Opening Prayer
Almighty Father,
Open our minds to your
grace
As we begin our lesson
today.
You are the source of all
wisdom and truth.
May we learn well what we
need to know;
May we understand what we
need to learn.
May we remember what we
need to explain.
Music of the 20th Century
Introduction
The musical works of the 20th century introduced
new styles and movements of music with
dissonances, percussive sounds, and irregular
rhythms. Music of the 20th century was greatly
influenced by the movements in Europe in the
context of Impressionism, Expressionism, Neo-
classicism, Avant-Garde and Modern Nationalism.
These musical movements contribute various styles
and distinctive compositions and arrangements
behind their innovative and experimental styles.
“The Transitory Period and the
Musical Movement”
Music of the 20th
Century
Introduction
The twentieth century is said to be the age of
musical diversity due to the various kinds of
styles, techniques, and approaches in music.
Music became an important business in the
twentieth century.
Concerts performed by professional artists and
organizations were important commercial
projects.
Impressionism
It is a musical style that produces new indirect
musical colors that lightly overlapped in different
chords with each other. It works on nature sounds
like the splashing of the waves, flowing river,
chirping of the birds, and the soft music evoked
and its beauty, likeness, and brilliance.
Impressionism normally gives the feeling of
finality to a piece, moods and textures, harmonic
vagueness about the structure of certain chords,
and the use of a whole-tone scale.
Claude Debussy (1862-
1918)
He studied with Giraud
and others at the Paris
Conservatoire and as prize
winner went to Rome,
though more important
Impressions came from
his visits to Bayreuth and
from hearing Javaneese
music in Paris.
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
With his intention to change the sequence of
music from traditional and conventional ways,
he found new ways in evolving into a new
language of possibilities in harmony, rhythm,
form, texture, and color which describes
distinctive musical elements. He acquired and
gained refutations as an erratic pianist and
rebel in theory and harmony added with other
systems of musical composition because of his
passion for music
Maurice Ravel (1875-
1937) He was the son of a Basque mother
and a Swiss father and born in
Ciboure, France. At the age of 14,
he entered the Paris Conservatory
with the eminent French composer
Gabriel Faure and composed a
number of masterpieces where he
studied music. He characterized
with unique innovative but not an
atonal style of harmonic treatment
with intricate and sometimes
modal and extended chordal
components.
Expressionism
Expressionism presents atonality and the
twelve-tone scale revealing composer’s mind,
expressing strong emotions, anxiety, rage,
and alienation. It expresses the meaning of
emotional experience rather than physical
reality. One of the proponents of
expressionism is Arnold Schoenberg.
Arnold Schoenberg
(1874-1951)
One of the most influential
composers of the twentieth
century.
He was famous as the exponent
of the twelve-tone system with
twelve tones related only to
one another also known as the
serial technique. He was
influenced by Richard Wagner,
a German composer.
Neoclassicism
Neo-classicism music is different from the two
movements. This is light, entertaining, cool, and
independent of its emotional content. The
composition style used by the composer was the
seven-note diatonic scale. This period combines
tonal harmonies applying with slight dissonance
which has a three- movement format like shifting
time signatures, complex but exciting rhythmic
patterns, as well as harmonic dissonance that
produce harsh chords.
Igor Stravinsky (1882-
1971)
Igor Stravinsky was a Russian born
composer and conductor who
became both and American and a
French citizen, he was born last June
17, 1882, in Oraniaenbaum (now
Lomonosov) Russia. His style of
music is neoclassical which uses
scale, cords, and tone color in a
clear and traditional way with
frequent changes in meter signature,
offbeat syncopation, and displacing
regular accent as he utilize.
Sergei Prokofieff (1891-
1953)
He combined the movements of
music like Neoclassicism,
Nationalism, and Avant-Garde
composition. With his progressive
technique, pulsating rhythms,
melodic directness, and a resolving
dissonance he was uniquely
recognized. In writing symphonies,
chamber music, concerte, and solo
instrumental music, he became a
productive and prolific composer.
Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
Began lessons with his
mother and made folk
songs transcription. He
opened the way to new
modal kinds of harmony
and irregular meter. He was
a Hungarian composer and
pianist, created a distinctive
musical style using folk
music.
