Modernism in Music | Modern Classical Music | Music History Video Lesson
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the modern period in Western music history, from 1890 to 1945, highlighting the era's social and political upheavals and their impact on music. It delves into modernism's diverse musical styles, including impressionism, primitivism, neoclassicism, and atonality, showcasing composers' experimentation with sound, rhythm, and harmony. The script also touches on the influence of scientific advancements and the avant-garde movement, setting the stage for the post-modernist trends to come.
Takeaways
- 🎼 The modern period in Western music history spanned from approximately 1890 to 1945, characterized by both a historical time period and a philosophical aesthetic.
- 🌟 Modernism in music arose as a reaction to radical changes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, reflecting a wide range of musical styles that emerged during this era.
- 🏛 Modernist composers saw themselves as the avant-garde, pushing the boundaries of music through experimentation with sound, timbres, rhythms, and tonality.
- 🎶 One of the key traits of musical modernism was the rejection of functional tonality, leading to the exploration of new sound colors and organizational techniques.
- 🌅 Impressionism in music was both an extension of romanticism and a reaction against German romanticism, focusing on innovative sound colors and non-functional harmony.
- 🦋 Primitivism took the romantic focus on nationalism and folk music to a new level, with composers exploring humanity's natural and primitive roots through non-Western harmonies and driving rhythms.
- 🎩 Neoclassicism rejected romanticism by looking back to the music of the 17th and 18th centuries, incorporating modern harmonies into classical forms and genres.
- 🔍 Atonality, connected with expressionism, sought to emancipate dissonance from traditional harmonic conventions, leading to the development of serialism by composers like Arnold Schoenberg.
- 🤝 Many modernist composers mixed and matched elements of different styles within their compositions, creating a diverse and experimental musical landscape.
- 🌐 The musical experimentalism of the first half of the 20th century laid the groundwork for even more innovation in the second half, with a heavier reliance on new technologies and structural procedures.
- 📚 The script provides a list of major composers of the modern period and musical examples to explore the sound of modernism, offering a comprehensive overview for further study.
Q & A
What is the time period covered by the modern period in Western music history?
-The modern period in Western music history covers approximately from 1890 to 1945.
What does the term 'modernism' signify in the context of music?
-In the context of music, 'modernism' refers to both a historical time period and a philosophical aesthetic, describing forms of musical expression that adhered to the radical changes happening at the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century.
What were the major social and political upheavals during the period of modernism in music?
-Major social and political upheavals during the period of modernism included the Franco-Prussian War, the Spanish-American War, the First World War, the Russian Revolution, the Spanish flu, the Great Depression, the rise of Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler, and the Second World War.
How did scientific achievements influence the modernist composers?
-Scientific achievements such as Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory, Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis, and Albert Einstein's theories of relativity, along with technological inventions like recorded sound, the telephone, automobiles, and airplanes, inspired modernist composers to challenge traditional musical conventions and experiment with new ways of constructing music.
What is the significance of the rejection of functional tonality in musical modernism?
-The rejection of functional tonality in musical modernism signifies a break from traditional harmony rules, allowing composers to explore different sound colors, new ways of organizing sound, polytonality, and even post-tonality.
What are the key characteristics of Impressionism in music?
-Key characteristics of Impressionism in music include innovative sound colors, an avoidance of strict meter, the use of non-functional harmony, and a focus on instrumental solos that blend into each other to create a dreamy, impressionistic effect.
How does Primitivism in music relate to the broader cultural and scientific context of its time?
-Primitivism in music is influenced by both national pride in folk music and Charles Darwin's theories of evolution, focusing on a more natural or primitive expression that is disengaged from the modern world's complexities. It often utilizes non-Western harmonies, scales, driving rhythms, and odd meters.
What distinguishes Neoclassicism from other styles of modernism?
-Neoclassicism distinguishes itself by rejecting Romanticism and looking back to the music of the 17th and 18th centuries, utilizing baroque genres and forms with modern and even jazz-influenced harmonies, creating a sense of objectivity and timelessness.
What is Serialism and how did Arnold Schoenberg pioneer its use in music?
-Serialism is a form of atonality where all 12 pitches of a chromatic scale must sound before any can repeat, aiming to make all pitches equal. Arnold Schoenberg pioneered its use by constructing melodies and harmonies based on a matrix of all 12 pitches, which influenced a generation of composers.
How did composers during the modern period experiment with combining different styles?
-Composers during the modern period often mixed and matched elements of different styles within single pieces or across their careers, such as combining primitive rhythms with atonal harmonies within a neoclassical structure, as seen in the works of Igor Stravinsky and Aaron Copland.
What technological and structural changes in music composition are hinted at for the second half of the 20th century in the script?
-The script suggests that the second half of the 20th century saw an explosion of musical experimentalism, relying more heavily on new technologies and structural procedures for composing music, which will be explored in the next video on post-modernism.
