Test 3 Flashcards
Urbanism
Music became a symbol of power and energy - dehumanization of art
Ballet became prominent
Machine music
Urbanism
Machine music
Urbanism
Sports became subject of pieces, Honneggers Skating Rink and Rugby
Urbanism Pieces
Honegger’s Pacific 231 Carpenter’s skyscrapers, Antheil’s Ballet Mechanique, Mossolov’s Iron Foundry
Primitivism
Reaction to over-refinement of impressionists and Romanticists
Intended to recapture spontaneity and freedom of primitive life
Primitivism
African art and music became popular, sculpture and carving
Hallmarks included more emphasis on rhythm, ostinato, use of percussion, polytonality, dissonant block chords and melodies of narrow range
Expressionism
German answer to French Impressionism. Impressionism focused on outer world, nature, light, color. Expressionism focused on the inner self and subconscious (Freud)
Expressionism
Began as an art movement, Kandinsky works of hallucinations and visions. Psychoanalysis
Expressionism
Music was atonal containing wide leaps and using instruments in extreme registers and with special effects (flutter tongue, harmonics, etc)
Expression
Pierrot Lunaire by Arnold Schoenberg is the best example. Written for violin, vlc, flute, clarinet, piano and female voice
What instruments did Pierrot Lunaire call for? Schoenberg. Expressionism
Vln, Vlc, Fl, Cl, Pno, female voice
Pierrot Lunaire, Schoenberg. Expressionism
Extreme ranges and a wide palette of timbre and dynamics. Sprecgstimme (half sung, half spoken) used in voice.
Neo-Classicism
Music was simplified, orderly and with clarity. Not happy nor sad, abstract. Revival of old forms
Neo-classicism
Moved away from chromaticism toward pandiatonicism
Composer as craftsman, not artist
Neo-classicism
Stravinsky, “the more art is controlled and limited, the freer it is”
No more symbolism, just music as art. Pre-romantic forms - fugue, chaccone, toccatas
Neo-classicism
Music with order, discipline, proportion.
Orchestration = way simpler. Away from lushness, more contrapuntal
Igor Stravinsky
Dominant composer of 20th century
Russian, studied composition with Rimsky
1939 moved to America
Igor Stravinsky
More diatonic, key-oriented. Lived in Paris.
Diaghilev commissioned Firebird from him (28 years old) followed by Petroushka and Rite of Spring
Gained international fame
What was Stravinsky’s breakthrough composition? (And his first?)
Firebird
Igor Stravinsky
Russian Revolution of 1917 vaused him to leave and settle in France. (Paris)
Based his music off of Russian Lore
Igor Stravinsky
Did not want to repeat himself. Strong rhythm. Liked working in a key, but has some polytonality.
Igor Stravinsky
Fine orchestrator, used unconventional registers
Thin textures
Melody = IMPORTANT
Igor Stravinsky
Leader of neoclassicists. Turned to serialism in later years. Caused an uproar
Bela Bartok
Besties with Kodaly, teaching young people
Born in Hungary
Bulgarian music.
Did not care for Shostakovich
Bela Bartok
Studied at Royal Academy of Budapest and became an excellent pianist
Became interested in Folk Music of Hungary. He and Kodaly set out to annotate and record peasant folk music. Was a leading ethnomusicologist who annotated many folk songs from around the world
Bela Bartok
In the 1930’s, he was distraught with political scene and Hungary’s alliance with Germany. He left in 1940, giving up economic security and fame. He was unknown, unhappy, and broke in the United States.
Bela Bartok
Received an appointment at Columbia U to do folklore research. Also toured with wife as a piano duo.
Contracted Leukemia, thought his career was over
Bela Bartok
Friends arranged for some commissions, first of which came from Koussevitzy and Boston Sym. for Concerto for Orchestra
Died in poverty and obscurity, famous world-wide after.
Bela Bartok
Built on folk music. 16th, dotted 8th rhythm with an accent on the first note.
Battle of pairs! Parallel interval chords!
Bela Bartok
Asymmetric. Spirit of Middle Eastern folk music
Polytonality
I, II, III, IV, V Arch
Bela Bartok
Used modes, pentatonic scales. Freed him from major and minor.
Equal to Beethoven string quartets and writing.
Polytonality and superimposing chords. Rhythmic and percussive.
Bela Bartok
Music uses tonal center, not key. Chromatic.
Master of form. Many contrapuntal works.
ABCDCBA
Fibonacci sequence
Paul Hindemith
Violist and Conductor, as well as composer
Had his own philosophy of music education and sought to make musicians more versatile and more broadly trained. Proponent of Gebrauchsmusik.
Paul Hindemith
Came to America shortly before WWII because of political scene. His music was banned in Germany
Taught at Yale
Influenced and taught many American composers while here
Paul Hindemith
Master of counterpoint. Loved winds, especially.
Music built around intervals of 4 or 5.
Believer in tonality, rejected Schoenburg school.
Paul Hindemith
Harmony has a strong tonal center but is freely tonal. Use of Baroque-like rhythms.
Traditional forms: Sonata, fugue, chaccone
Wrote a sonata for nearly every instrument
Satie’s anti-impressionist stance inspired 6 composers - Who?