Avant-Garde
This form of music was considered as the
vanguard of experimentation or innovation
period. The existing aesthetic and
conventional type of music has been put on to
criticize, rejecting the status quo in favor of
unique or original elements. Adopting
extreme composition within a certain tradition
the so- called “Experimental Music”.
George Gershwin
He was considered as a phenomenal
composer, a cross-over artist, and a
father of American Jazz. Noteworthy
of evidence with his numerous
songs, serious compositions remain
highly popular in the classical
repertoire, and with the mixture of
the primitive and sophisticated
music which lasted long after his
death. He composed 369 musical
works, including orchestral music,
chamber music, musical theater,
film musicals, operas, and songs.
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1900)
This notable composer was
born in Massachusetts, USA,
he commended himself as a
charismatic conductor, pianist,
composer, and lecturer to his
many followers. On November
14, 1943, he was requested to
be a substitute for the ailing
Bruno Walter in conducting
the New York Philharmonic
Orchestra in a concert.
Philip Glass (1937) He is one of the Avant-
Garde composers who also
explored the areas of ballet,
opera, theatre, film, and
even television jingles. His
style of music was criticized
as uneventful and shallow
because of its application to
new sound yet effective
and compelling style.
Modern Nationalism
Nationalistic composers and musical innovators
were misled in the 20th century music
development combined with modern techniques
with folk materials. Prominent Russian
composers like Bela Bartok and Sergei Prokofieff
who were the neoclassicist infused classical
techniques crossing rhythms and shifting
meters. They made extensive use of
polytonality that uses two or more tonal centers
simultaneously.
Characteristic Styles
and Movement of
Music
“Think nothing. Wait until it is absolutely still within you.
When you have attained this, begin to play.”
- Karlheinz Stockhausen
The composers of the 20th century were
discussed and their cultural background and
individual achievement were shared. In the
context of musical elements and its
characteristics on how composers compose a
song, this module will fully help understand
and describe the distinctive elements given by
the composer. Let us discover the different
characteristics employed, learn to appreciate
and bear out the best of the things that
happen today.
The musical movements from impressionism to
modern nationalism contribute various styles and
distinctive compositions and arrangements
behind their innovative and experimental styles.
The continuity of change in ideas, techniques,
and variations of styles from one piece of music
to another had greatly influenced by the elite
composers who brought honor and fame to its
nation. Diversity of musical elements may opt to
continue making great things happen in this
world of music.
Musical Elements
Musical Elements
RHYTHM - It is one of the elements of music that gives structure and pulse of the
music. The following structures are the duration, tempo and meter.
DYNAMICS - It is part of the musical elements that relate to the loudness or
quietness of music. Basic terms related to dynamics are crescendo, diminuendo,
and accent.
MELODY - It is a musical element that focuses on the horizontal or linear
presentation of various scales. Melodies can be described into conjunct and
disjunct.
HARMONY - It is the opposite of melody. It focuses on the verticalization of the
pitch. It is thought to be as an art of combining pitches into chords and carefully
and usually arranged into a sentence like patterns called progression. In this
context, the dissonance, and consonance are the terms being described in
harmony. Other terms that may relate to this are modality, tonality, and atonality of
the music composition.
Musical Elements
TONE COLOR - It is a musical element that produces different and
unique characteristics that have obviously produced by the singer.
Another term for this is timber (Tam-ber).
TEXTURE - This musical element refers to the number of
individual musical lines and the relationship of these lines to each
other. Texture can be classified into monophonic, homophonic, and
polyphonic.
MUSICAL FORM - It is an order of melodic, harmonic and
rhythmic events of a piece. It designates musical division brought
to a repetition of melodic material and or the presentation of new
yet contrasting material. Forms can be described into strophic,
through-composed, binary and ternary Form.
Very Good and Thank
You!!!
Prepared By: Ron Bon Jovi D. Liwanag
My Tasking!
Lesson 1
Activity 1: I Fill in Love with Music
Activity 2: Match Me!
Activity 3: Concept Map!
Activity 4: Fill Up Me!
Activity 5: Right or Wrong!
Lesson 2
Activity 1: Musical Elements Chart
Activity 2: Note Worthy To Remember
Activity 3: Fill Up Me!
Pass on last week of September!
