Twentieth century music styles

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Факультет среднего профессиональго образования

Реферат

По дисциплине Английский язык

Тема 20th century music styles

Выполнена обучающимся группы КДБо 141/0-19

Рычкова Милана Николаевна

Преподаватель Кузнецова Марина Геннадьевна

Москва - 2019 г

Introduction

Music plays a big role in my life. I chose this theme because Fab For - The Beatles existed in the 20th century. The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. They are often regarded as the most influential band of all time. The group were integral to the evolution of pop music into an art from and to the development of the counterculture of the 1960s. Their sound, rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways. They also pioneered recording techniques and explored music styles ranging from ballads and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock. As they continued to draw influences from a variety of cultural sources, their musical and and Lyrical sophistication grew, and they came to be seen as embodying the era's socio-cultural movements.

Music is a form of art; an expression of emotions through harmonic frequencies. Music is also a form of entertainment that puts sounds together in a way that people like, find interesting or dance to. Most music includes people singing with their voices or playing musical instruments as the piano, guitar, drums violin.

The word music comes from the Greek world (mousike), which means "(art) of the Muses". In Ancient Greece the Muses included the goddesses of music, poetry, art, and dance. Someone who makes music is known as a musician

The 20th century is described as the period from 1900-1999, however, there is an inconsistency with the dates allocated to this period of music (20th century music). Most people believe the dates to be 1900-1940. This is because when people refer to 20th century music, they are referring to 20th century “classical” music (as opposed to jazz, rock, pop etc.).This period (1900-1940) is when the main works of the era were composed. There were many countries involved in the development of this era. Countries such as Germany and Russia (influenced neoclassicism) and France (influenced impressionism). Other areas, such as Argentina, Brazil and Latin America produced some important composers. Prominent composers in this era include; Igor Stravinsky, Claude Debussy, George Gershwin, Bela Bartok and Arnold Schoenberg.

The bulk of essay.

Although music from the 20th century is vastly different from previous eras, the composers were still influenced by elements of the past. They used a combination these elements and the other elements introduced in this era to create their own sound. There are five basic categories to describe the musical elements of 20th century music. These are melody, rhythm, harmony, texture and timbre/instrumentation. The melodies were wide-ranging, contained wide-leaps (much less vocal-centric), and were unbalanced and unpredictable. There was much less emphasis put on the melody and this meant the rhythms became more important. This is different from the previous eras except for the fact that the Baroque and Romantic eras also had hard-to-remember melodies. The rhythms in 20th century music became more complex. There were frequent tempo changes and the music used polyrhythms and other exciting and different rhythmic techniques. These polyrhythms can be seen in Charles Ives' music. As mentioned before, there was more emphasis on rhythm in this era compared to the previous eras. The rhythms were also quite unpredictable. Other than that, these elements are quite similar to the romantic era and quite different to the classical era (steady tempo etc.). There were a few new harmonic techniques introduced in this era.

This era was a time of revolt and change. Like any other period it is a change as a reaction to the previous ideas of the previous eras. At first these styles were not received well (causing riots at concerts), but eventually, people got used to the unconventional style of this era. It is quite different to the periods before it. The developments in this era include: more electronic instruments being used and developments in compositional techniques that completely disregarded previous rules or systems (while sometimes using elements for the previous eras). This can be seen in the development of the harmonic techniques. It was basically a time where each composer could experiment and create their own style and sound (e.g use of whole-tone and pentatonic scales). This was because they did not have to follow existing rules set out for them, like in the baroque and classical periods.

Impressionism, as the name suggests, focuses on the impression of an idea that a piece of music evokes rather than having a clear description. This creates a soft, subtle, almost dream-like effect. The music has a colourful texture and uses unusual scales such as the whole-tone scale. It was influenced by the impressionist movement in France, which was an artistic movement. Many of the composers were influenced by the nature of the paintings themselves. Some say this movement was a reaction to late romanticism. Composers within the genre preferred to use short genres and forms such as preludes, nocturnes and arabesques. A prominent composer in this style is French composer, Claude Debussy. You can clearly see elements of impressionism in his composition, Clair De Lune from Suite Bergamasque. The piece has an overall dream-like effect and Debussy experiments with non-functional harmony. Even though it opens and closes with the tonic chord of D flat major, the root key throughout the piece is unclear. There is a presence of dissonance and the rhythms are relatively complex. As mentioned before there is a use of unconventional harmony.

