchestra.
Arnold Schoenberg * The most important expressionist composer. Incidentally, he was also a painter. * He began experimenting with atonal music (music not written in a key) and was more concerned with combinations of timbre (instrumental sounds) than with melody and harmony. * His two students, Webern and Berg, were also composers of Expressionist music before they delved into the world of Serialism. * Born on September 13, 1874 in Vienna and died on July 13 1951 in Los Angeles * Austrian-American composer invented the method called atonality, composing music a 12 tone series * Wrote pieces for string instruments, symphonic poem, piano pieces, instrumental and orchestral works, etc.
Musical works * String quartet in D Major * Pierrot Lunaire 1912 * Chamber Symphony in E Major
Neoclassicism
* Music is marked my emotional restraint, balance, and clarity * Use musical forms and styles of the classical and baroque eras * Compositions were mostly tonal * Preferred absolute music for chamber groups * Use 20th century harmony and rhythm * Moved away from program music and back to absolute music
Igor Stravinsky WWI, * Born in Russia in 1882 * Superstar in his own time * Hired to write music for the Russian Ballet, first piece was The Firebird in 1910 * His ballet The Rite of Spring caused a riot on opening night. * Went to Switzerland during and then moved to the US during WWII. * Adopted serialism in the 1950’s * Contrasting tone colors * Strong rhythm, even with changing and irregular meters * Music makes abrupt shifts between sections, but still manages to sound continuous * Rich, novel harmonies- even conventional chords sound unusual * Clear, dry tone color * Borrowed from several styles from madrigals to tango rhythms * Inventor of the “neoclassical” style * One of the most authoritative composers of the 20th century * Said that it was not music’s job to express anything “ composers combine notes. That a is all.” * He used largely wind instruments, the piano, choral and chamber works
Musical works * Firebird 1910 * Petroushka 1911 * Fireworks 1908
BELA BARTOK * Born in Hungary in 1881 * Mother gave him first piano lessons * Taught piano at the Budapest Academy of Music from 1907 to 1934 * Influenced by the Hungarian nationalist movement * Spent most of his free time in villages recording peasant folk songs * Unknown in Hungary as a composer until his premiere of his ballet, The Wooden Prince * Strong anti-Nazi, emigrated in the US in 1940 * Spent last five years of his life in the States * Bleak period of his life- little money, in poor health, and felt isolated and neglected * Received a commission for his Concerto for Orchestra in 1943 while in the hospital
Passed away in 1945 from leukemia
BARTOK’S MUSIC * Strongly influenced by Hungarian folk music * Highly unique style that fuses folk elements, classical forms, and 20th Century sounds * Wide range of emotions, deeply expressive * Reinterpreted forms like the rondo, fugue, and Sonata * Music is tonal, but uses harsh dissonances, polychords, and tone clusters * Powerful beat, unexplained accents, and changing meters