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Cultural Background
Age of Diversity
The twentieth century is one of the most complex times of all the historical periods. Changes have been fast and dramatic in all areas of culture: social, political, scientific, technology, economics.
In the 20th century, philosophers and scientists formulated theories that disturbed the basic assumptions upon which people based their way of looking at the world.
Changing Attitudes
Civil Rights movement beginning around 1954
attempt to end discrimination against blacks in the United States
Television 1950s
Computers
Sensationalist The sensationalist tends to break down convention and overthrow accepted methods and values. His/her art tends to lack expressive qualities since its main purpose is to shock the listener/observer. Experimentalist The experimentalist seeks new methods and combinations of materials to express themselves. His/her art often lacks unity and coherence. The price that is paid for experimentalists is that they seldom perfect what they invent. Synthesist The synthesist combines what is good of the sensationalist and the experimentalist with what is valid from the past. His/her art usually is less brilliant; yet is more resilient to the test of time
break with tradition (rejection of Romantic) rejection of subjective emotion as the primary basis for art. This is a clear influence from scientific research. rejection of concept that art must be realistic or literal rejection of unnecessary ornaments and attempts to dress up art. The motto is form follows function (architecture). There is a demand for simplicity, terseness and brutality of expression. There is little attempt to please or entertain; only for a desire to reflect the age directly and unashamedly.
Impressionists
Provided transition to the 20th century
Post-Impressionists
Georges Seurat (1859-1891)
Modernism
Flourished from the end of the 19th century until the end of WWII. A reaction to all the rules of the 19th century, which had been called into question by the events of the 20th century. Doubt was cast upon conventional morality and traditional authorities. These new ways of looking at the world were very powerful and evoked a strong response, even if the general public found them hard to understand.
Piet Mondrian
(1872-1944)
Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow
Georges Braque
(1882-1963)
Woman with Guitar
Expressionism (1910-1939)
Centered in Austria and Germany Influenced by Sigmund Freud and his psychoanalytic theories Expressionists were concerned mainly with expressing their subjects emotions often extreme, anguish, hysteria, nightmare and insanity
Edvard Munch
(1863-1944)
The Scream
Cubism (1908-1914)
Concerned with reducing their subjects to the basic elements of form sphere, cone and cylinder. First to produce non-representational art.
Pablo Picasso
(1881-1973)
Three Musicians
Marc Chagall
(1887-1985)
The Green Violinist
Dadaism
World War I Group of painters and poets who tried to break down the established rules of art. Dada means hobbyhorse in French connotes childishness.
Marcel Duchamp
(1887-1968)
L.H.O.O.Q.
Abstract Art
1920s in Germany, Russia and the Netherlands Use of primary colors and painted twodimensional works of geometric abstraction.
Piet Mondrian
(1872-1944)
Broadway Boogie-Woogie
Surrealism
Salvador Dali
(1904-1989)
Ballerina II
Elements of Music
Rhythm
witnesses a revitalization becomes one of the most striking elements of music represents the physical nature of life hectic urban life, surge and clatter of a highly industrial and technical society increasingly became an outlet for innovation: complex rhythms, irregular meters and accents, rapidly changing meters, polyrhythms (simultaneous use of several rhythmic patterns)
Melody
less reliance on melody irregular unbalanced melodies angular, more instrumental in conception
Harmony
a single accepted harmonic language became a thing of the past. Before 1900, harmony was based on consonant and dissonant chords, and triadic or tertian harmony. These distinctions became blurred in 20th century harmonic practices. New harmonic practices were brought into existence to suit compositional needs: polychord, quartal harmony, tone clusters, new scales, polytonality, resurgence of modality, atonality 12-tone
Texture
Homophonic music is predominant but there is a resurgence in emphasis on polyphonic textures
Dynamics
gradual, less extreme
Tone color
became more important than ever; especially evident in the use of percussion
Orchestration
trend toward smaller orchestra with a leaner sound (economics) string sections loses its traditional leader role less emphasis on a blended sound
Form
divergent, form follows function
Jazz
popular style from late 19th century which directly influences a number of 20th century composers
Impressionism
French movement of the late 19th century to early 20th century that began in the visual arts but later extended into literature and music Paralleled impressionistic paintings: vague motives that only suggested a melody; varied timbre; short, flexible forms; use of modes, pentatonic and whole tone scales; shifting meters and rhythms which blur rhythmic effects; use of parallel chords and ninth chords (easily went from major to minor and vice versa).