Outlines
🎼 Introduction to Modernism in Western Music History
This paragraph introduces the modern period in Western music history, spanning from 1890 to 1945. It explains modernism as both a historical era and a philosophical aesthetic, emphasizing its use to describe the radical musical changes of the time. The paragraph sets the stage for understanding modernism's diverse styles by discussing the significant social and political events that influenced this period, including wars, revolutions, and scientific breakthroughs. It also highlights the role of modernist composers as avant-garde, challenging traditional musical constructs and experimenting with new sounds and structures.
🎹 Exploring the Styles of Modernism: Impressionism, Primitivism, Neoclassicism, and Atonality
The second paragraph delves into the four prominent styles of musical modernism: Impressionism, Primitivism, Neoclassicism, and Atonality. Impressionism is described as an evolution from Romanticism, focusing on innovative sound colors and non-functional harmony, exemplified by Claude Debussy's 'Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun.' Primitivism is portrayed as a movement that embraced natural and primitive elements, with Stravinsky's 'The Rite of Spring' as a key example. Neoclassicism is presented as a reaction against Romanticism, favoring older musical forms with modern harmonies, as illustrated by Stravinsky's 'Pulcinella.' Atonality is discussed in the context of Expressionism, with composers like Schoenberg pioneering serialism to liberate dissonance from traditional harmony. The paragraph concludes by noting the fluidity of these styles, as many composers integrated various elements in their works.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Modernism
💡Impressionism
💡Primitivism
💡Neoclassicism
💡Atonality
💡Expressionism
💡Avant-garde
💡Polytonality
💡Post-tonality
💡Serialism
💡Historical Context
Highlights
Modernism in Western music history is examined from 1890 to 1945, encompassing a historical period and a philosophical aesthetic.
Modernism's first use by critics to describe radical musical changes at the turn of the 19th to 20th century.
Modernism's lack of unifying musical traits makes it useful for referencing diverse styles from the era.
The sounds of modernism vary from wistful and bucolic to bizarre and jarring.
Understanding the social and political upheaval of the late 19th and early 20th centuries is key to modernism.
Modernism was a reaction to unprecedented death and destruction, influencing artistic representation of human experience.
Scientific achievements, like Darwin's theory of evolution and Freud's psychoanalysis, inspired modernism.
Einstein's theories of relativity fundamentally changed perceptions of time and space, influencing modernist composers.
Modernist composers challenged traditional music with experiments in timbres, rhythms, and tonality.
Rejection of functional tonality was a unifying trait of musical modernism.
Introduction of four prominent modernist styles: Impressionism, Primitivism, Neoclassicism, and Atonality.
Impressionism in music suggested objects through innovative sound colors and non-functional harmony.
Primitivism took the focus on nationalism and folk music to a new level, exploring natural or primitive humanity.
Neoclassical composers looked back to the 17th and 18th centuries for musical inspiration.
Atonality and serialism freed dissonance from harmonic conventions, creating a new approach to melody and harmony.
Modernist composers often mixed elements of different styles within single pieces and across their careers.
The musical experimentalism of the first half of the 20th century expanded with new technologies in the second half.
A list of major modern period composers and musical examples are provided for further exploration.
Transcripts
[Music]
welcome to liberty park music's fourth
video in our music history series
in this video we'll be looking at the
modern period in western music history
lasting from approximately 1890 to 1945.
as with romanticism modernism is both a
historical time period as well as a
philosophical aesthetic
in everyday conversation modern
typically means current
or recent as a term referencing music
modernism was first used by critics to
describe forms of musical expression
adhering to the radical changes
happening at the end of the 19th century
and into the 20th century unlike the
terms romanticism or classicism
modernism describes relatively few
unifying musical traits
making it especially useful for
referencing the many musical styles to
grow out of this historical era
the sounds of modernism range from the
wistful and bucolic
to the bizarre and jarry
[Music]
because modernism was a reaction to the
events of the late 19th century and
early 20th century
it's helpful to understand the great
degree of social and political upheaval
that was happening during these decades
the political revolution sparked in the
latter half of the 19th century
continued
spiraling into military conflicts such
as the franco-prussian war
the spanish-american war and the first
world war which was known at the time as
the great war and the war to end all
wars
additional major events included the
russian revolution the spanish flu
the great depression the rise of joseph
stalin as dictator of the soviet union
the rise of adolf hitler and the nazi
party in germany
and the second world war which ended
with the dropping of the atomic bomb on
the japanese cities of hiroshima and
nagasaki in 1945
from a historical perspective the sheer
amount of death and destruction during
these 55 years was unprecedented
and many in the artistic world came to
feel that the old ways of representing
the human experience were no longer
qualified to handle this terrifying new
reality
not everything however was terror and
suffering
modernism derived great inspiration from
the many scientific achievements of the
late 19th and early 20th centuries
charles darwin's seminal work of
evolutionary theory on the origin of
species
challenged religious beliefs concerning
how life came to be
through his psychoanalytic explorations
of the human psyche sigmund freud
proposed that humans were irrational
subconscious forces driven largely by
hidden desires and drives
then with albert einstein's theories of
relativity in 1905
and 1915 our perceptions of time and
