1. 20 th Century Music & Realism Drama 1900-present

2. 20 th Century Music

3. Tone Color – Became a more important element of music than ever before – Glissando – rapid slide up or down a scale Harmony – Dissonance – was treated in the same way consonance was

4. 20 th Century Music (cont’d) Rhythm – Irregular and unpredictable – Polyrhythm – use of two or more contrasting and independent rhythms at the same time, often found in 20 th century music

5. 20 th Century Music (cont’d) – Ostinato – motive or phrase that is repeated persistently at the same pitch, used in 20 th century music to stabilize a group of pitches Melody – Melody became more difficult to sing

6. Impressionism Impressionism – musical style which stresses tone color, atmosphere, and fluidity, typical of Debussy (flourished 1890-1920)

7. Debussy 1862-1918 French Impressionist composer Developed a new fluidity of form and explored unusual harmonic relationships and dissonances

8. Debussy (cont’d) Not only among the most important of all French composers but also a central figure in all European music at the turn of the 20 th century His music virtually defines the transition from late-Romantic music to 20 th century Modernist music

9. Ravel 1875-1937 French composer who became a leading exponent of Impressionism Along with Debussy he led French music away from Wagnerian Romanticism

10. Ravel (cont’d) He composed highly original, fluid, symbolic music within the outlines of classical forms. He excelled at piano composition and orchestration, often scoring his own piano pieces and works by other composers.

11. Neoclassicism Neoclassicism – musical style marked by emotional restraint, balance, and clarity, inspired by the form and stylistic features of 18 th century music, found in many works from 1920-1950

12. Primitivism Primitivism – evocation of primitive power through insistent rhythms and percussive sounds

13. Stravinsky 1882-1971 A Russian-American composer, is considered to be the greatest and most versatile composer of the 20 th century Helped revolutionize modern music

14. Stravinsky (cont’d) His influence is immeasurable, he revitalized the rhythms of European music and achieved entirely new sonorities and blends of orchestral colors. The Firebird and The Rite of Spring were both ballets and are known as masterpieces of modern music.

15. Expressionism Expressionism – musical style stressing intense, subjective emotion and harsh dissonance, typical of German and Austrian music of the early 20 th century

16. Sprechstimme Sprechstimme – in German, speech- voice; a style of vocal performance halfway between speaking and singing

17. Schoenberg 1874-1951 Almost entirely self-taught by studying scores, playing in amateur groups, and going to concerts

18. Berg 1885-1935 A student of Schoenberg Music is a unique synthesis of traditional and 20 th century elements

19. Webern 1883-1945 Didn’t live to see the influence of his music in the 1950s and 1960s

20. Bartók 1881-1945 Music has an individual style that fused folk elements, classical forms, and 20 th century sounds

21. Shostakovich 1906-1975 One of the leading composers of the Soviet Union Leningrad, his 7 th symphony, became a symbol of resistance against Nazi Germany

22. Ives 1874-1954 American composer whose original music was ahead of its time Music rooted in folk and popular music from his childhood

23. Gershwin 1898-1937 A well-known 20 th century American composer born in Brooklyn, NY He wrote some of the most original and popular musical works produced in the U.S.

24. Gershwin (cont’d) Wrote scores for several musicals including: Funny Face and Of Thee I Sing Combined traditional musical forms with jazz and folk themes and rhythms: Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, and Porgy and Bess Composed music for Hollywood films

25. Still 1895-1978 Part of the “Harlem Renaissance” Afro-American Symphony (1931) was the 1 st composition by a black composer to be performed by a major American symphony orchestra

26. Copland 1900-1990 A New York composer who used jazz and American folk tunes in his compositions

27. Copland (cont’d) Composed ballets that include Billy the Kid and Appalachian Spring Composed music for films including Of Mice and Men Major orchestral works are El Salon Mexico and the Third Symphony “The Dean of American Composers”

28. Serialism Serialism – method of composing that uses an ordered group of musical elements to organize rhythm, dynamics, and tone color, as well as pitch

29. Chance Music Chance Music (aleatory music) – music composed by the random selection of pitches, tone colors, and rhythms

30. Minimalist Music Minimalist Music – music characterized by steady pulse, clear tonality, and insistent repetition of short melodic patterns

31. Quotation Music Quotation Music – works which make extensive use of quotations from earlier music

32. tango tango – Argentinean dance in quadruple meter for couples in close embrace

33. vibraphone vibraphone – percussion instrument of definite pitch with metal bars, similar to the marimba, with tubular metal resonators driven by electronic impulses

34. bandoeon bandoeon – square accordion used in tango bands, operated entirely with buttons

35. marimba marimba – percussion instrument with tuned wooden bars, similar to the xylophone, but larger and having cylindrical acoustic resonators

36. Realism Drama

37. Ibsen Norwegian playwright “Father of Realism” Wrote about many controversial topics that sometimes astonished theatre audiences of the time

38. Ibsen (cont’d) In his play A Doll’s House, Victorian audiences were shocked because the lead character, Nora, leaves her husband and children

39. Shaw English playwright Realistic characters Thought of his plays as a way to educate society and make improvements that would raise the social and intellectual level of its citizens

40. Shaw (cont’d) In 1913, he wrote Pygmalion, a play that exposed the pretentious and phony ways of society