Nationalism
Reflection of a country by utilizing folk song, stories and dances. This style encouraged authenticity (scientific method applied to music). This style reflected both the culture of the city along with the urban. Bla Bartk, Aaron Copland, Charles Ives, George Gershwin
Neoclassicism
A revival of the techniques, forms and style features characteristic of the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical periods Originated in Germany Igor Stravinsky, Bla Bartk, Aaron Copland
Serialism
Serialistic or 12-tone atonal music Originated in Germany Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Anton Webern Uses a row (a fixed sequence of the 12 tones of the chromatic scale) as the unifying basis for a composition's melody, harmony, structural progressions, and variations
Expressionism
A style that, like Impressionism, began first in the visual arts and then moved into literature and music. As opposed to Impressionism which looked outward Expressionism looked inward and sought to express inward emotions Originated in Germany Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Anton Webern
Avant-garde
This style sought to overcome years of neglect in the elements of timbre and rhythm. Often this style was not embraced by the public but promoted by artists. This style included aleatory music (chance music that exploits randomness), electronic and multimedia. Originated in France Edgard Varse, Milton Babbitt, John Cage
Edgard Varse
Pome lectronique (1958)
Composed for the Phillips Pavillon at the 1958 Brussels Worlds Fair The first, electronic-spatial environment to combine architecture, film, light and music to a total experience made to functions in time and space Utilized machine noises, transported piano chords, filtered choir and solo voices, and synthetic tone colorings
Cultural Influences
Politically: establishment of nations, continual struggle for control, third world vs. major powers Economically: international trade, global commercialization Socially: mobility of society, human rights, social concerns, drugs, HIV/AIDS Technologically: world communication, internet, electronics, computer, Palm Pilots
Other Influences
Radical Experimentation
A general sense of restlessness pervaded culture after WWII. Artists began experimenting with new techniques, new materials, new ideas (avant-garde).
Postmodernism
A new movement that followed Modernism. One aspects of Postmodernism is the attempt to discover the meaning of art. A second aspect is the concept of cultural relativity no one culture or idea is better or more worthy than any other, it all depends on the context. Resulted in blending of Eastern culture, rediscovery of past styles (tonality).
Assemblage
The technique of putting together constructions from different media, often pieces of junk. Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008)
Odalisk
Abstract Expressionism
American movement that grew out of Surrealisms interest in the sub-conscious and what the mind can do without any conscious suggestion. Abstract Expressionists produced huge pictures full of color, energy and spontaneity. Jackson Pollock Autumn Rhythm, Number 30
Jackson Pollock
(1912-1956)
Autumn Rhythm, Number 30
Pop Art
Draws inspiration from popular culture and the mass production processes
Current
Total Serialism: use of the techniques of 12-tone to organize rhythm, dynamics and tone color during the 1940s and 1950s.
Proponents: Milton Babbitt, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Pierre Boulez
Aleatoric Music or Chance music: composer chooses pitches, tone colors and rhythms by random methods, or allows the performer to choose much of the music material.
Proponent: John Cage
Minimalism: characterized by a steady pulse, clear tonality and insistent repetition of short melodic patterns.
Proponents: Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, John Adams
Electronic Sounds: The development of tape studios, synthesizers and computers in the 1950s and 1960s resulted in potentially unlimited resources for the production and control of sound. Composers are no longer limited by human performers.
Proponent: Milton Babbitt
Mixed Media: Music (often electronic) is presented together with visual counterparts (slides, films, gestures, theatrical action
Summary
It is difficult to judge our present musical styles since history gives us perspective. Listeners who worry that the music of our time is no good may be interested to know that similar concerns were expressed about music in Wagners time and even in Beethovens time. 20th/21st century music, like music of every age, effectively mirrors the prevailing patterns of the time.