Expressionism is extremely emotionally driven

It acts as reaction to the composer's subconscious mind.” It was influenced/started by Van Gogh's paintings. The music is not meant to be “pretty” or “pleasing to the ear .This is why some say it is a reaction to this positive characteristic of Impressionism. The music is very expressive, similar to the romantic period, so there are contrasts in dynamics and tempo. The melodies are also unbalanced with wide-leaps and complex rhythms. There is still a presence of dissonance and tonality has also basically been terminated. Some genres within this style include orchestral pieces and dramas such as operas, melodramas and one- act dramas. This was probably a popular genre because dramas are sure to evoke the strong emotion the music suggests. A prominent composer in this genre is Austrian composer, Arnold Schoenberg. He influenced the development of atonality and 12-tone technique. Many elements of expressionism can be seen in his composition, Erwotung Op.17 (1909). This composition is a score for his one-act drama, Erwotung. The music of the orchestra perfectly reflects the strong emotions of the main character (when she finds her dead lover) and the depressing story line, which supposedly has elements of dirty realism. This composition has no overall musical, rhythmic, melodic and harmonic structure (it is through composed). It is atonal, as most expressionist music is, and it is still quite expressive. emotion harmonic composer musical

Neoclassicism is more “structural” than impressionism and expressionism. It is more balanced and places more emphasis on emotional restriction. This was influenced by the elements of the classical period and that is why it is called Neoclassicism. It was a reaction to the emotionally driven romanticism and expressionism periods. Germany and France were involved with the development of this style because of the composers it produced. Even though there was more structure, there were still elements of 20th music, such as complex/exciting rhythmic aspects. Similar to the classical period, genres within this style include symphonies, operas, chamber music, concerto grosso, fugue etc. A prominent composer within this style is Igor Stravinsky. He is a Russian composer who converted to this style after the 1920s. It is said that his opera, The Rake's Progress, was the composition that concluded his Neoclassicism. This opera was set in the 18th century; therefore, it gave way for classical elements in the music to be displayed. A 3-act opera is based on the legend of Faust. Stravinsky uses counterpoint in this opera, which indicates a contrapuntal texture. As with most of Stravinsky's works, the rhythms relatively energetic and there is a melodic and harmonic diversity.

Prior to and after World War II, the United States became a center of musical activity. Many composers from Europe moved to the US and some of them even became faculty members. Discover the music forms and styles, along with the composers and musicians, who defined 20th-century music.

Music Forms and Styles of the 20th Century

* 12-tone System: A term mainly attributed to Arnold Schoenberg, who wanted to eliminate the tonal center. He developed a technique called 12-tone system wherein all the 12 notes of the octave are of equal importance. The 12 notes are placed in a specific order called a "tone-row" or "tone-series," and no note is repeated within a row. This evoked music that felt anxious and unresolved.

* Concert Music: Many composers combined jazz music elements with other music styles such as classical and blues. Music during this time also spoke of nationalistic fervor. Some of the composers whose works were greatly appreciated were George Gershwin (Rhapsody in Blue), Aaron Copland (Rodeo) and Dmitry Shostakovich (The Golden Age).

* Electronic Music: Composers of electronic music experimented with technology and how it affects certain aspects of music such as melody and rhythm.

* Impressionistic: This term derived from the painter Monet, in the work, Impression, Sunrise. In music, it is applied to works of early 20th century composers such as Debussy. Debussy rejected the rules of tonality and created music that is pleasing to the ears as impressionist paintings are appealing to the eyes. This resulted in music that was relaxed and almost dreamlike.

* Jazz: Jazz can be traced back to earlier African-American music styles. Jazz music is particularly notable for its improvisation, harmonic progressions, and syncopated (modified) rhythms.

* Minimalism: This type of music was simple and featured patterns that were repeated and supported by a steady beat. The music of Steve Reich and Philip Glass were labeled as such.

* New Romanticism: The movement began in eastern Europe and desired music that was expressive, haunting and mysterious, much like the music of the past. Composers who used this technique were George Crumb (Ancient Voices of Children) and Gyorgy Ligeti (Lux Aeterna), among others.

* Neoclassical: A term applied to the music of early 20th century composers like Stravinsky which reflects the 18th-century music. Stravinsky's works, particularly after the highly acclaimed The Rite of Spring, did not emphasize tonality but felt restrained. Stravinsky was discovered by Sergei Diaghilev, the producer of the Ballet Rouse. His earlier works reflected influences from Debussy's dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns.

* Serialism: This was based on Schoenberg's 12-tone system, which was continued by his student Anton von Webern. Serialism was evident in the music of the 1950s and 60s but appreciation was limited to university professors and their students. Serialism used a strict musical formula that was difficult to play. Composers who used this technique were Milton Babbitt and Pierre Boulez, to name a few.

Conclusion

The 20th century was a time of change and experimentation and 20th century music reflects that. The many styles and techniques that have developed from this one era and the non-existent limits that were put into place for composers reflects just how less structured the music was compared to the previous eras of music.

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