Rise of distinct musical styles: Impressionism, Expressionism, Neoclassicism, Avant-garde music, and Modern Nationalism.
Influential composers: Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Arnold Schoenberg, Bela Bart贸k, Igor Stravinsky, Sergey Prokofiev, and George Gershwin.
Impressionism
Origin: French movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Characteristics: Use of colors and effects, vague melodies, innovative chords, creating emotional moods rather than specific pictures.
Key Composers:
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Proponent of impressionism, known for works like Clair de Lune and La Mer.
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Known for Bolero and other works characterized by intricate melodies and extended chords.
Expressionism
Origin: Applied to music around 1918; Arnold Schoenberg is a key figure.
Characteristics: Extreme emotions, unsettling and sometimes violent, dissonant and atonal.
Key Composer:
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951): Developed the 12-tone system, works like Verkl盲rte Nacht.
Primitivism
Characteristics: Synthesis of new sounds from old ones; links to exoticism, nationalism, and ethnicism.
Key Composers:
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971): Works include The Firebird Suite and The Rite of Spring.
Bela Bart贸k (1881-1945): Known for folk song collections and the Concerto for Orchestra.
Neoclassicism
Characteristics: Partial return to classical form, combining tonal harmonies with slight dissonances.
Key Composers:
Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953): Known for Romeo and Juliet and Peter and the Wolf.
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963): Works include Concerto for Two Pianos.
Avant-garde Music
Characteristics: New attitude towards musical nobility, improvisation, use of electronic music.
Key Composers:
George Gershwin (1898-1937): Known for Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris.
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990): Known for West Side Story.
Philip Glass (b. 1937): Known for minimalist compositions like Einstein on the Beach.
Modern Nationalism
Focus: Combining modern techniques with folk materials.
Key Composers: Bela Bart贸k and Sergey Prokofiev.
Electronic Music
Characteristics: Use of synthesizers, amplifiers, tape recorders to create new sounds.
Key Composers:
Edgard Var猫se (1883-1965): Known as the father of electronic music.
Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007): Pioneered music concr猫te.
Chance Music
Characteristics: Random techniques, use of natural and man-made sounds.
Key Composer:
John Cage (1912-1992): Known for 4'33", a silent piece to capture environmental sounds.
Summary
Innovations: 20th-century music saw experimentation with rhythm, melody, harmony, tempo, and timbre, incorporating electronic devices and new musical forms.