20th Century Classical Music

Question 1

WW2 Influences; EU composers in the US, Modernity

Answer 1

EU composers move to US to escape racism, Nazis, communism, etc., become teachers and composers, influence each other
Modernity: emphasis on new music; questions society (what caused WW2)

Question 2

Academic support for new music

Answer 2

Rise of Academy as support system (patrons in university give $$ to teachers)
Nat’l Endowment for the Arts (supports musicians)

Question 3

Dominant Rationales; Maximum and Minimum Rational Control

Answer 3

Max: Composer controls all aspects of performance (tone, timbre, etc.)
Serialism: set order ofnotes only played in THAT order (but can be reversed manipulated) sounds chaotic to audience
Electronic Music: playback piece played to tape

Question 4

Dominant Rationales; Maximum Rational Control

Answer 4

Max: Composer controls all aspects of performance (tone, timbre, etc.)
Serialism: set order ofnotes only played in THAT order (but can be reversed manipulated) sounds chaotic to audience
Electronic Music: playback piece played to tape

Question 5

Dominant Rationales; Maximum Rational Control

Answer 5

Max: Composer controls all aspects of performance (tone, timbre, etc.)
Serialism: set order ofnotes only played in THAT order (but can be reversed manipulated) sounds chaotic to audience
Electronic Music: playback piece played to tape

Question 6

Dominant Rationales; Minimum Rational Control

Answer 6

Composer doesn't control performance (performers do)
Improv
Indeterminancy (comp doesn't control what happens next)

Question 7

Edgar Varese; 4 dimen music, tape music (Poem Electronique)

Answer 7

Pioneer of electronic tape music
1: horiz. (melody)
2: vert. (harmony/chords)
3: dynamic (volume)
4: movement (sensatijon of sound)
recorded bunch of stuff, cut tape and mixed it together
Performed Poem Electronique at ‘58 World’s Fair

Question 8

Harry Partch; music system and instruments

Answer 8

Starts writing in EU style, then in ’20s, threw away his music and became a hitchhiker

Question 9

Harry Partch; music system and instruments

Answer 9

Starts writing in EU style, then in ’20s, threw away his music and became a hitchhiker
Made 43 octave music system and new instruments to play them

Question 10

Philosophical Ideals; Americana vs Avant Garde

Answer 10

avant Garde: Push boundaries of what music is (you’ve heard some of these songs)
Americana: American classical music written in EU style, influence by folk, among other styles

Question 11

Charles Ives; use of indigenous material, pastiche dissonance, dual careers, support of new music

Answer 11

Used indigenous music in his songs
pastiche (throwing melodies together), dissonance (melodies that don’t go together)
Dual Carrers (Insurance salesman)
Like new music

Question 12

Henry Cowell

Answer 12

Avant-garde composer; founded New Music Quarterly and was editor until ‘36; exposed to diff kinds of music (including Middle eastern); extended tech (playing piano STRINGS instead of keys)

Question 13

Nadia Boulanger

Answer 13

Influential French composer, conductor, and music professor who taught many famous 20th century composers, including Aaron Copland

Question 14

Aaron Copland

Answer 14

Performed the most, Jewish gay communist, first composer to study in France, jazz influenced

Question 15

Lou Harrison

Answer 15

Avant-Garde composer; wrote symphony no. 3 w/ Ives, influenced by Pacific Rim styles; wrote number of pieces for Indonesian gamelan orchestras

Question 16

William grant Still; Afro-American Symphony

Answer 16

AA composer; made 1st piece of music by AA performed by orchestra

Question 17

George Gershwin; Porgy and Bess

Answer 17

Influential composer; Porgy and Bess his magnum opus, got him in some trouble (all black cast)