Expressionism Flashcards
Expressionism - Dates
1900s-1920s
Expressionism - Tonality
Atonal (without key) [also called Pantonal (all keys)]
Expressionism - Scales used
Tone rows (dodecaphonic) - 12-tone row Chromatic
Expressionism - Harmony
Dissonance
Hexachords + compliments
Non functional harmony
Cluster chords
Expressionism - Rhythms/Tempo
Sounds unmetered - no time signature (free rhythm), no sense of bar line
Irregular rhythms
Expressionism - Composers
Schoenberg
Webern
Berg
(2nd Viennese School)
Expressionism - key features
- Extreme pitch range + dynamics
- Short motifs with wide leaps (disjunct)
- Hexachord + compliments
- Klangfarbenmelodie
- Tone rows
- Contrapuntal texture
- Often no sense of time signature - sounds unmetered
What is the style of speech singing heard in examples of Expressionist music?
Sprechgesang
Textures used in Schoenberg’s music?
Counterpoint (e.g. 12 tone row used in a contrapuntal way)
Fugal
Expressionism - Structures
Harder to create structure - one way was to use text (Sprechgesang)
Movements tended to be short