Durey, Taillefeire, Auric, Millhaud, Honeggar, Poulenc
Les Six
Durey, Taillefeire, Auric, Millhaud, Honeggar, Poulenc
Les Six, Darius Milhaud
Came to US during war. Music uses simple melodies and polytonality. Very prolific. Creation of the World (!) influenced by Jazz. A ballet depicting creation according to African American Legends
Les Six, Arthur Honeggar
TRAIN. Music influenced by romanticism, more popular with public. Music faded in later tears. Concertino for Piano and Orchestra also influenced by jazz
Les Six, Francis Poulenc
Music very rhythmic and harmonically imaginative. Fond of winds and piano
Russian Music
Revolution of 1917 brought communist doctrine of socialist realism. Music must be composed for consumption by the masses. Government decides framework within which the artists works
Russian Music
Music was to have much emotion and imagery emphasis of art and social significance rather than individual expression
Nevertheless, a few soviet composers gained international fame despite limitations and have written 1st rate works
Russian Music
Prokofiev and Schostakovich embodied the neoclassical style of writing, which was more music for music’s sake with emphasis on form, not emotion
Severely criticized for these tendencies by the government
After Stalin era, government relaxed its harsh view.
Serge Prokofiev
Attended St. Petersburg conservatory at 10 years old
Gained recognition as pianist and composer.
Came to America in 1918, praised his playing but hated his compositions.
Serge Prokofiev
Went to Paris to try and find success
After 10 years, wanted to go back to Russia
Became leading Soviet composer, lived comfortably.
Criticism came in 1948 from government, was upset and wrote 7th Symphony. Satisfied the state, was also successful abroad. Died in 1953.
Serge Prokofiev
Neoclassical style contrasted with Russian romanticism of Rachmaninov. Humor in his music, dissonance, etc.
Later in life wanted to return to romanticism and emotion in his music. Probably why he returned to Russia, knew he would have support
Love of 3 Oranges - commission
Dmitri Shostakovich
Born in St. Petersburg and raised during Revolution
Childhood was filled with poverty and illness.
Wrote 1st symphony at 19, made an impact on world scene
Dmitri Shostakovich
Opera Lady Macbeth gained his international fame.
Soviet government criticized the opera. He wrote his 5th symphony and regained praise of government. In the score, “a creative reply to just criticism”
Dmitri Shostakovich
During WWII, wrote 7th symphony. Leningrad. Inspired by Battle of Leningrad with Germans, great success throughout the world
Died in 1976.
Dmitri Shostakovich
Primarily a symphonist. Considered foremost symphonist of 20th century. Orchestration = transparent. Adept at melody and counterpoint (neoclassical)
Humor and mockery
Chromatic harmonies
12 tone music
Schoenburg wanted to write atonal music but needed a way of organizing and unifying it
Stressed that the method did not change a composers style of writing, only the pitch content
12 tone music
12 notes equally important.
Tone row, set, or series of 12 notes in a particular order
Melody, harmony would use this set
Set could be inverted, retrograde, or retro-inv
Idea was used to a smaller extent by Bach
Schoenberg and Stravinsky
The two different schools of writing
Schoenberg and Stravinsky
Most music of the 20th century emanates from these two
Both sought to be freed of the influence of 19th century tonal influences
Both returned to thematic approach, which impressionists abandoned. & traditional forms.
Stravinsky
Whose music was devoid of emotion? (Neoclassical)
Schoenberg
Remained tied to the German romantic tradition of emotional, expressive music. Atonal
Hindemith
Criticized the 12 tone method
Stravinsky
Who turned to serialism at the end of their career?
Arnold Schoenberg
Born Vienna, had little formal training in music. Became active as a teacher in Vienna and gathered several disciples (Berg, Webern)
Arnold Schoenberg
Public met his work with hostility as he ventured further from tonality. He composed nothing from 1915 to 1923 because he was formulating the 12 tone method
Schoenberg
Creator of the 12 tone method
Arnold Schoenberg
Taught in Germany until 1933, then came to the US and taught at USC and UCLA
Alban Berg
Born in Vienna, studied composition with Schoenberg. Opera Wozzeck gained him international recognition (expressionist)
Alban Berg
Active teacher! As Hitler came to power, his works were banned. He did not move to the US like Schoenberg, though. Died at 50.
Alban Berg
Was the most accessible music to the public, less abrasive.
Was lyrical, romantic, and incorporated a degree of tonality.
Liked traditional form
Fine orchestrator
Anton Webern
Born in Vienna, studied with Schoenberg
Conductor, then concentrated soley on composing the teaching.
Nazi’s banned his music.
Resided in Austria during WWII, was shot by American soldier 5 months after the war had ended. Curfew violation.
Anton Webern
Least linked with tradition, was the most atonal. Never used repetition in his music. Brevity is the keyword in his music, economy of means. Longest work is about 10 minutes.
Anton Webern
Each tone, each chord has utmost expressive value. Orchestration = transparent. Uses unusual combinations of instruments.
Anton Webern
Pointillism and Schoenberg’s concept of Klangfarbenmelodie (sound colors) is important! Breaking up the melody into different timbres.
Anton Webern
Delicate effects, sound for sounds sake. Silence is used much and becomes as important as music. Interval replaces theme. Had great influence on composers in 50’s! Small output of 31 works.
