The distinct musical styles of the 20th century would

not have developed if not for the musical genius of

individual composers such as Claude Debussy,
Maurice Ravel, Arnold Schoenberg, Bela Bartok,
Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofieff, and George
Gershwin. They stand out as the moving forces
behind the innovative and experimental styles which
are impressionism, expressionism, neo-
classicism, avant-garde music, and modern
nationalism.

IMPRESSIONISM
At the turn of the century, music was
characteristically late Romantic in style. The
Impressionist movement, spearheaded by Claude
Debussy, was being developed in France. The term
was actually loathed by Debussy: “I am trying to do
‘something different—in way realities—what the
imbeciles call ‘impressionism’ is a term which is as
poorly used as possible, particularly by art critics.
Impressionism was an attempt to suggest reality not
to depict itself. It was ment to create an emotional
mood rather than a specific picture. In terms of
imager, impressionistic forms were translucent and
hazy, as if trying to see through a rain-drenched
window. Most of impressionist works centered on
nature and its beauty, lightness, and brilliance.
 Claude Debussy
He was the primary
exponent of the
impressionist movement
and the focal point for other
impressionist composers.
His early musical talents
were channelled into piano
lessons. In 1884, he won
the top prize at the Prix de
Rome competition
L’Enfant Prodigue (The Prodigal Son). His musical
compositions total more or less 227.

Maurice Ravel
Joseph Maurice Ravel,
also known as Maurice
Ravel. He entered the Paris
Conservatory at the age of
14. The compositional style
of Ravel is mainly
characterized by its
uniquely innovative but not
atonal in style of harmonic
treatment. It demands
considerable technical
virtuosity from the performer- with a virtuoso being a
person who exhibits exceptional musical technique
or execution. Ravel was a perfectionist and every it
s musical craftsman. His works comprise
approximately 60 pieces for piano, chamber music,
song cycles, ballet, and opera.

Arnold Schoenberg
He taught himself music
theory, but took lessons in
counterpoint. Schoenberg’s
style was constantly
undergoing development.
From the early influences of
Wagner, his music gradually
turned to the dissonant and
atonal, as he explored the
use of chromatic harmonies.
He is credited with the
development of the twelve-tone system.
Schoenberg’s approximately 213 musical
compositions include concerti, orchestral music,
piano music, operas, choral music, songs, and
other instrumental music.

Igor Stravinsky
His first successful
masterpiece is The Firebird
Suite (1910), composed for
Diaghilev’s Russian ballet.
Stravinsky adapted the
forms of the 18th century with
his contemporary style of
writing. Despite its “shocking” modernity, his music
is also very structured, precise, controlled, full of
artifice, and theatrically. His music output
approximates 127 works, including concerti,
orchestral music, instrumental music, operas,
ballets, solo vocals, and choral music.

OTHER MUSICAL STYLES

Aside from impressionism, other innovative musical
styles arose within the 20th century. Among these
were the primitivism, neo-classicism, avant-
garde music, and modern nationalism.
Primitivism
Primitivistic music is tonal through the stressing of
tone note as more important than the others.
Primitivism has links to Exoticism through the use
of materials from other cultures, to Nationalism
through the use of materials indigenous to specific
countries, and to Ethnicism through the use of
materials from European ethnic groups.
Bela Bartok
He performed as concert
pianist as he travelled
exploring the music of
Hungarian peasants. As a
neo-classicist, primitivist,
and nationalist composer,
Bartok used Hungarian folk
 themes and rhythms. Bartok is famous for his Six
String Quartets. He has approximately 700 musical
compositions.

Neo-Classism
Neo-classicism was a moderating factor between
the emotional excesses of the Romantic period and
the violent impulses of the soul in expressionism. It
also adopted a modern, freer use of the seven-note
diatonic scale.

Sergei Prokofieff
He is regarded today as a
combination of a neo-
classicist, nationalist, and
avant-garde composer his
style is uniquely
recognizable for its
progressive technique,
pulsating rhythms a, melodic
directness, and a resolving
dissonance. His contacts
with Diaghilev and
Stravinsky gave him the chance to write music for
the ballet and opera, notably the ballet Romeo and
Juliet and the opera War and Peace.
 Francis Poulenc
Francis Jean Marcel
Poulenc was one of the
relatively few composers born
into wealth and privileged
social position. He was a
member of the group of young
French composers known as
“Les Six”.

Other members of “Les Six

Georges Auric, Germaine Tailleferre(was the only
female in the group), Louis Durey, Arthur Honegger,
and Darius Milhaud
 Avant-Garde Music
Closely associated with electronic music, avant-
garde movement dealt with the parameters or the
dimensions of sound and space. Improvisation was
a necessity in this style, for the musical scores were
not necessarily followed as written.

