20th Century Music Styles Overview

Overview

This lecture introduces the main styles, characteristics, and composers of 20th-century Western art music, highlighting their innovations and global influences.

Major Styles of 20th Century Music

• Key styles include Impressionism, Expressionism, Primitivism, Neoclassicism, Avant-Garde, Modern Nationalism, Electronic Music, and Chance Music.
• These styles marked a shift away from traditional classical conventions toward experimentation and new forms of expression.

Impressionism

• Originated in France, featuring subtle colors, vague melodies, and mild dissonances to suggest mood rather than depict reality.
• Main composers: Claude Debussy (famous for "Claire de Lune," "La Mer") and Maurice Ravel ("Bolero," "Daphnis et Chloé").

Expressionism

• Explored intense, extreme emotions, with dissonant, complex music and lack of stable harmony.
• Main composer: Arnold Schoenberg, known for developing the 12-tone system and works like "Pierrot Lunaire".

Primitivism & Neoclassicism

• Primitivism used elements from non-Western and folk music for raw, rhythmic power (Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring," Béla Bartók's folk-influenced works).
• Neoclassicism returned to clear forms and harmonies of the Classical period but with modern twists (Sergey Prokofiev, Francis Poulenc).

Avant-Garde and Minimalism

• Avant-garde dealt with sound experimentation, new notations, and improvisation (George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, Philip Glass).
• Minimalism focused on repetitive motifs and gradual change, often using electronic instruments.

Modern Nationalism

• Combined folk elements and modern techniques to assert national identity, often using polytonality (Bartók and Prokofiev).

Electronic Music

• Used electronic devices (synthesizers, tape recorders) to create new sounds and effects.
• Key figures: Edgard Varèse ("organized sound"), Karlheinz Stockhausen (spatial and atonal works).

Chance Music

• Music created using random processes; each performance is unique.
• John Cage pioneered this with works like "4’33”" and prepared piano music.

Key Terms & Definitions

• Impressionism — A French movement using subtle harmony and "color" to evoke atmosphere and mood.
• Expressionism — Style emphasizing extreme emotion, dissonance, and complex structure.
• Primitivism — Use of raw, simple musical elements for powerful impact.
• Neoclassicism — Return to classical forms with modern harmonies.
• Avant-Garde — Experimental approach, breaking musical norms.
• Minimalism — Music with repeated patterns and slow change.
• Electronic Music — Produced and manipulated by electronic devices.
• Chance Music — Incorporates randomness, making each performance different.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Review the highlighted composers and their representative works.
• Prepare for a quiz on musical terms and composer identification.
• Listen to sample pieces from Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Gershwin, and Cage.