Early C20 Modernism Flashcards
When was the Belle Epoque?
early 20th century
What spurred on French nationalism in the Belle Epoque?
Loss in the Prussian war, separation from Germany
When was Debussy exposed to the Gamelan?
Exhibition 1889
When was Monet’s Impression painted?
1872
When was La Mer composed?
1902-05
What kind of Poetry did Mallarme write?
Symbolist
What were the French and Russian Ballet schools called?
Ballet d’Coeur
Ballet Russe
Who were the leaders of the Ballet Russe?
Diaghilev (brought ballet to France in 1909)
Stravinsky (Composer)
Fokine (Choreographer)
Nijinski (Dancer/choreographer)
What was the first season of the Ballet Russe called?
Le Pavillon d’Armide
What are the first two eras of the Ballet Russe?
1909-1912: Fokine, more romantic
1912-1913: Nijinski, more modern
Name three of Stravinsky’s commissions for the Ballet Russe.
Firebird 1910
Petrushka 1911
The Rite of Spring 1913
When was Expressionism at its strongest?
1905-1930
Name two Expressionist artworks
The scream: Edward Munch
Starry night: Vincent van Gogh
Name two sub-genres of Expressionist painting
Fauvism
Cubism
Who composed Elektra in 1909?
Richard Strauss
Who composed Bluebeard’s castle in 1911?
Bartok
Name the two genres that Schoenberg’s works fit it, under the umbrella of modernism
Expressionism
Neo-classicism
What are Schoenberg’s 4 composition eras?
til 1905: early
til1912: Tonal
til 1923: Free Atonal
til 1920s: Serial
Who was in the first Viennese School?
Haydn
Mozart
Beethoven
Who was in the Second Viennese School?
Schoenberg
Weber
Berg
When was Pelleas und Mellesande composed? (Symphonic poem)
1904 Schoenberg
When were Schoenberg’s 5 orchestral pieces and Erwartung composed?
1909
What are the reasons for the connection between France and Russia?
Protection
Exoticism
Artistic connections (ballet)
Innovation
Turning away from Wagner
Describe some of Debussy’s artistic influences.
Gamelan: Phrygian mode
worked for a Russian patroness
could sight-read any score
followed rules of ‘mon plaisir’
Describe the 3 distinctive parts of Debussy’s compositions.
Harmony: Pentatonic, whole tone, modal
Form/structure: less likely to be in regular patterns
Texture/sonority/timbre: less reliance on strings
Where did Debussy study and win the Prix de Rome?
Conservatoire
What is Impressionism?
Looseness of style
experiment with light
capturing what is seen, not replicating exactly
titled, but subjective
Overlap of the arts
What symbolist techniques does Debussy use in Pelleas et Melisande?
Leitmotifs
freedom of forms
ariozos (no distinct songs)
disjointed time, place and manner
What was Stravinsky’s dominant style?
Modernism and expressionism
Russian style
What techniques are used in Firebird?
Romantic, sweeping themes
Rousing and Russians
What techniques are used in Petrushka?
Two tonalities clashing
Rhythmic energy
NOT introspection
What is the subject matter of The Rite of Spring?
Pictures of pagan Russia
Primitivsm
Modernism and avant garde
What is Expressionism?
hyper-romanticism
violence
extreme sensibility
Name 6 themes in Stravinsky’s work
Russian Nationalism
Primitivism
Expressionism
Musical contrast
Ostinato
Dissonance
What are the roots of Expressionism?
Reaction against naturalism
Failure of Romantic optimism
Freudian psychoanalysis
Austro-German movement
Rise of Socialist movement
What expressionist painting did Schoenberg paint?
The Red Gaze
What was Schoenberg’s occupation?
Charismatic writer, philosopher, composer, teacher
What techniques does Schoenberg employ?
Atonality
Pan-tonality (no note hierarchy)
high level of dissonance
Expressionism/ neoclassicism
How did the public recieve Schoenberg’s 5 orchestral pieces?
1/3 hissing
1/3 laughing
1/3 confused
What did Hanslick write in 1854?
On the Musically Beautiful
Ambrose said: “art evolves, progresses….
It never develops by leaps”
Stravinsky said: “Strive…
towards a greater abstraction”
Stravinsky said: “The fear…
of nature before the arising of beauty”
Stravinsky said: “one…
admires or rejects”
Stravinsky said: “Expression has…
never been an inherent property of music”
Schoenberg said (about the chamber symphony no.1): “Concision…
and brevity”
Schoenberg said: “To represent…
maximum spiritual excitement” (Erwartung)
Debussy follows the rules of:
“mon plaisir” (my pleasure)