George Gershwin
His first song was written in
1916 and his first Broadway
musical, La La Lucille, in
1919. From that time on, his
name became a fixture on
Broadway. He also
composed Raphsody in Blue
and An American in Paris,
which incorporated jazz
rhythms with classical forms.
He is a true “crossover artist”,
in the sense that his serious compositions remain
highly popular in the classical repertoire.
Considered as the “Father of American Jazz,” his
“mixture of the primitive and the sophisticated” gave
his music an appeal that has lasted long after his
death. His musical compositions total around 369.
 Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein endeared
himself to his many followers
as a charismatic conductor,
pianist, composer, and
lecturer. His big break came
when he was asked to
substitute for the ailing Bruno
Walter in conducting the New
York Philharmonic orchestra
in a concert on November 14,
1943. Bernstein is best
known for his compositions for the stage. Foremost
among these is the musical West Side Story, an
American adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, which
displays a tuneful, off-beat, and highly atonal
approach to the songs. His musical compositions
total around 90.
Philip Glass
One of the most commercially
successful minimalist
composers is Philip Glass
who is also an avant-garde
composer. He explored the
territories of ballet, opera,
theater, film, and even
television jingles. Glass
became an accomplished
violinist and flutist at age of
15.
 Modern Nationalism
A looser form of 20th century music development
focused on nationalist composers and musical
innovators who sought to combine modern
techniques with folk materials. In eastern Europe,
prominent figures of this styles included the
Hungarian Bela Bartok and the Russian Sergei
Prokofieff, who were neo-classicists to a certain
extent. Bartok infused Classical techniques into his
own brand of cross rhythms and shifting meters to
demonstrate many barbaric and primitive themes
that were Hungarian in origin. Prokofieff used
striking dissonances and
Russian themes, and his music
was generally witty, bold, and at
times colored with humor. In
Russia, a highly gifted
generation of creative individuals
known as the “Russian Five” –
Modest Mussorgsky, Mili
Balakirev, Alexander Borodin,
Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov
Cesar Cui, and Nikolai Rimsky
Korsakov – infused chromatic
harmony and incorporated Russian folk music and
liturgical chants in their thematic materials. French
composer and pianist Erik Satie was a colourful
figure in early 20th century music, specially avant-
garde and modern nationalism.
 20th CENTURY MUSICAL STYLES:
ELECTRONIC AND CHANCE MUSIC
New inventions and discoveries of science and
technology have led to continuing developments in
the field of music. Electronic devices such as the
early cassette tape recorders; players for compact
discs (CDs), video compact discs (VCDs), and
digital video discs (DVDs); MP3 and MP4 players;
the iPod; karaoke players; mobile and android
phones; and synthesizers have been increasingly
used for creating and recording music that is meant
to be added to or to replace acoustical sounds
made with traditional instruments.
NEW MUSICAL STYLES
Electronic Music
Music that uses the tape recorder is called musique
concrete, or concrete music. The composers record
different sounds that are heard in the environment
such as the bustle of traffic, the sound of the wind,
the barking of dogs, the strumming of a guitar, or
the cry of an infant. These sounds are arranged by
the composer in different ways. In musique
concrete, the composer is able to experiment with
different sounds that cannot be produced by regular
musical instruments such as piano or violin.
Edgard Varese
Edgard (also spelled Edgar)
Varese is considered an
“innovative French-born
composer.” He invented the
term “organized sound,” which
means that certain timbres
and rhythms can be grouped
together in order to capture a
whole new definition of sound.
Varese’s use of new
instruments and electronic
resources earned him the title”Father of Electronic
Music.”
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Stockhausen is a central
figure in the realm of
electronic music. His music
was initially met with
resistance due to its heavily
atonal content with practically
no clear melodic or rhythmic
sense. Some of his works
include Gruppen, a piece of
three orchestras that moved
music through time and
space; Kontakte, a work that pushed the tape
machine to its limits; and the epic Hymnen, an
ambitious two-hour work of 40 juxtaposed anthems
from around the world. Stockhausen’s works total
around 31.
Chance Music
Chance music refers to a style in which the piece
sounds different at every performance because of
the random techniques of production, including the
use of ring modulators or natural elements that
become a part of the music. Most of the sounds
emanate the surroundings, both natural and man-
made.

John Cage
John Milton Cage was
known as one of the 20th
century composers with the
widest array of sounds in his
works. He challenged the
very idea of music by
manipulating musical
instruments in order to
achieve new sounds. He
experimented with what
came to be known as
“chance music.” He became famous for his
composition Four Minutes and 33 Seconds (4’33”),
a chance musical work that instructed the pianist to
merely open the piano lid and remain silent for the
length of time indicated by the title. His musical
compositions total around 229.