space were fundamentally changed
additionally the inventions of recorded
sound the telephone
automobiles and airplanes resulted in
major changes to how the world
communicated and operated
modernist composers thus began to
challenge what was possible to do with
music
experimenting with a variety of ways of
constructing music
modernist composers saw themselves as
the avant-garde or front-line troops
working to advance music through their
sound experiments
many of these composers experimented
with musical sound through timbres
rhythms and tonality one of the few
unifying traits of musical modernism was
the rejection of functional tonality
laid out by jean-felipe premo in his
1722 treatise
composers at the end of the 19th century
broke the rules of tonal harmony to
explore different sound colors
new ways of organizing sound
polytonality and even post tonality
we'll discuss the different sound
experiments of the period as we
introduce four of the most prominent
styles of modernism
impressionism primitivism neoclassicism
and atonality
the first of these styles impressionism
is seen as both an outgrowth of
romanticism in general and a reaction
against german romanticism
impressionism was first recognized in
french painting through artists like
monet
manet degas cezanne and renault whose
works were seen not so much as depicting
the world as it was
but representing an impression of
reality
like the painting and poetry aspects of
the movement musical impressionism
suggested
its objects through innovative sound
colors an avoidance of strict meter
and the use of non-functional harmony an
example of impressionism is claude wc's
prelude to the afternoon of a fawn from
1894
based on the poem by symbolist stefanie
malerme
prelude to the afternoon of a fawn is a
single movement symphonic poem that
focuses on instrumental solos whose tone
colors blend into each other throughout
an airy
open orchestral framework the melody
contains dotted quarter notes
sixteenth notes and triplets disrupting
the sense of time and forward motion
and providing a dreamy impression of
malarmy's poem
our second style primitivism takes the
romantic focus on nationalism and folk
music to a new level
composers influenced both by national
pride in the folk
of their country and by charles darwin's
theories of evolution
focused on humanity as being more
natural or more primitive and disengaged
from the modern world's inventions
trials and tribulations as with
impressionism
primitivist composers utilized
non-western harmonies and scales
but were also preoccupied with driving
rhythms and odd meters
primitivist composers set their music to
stories based on folk tales and imagined
pre-history
such as an igor stravinsky's ballet the
rite of spring
which depicts a series of pagan-inspired
rituals and dances
primitivism also provided new avenues
for virtuosic writing
examples of which can be found in bella
bartok's piano piece allegro barbara
allegro barbaro couples pentatonic and
polytonal chords with a fast-paced
forward movement
and nearly constant eighth notes
in contrast to impressionism and
primitivism the composers of the
neoclassical movement rejected
romanticism by looking back to the music
of the 17th and 18th centuries
neoclassical composers returned to
baroque genres like the suite
concerto and fugue and utilized forms
like the sonata form
minuet and rondo with modern and even
jazz influenced harmonies
these musical forms were not an
outgrowth of the music of the time
but instead were objects out of time
meant to provoke thought
neoclassical sound experiments tended to
include smaller ensembles with a greater
emphasis on wind instruments than in
previous time periods
igor stravinsky's neoclassical period
was ushered in with his composition of
the ballet suite
pultunella based on music from the 18th
century
the ballet centers on the character of
bulcinella an italian comedia del orte
figure
and the costumes in set were designed by
pablo picasso
the original melodies currently believed
to have been composed by dominique
cogallo were revised by stravinsky for a
chamber orchestra
and featured a heavy emphasis on win
solo instruments with modern rhythms
cadences and harmonies
the final style we're going to cover
atonality is arguably one of the most
talked about within music circles
in connection with the artistic movement
of expressionism atonal composers
believed that music had gone as far as
it could with regards to functional
harmony
and that dissonance had to be
emancipated freed from the harmonic
conventions of the past
as a result of this philosophy music no
longer had to sound consonant
by following the rules codified by ramon
composer arnold schoenberg began
experimenting with a form of atonality
called serialism in the 1920s
in the classic form of serialism all 12
pitches of a chromatic scale had to
sound before any could repeat
the thought was that this made all 12
pitches equal
to construct melodies a composer would
map out a matrix of all 12 pitches
and base the melodies and harmonies on
what was laid out in that matrix
schoenberg's method proved hugely
influential for an entire generation of
composers
including his proteges the austrian
composers albenberg
and anton weber while each of these
styles are described separately here
many modernist composers would mix and
match elements within single pieces
and as well across their entire careers
some pieces would include primitive
rhythms coupled with atonal harmonies
nested within a neoclassical structure
composers like igor stravinsky and aaron
copeland
experimented across a myriad of these
styles throughout their careers
the musical experimentalism of the first
half of the 20th century exploded in the
second half of the 20th century
relying ever more heavily on new
technologies and structural procedures
for composing music
we'll explore some of these trends in
our next video on post-modernism
here is a list of some of the major
composers of the modern period
and here are some musical examples to
help you explore the sound of modernism
[Music]
we hope you enjoyed this overview of
modernism for more music history video
stay tuned to liberty park music
and keep an eye out for our composer
bios article series where we'll explore
the lives and music of your favorite
classical composers
[Music]
you
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