20 th Century Music & Realism Drama 1900-present

20 th Century Music

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

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

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

Impressionism Impressionism – musical style which stresses tone color, atmosphere, and fluidity, typical of Debussy (flourished )

Debussy French Impressionist composer Developed a new fluidity of form and explored unusual harmonic relationships and dissonances

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

Berg A student of Schoenberg Music is a unique synthesis of traditional and 20 th century elements

Webern Didn’t live to see the influence of his music in the 1950s and 1960s

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

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

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

Gershwin 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.

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

Still 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

Copland A New York composer who used jazz and American folk tunes in his compositions

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”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Realism Drama

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

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

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

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