Dada, Futurism and Americal Radicals

Question 1

Who are the major composers?

Answer 1

Charles Ives and Edgard Varese are main ones

Also George Antheil, Henry Cowell and Leo Ornstein, the futurist Luigi Russolo, and the dada sound poet Kurt Schwitters

Question 2

What is polytonality/bitonality?

Answer 2

Multiple key centres at once (I.e. C major and Bb minor simultaneously)

See: Milhaud Chamber Symphony Op. 2, Bartok Mikrokosmos 125

Question 3

What is microtonality?

Answer 3

Divisions of the scale into smaller numbers of pitches

Look at standard notation of microtones - 1/4 tone, 1/2 tone, 3/4 tone etc (quarter sharps and quarter flats)

See: Ives ‘Three Quarter-Tone Piano Pieces

Question 4

What is spatialisation?

Answer 4

Considering the position of performers as part of the composition (I.e. Offstage string ensemble or an orchestra that surrounds the audience)

See: Ives ‘The Unanswered Question’

Question 5

What is a tone cluster?

Answer 5

A cluster of notes very close together, used most by Bartok, Ives, Cowell and Ornstein. Used for extreme dissonance, intensity or a textural effect.

See: Bartok Mikrokosmos (Syncopation), Ornstein ‘Danse sauvage’

Question 6

What is futurism/the art of noises?

Answer 6

Italian futurism was an early 20th century art movement that embraced the new industrialised world and its aesthetics. Luigi Russolo wrote the ‘Art of Noises’ which divided ‘noises’ into different categories to be used for a composition

Question 7

What is intonarumori?

Answer 7

The instruments used by Russolo for his noise compositions

Question 8

What is a sound poem?

Answer 8

A poem which explores the pure sound of human phonetics over semantic and syntactical meaning

Question 9

What is fused ensemble timbre?

Answer 9

A technique of Varese’s where a group of instruments in an ensemble are combined to one ‘fused timbre’. Fused ensemble timbre often involves more or less unison dynamics, rhythm and articulation between each instrument that is part of the fused timbre. Varese’s compositions often involve the collision of different fused ensemble timbres, or soloists against fused ensemble timbres

Question 10

What is block form?

Answer 10

A structure built of discrete blocks of highly disparate timbres, combined or presented in different orders to form the overall structure of a piece. Varese’s ‘Ionisation’ has a block form