Characteristics of Expressionist Music (An Introduction)
Summary
TLDRExpressionist music, emerging from Impressionism, is characterized by its emotional intensity and the exploration of darker human experiences. Pioneered by composers like Arnold Schoenberg, it broke from traditional tonality, introducing atonal elements and serialism, giving equal importance to all chromatic notes. This movement, with its challenging and dissonant sounds, was further developed by The Second Viennese School, including Anton Webern and Alban Berg, who each brought unique approaches to expressionism, reflecting in their works the raw power and complex emotions of the human condition.
Takeaways
- đš Expressionist music is part of an artistic movement characterized by the distortion of shapes, images, and colors to create emotionally expressive and often disturbing works reflecting the darker side of human nature.
- đ€ Key artists in the Expressionist movement include Edvard Munch and Wassily Kandinsky, whose works are ideal for exploring the genre.
- đ° The Expressionist movement emerged from Impressionism towards the end of the 20th Century and continued into the early 20th Century, a period marked by social unrest and the start of World War I.
- đ” Expressionist music is known for its dissonance and lack of traditional tonality, often making it challenging for audiences to understand and enjoy.
- đŒ Arnold Schoenberg was a pivotal composer in the development of Expressionist music, moving away from late romantic traditions and pioneering serialism, which gave equal value to all notes in the chromatic scale.
- đ Schoenberg's serialism revolutionized the ordering of pitch, opening up new compositional possibilities and allowing for a deeper expression of inner emotions.
- đ¶ The nature of musical composition during the Expressionist period saw a shift from lyricism to awkward, dissonant melodies and rich harmonic textures.
- đ Audiences found the new music challenging due to its sudden, dark, and clustered chords that echoed the sounds of war.
- đ· Alongside Schoenberg, composers Anton von Webern and Alban Berg formed the Second Viennese School, each contributing uniquely to the Expressionist and serial music.
- đ» Alban Berg's music, especially his Violin Concerto, is considered an accessible entry point into Expressionist music, blending tonality and atonality while reflecting on human experience.
- đ Expressionist operas and vocal works, such as those by Schoenberg and Berg, fully express the genre's characteristics through the naturally expressive qualities of the human voice.
Q & A
What is the primary aim of Expressionist music?
-The primary aim of Expressionist music is to enable new forms of emotional expression through the distortion of shapes, images, and colors, often resulting in disturbing and unrealistic works that portray the darker side of human nature.
Who are two artists that are ideal starting points to explore Expressionist art?
-Edvard Munch and Wassily Kandinsky are two artists that are ideal starting points to explore Expressionist art.
From what artistic movement did the Expressionist movement emerge?
-The Expressionist movement emerged from the background of Impressionism by the end of the 20th Century.
What historical period did the Expressionist movement carry forward into?
-The Expressionist movement carried forward into one of the world's most troubled decades and lived to see the start of the First World War in 1914.
What is the characteristic sound of Expressionist music?
-Expressionist music is characterized by its lack of warmth and romanticism, often being dissonantly angular and very unpleasant to hear.
Who is one composer that significantly altered the sonic landscape with his controversial changes?
-Arnold Schoenberg is one composer that significantly altered the sonic landscape with his controversial changes.
What system of pitch organization did Schoenberg develop?
-Schoenberg developed a system of pitch organization known as serialism, which gave equal value to each note of the chromatic scale and replaced the idea of a tonal center.
How did serialism change the system of ordering pitch in music?
-Serialism changed the system of ordering pitch by eliminating tonal structures and allowing composers to express their inner emotions in a manner that later defined the Expressionist movement.
What was the impact of Expressionist music on the nature of musical composition?
-The impact of Expressionist music on the nature of musical composition was that it twisted in unexpected directions, with the languorous, luxurious lyricism of the past dissolving and being replaced by awkwardly sculpted shapes and dissonant intervals.
Who were the three composers of The Second Viennese School, and how did they contribute to Expressionist music?
-The three composers of The Second Viennese School were Arnold Schoenberg, Anton von Webern, and Alban Berg. They contributed to Expressionist music by forging ahead in similar but distinct ways, utilizing Schoenberg's serial techniques to create compositions that encapsulated the ideals of expressionism.
How do the operas of Schoenberg and Berg capture the essence of Expressionism?
-The operas of Schoenberg and Berg capture the essence of Expressionism through their raw power, the naturally expressive qualities of the human voice, and their ability to portray difficult human qualities and inner turmoil.
Outlines
đŒ Expressionism in Music: Origins and Innovations
This paragraph delves into the characteristics of Expressionist music, an art form that emerged from the backdrop of Impressionism in the late 20th century. It emphasizes the movement's shift towards emotional expression through the distortion of traditional musical elements, often resulting in dissonance and challenging the audience's sensibilities. Key figures like Edvard Munch and Wassily Kandinsky are mentioned as starting points for exploring Expressionism. The paragraph also highlights the impact of social unrest and the First World War on the development of this genre. Arnold Schoenberg's pivotal role is underscored, with his transition from late romantic traditions to the development of serialism, a system that equalized the chromatic scale and opened new compositional avenues, defining the Expressionist movement's unique emotional depth.
đ» The Evolution of Expressionist Music: Schoenberg and Beyond
The second paragraph continues the exploration of Expressionist music, focusing on the evolution of musical composition under the influence of Expressionism. It discusses the transformation of lyricism into dissonant and chromatic forms, challenging traditional tonality. The paragraph introduces the Second Viennese School, with composers like Arnold Schoenberg, Anton von Webern, and Alban Berg, who each contributed distinctively to the genre. Schoenberg's serialism is further elaborated upon, while Webern's crystalline compositions and Berg's emotive works are highlighted. Berg's 'Violin Concerto' is noted for its reconciliation of tonality and atonality, reflecting his personal and artistic struggles. The paragraph concludes by suggesting that the true essence of Expressionism can be felt in operas and vocal works, hinting at the raw and powerful nature of the human voice in conveying the movement's themes.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄExpressionist Music
đĄDissonance
đĄArnold Schoenberg
đĄSerialism
đĄTwelve-Tone Technique
đĄSecond Viennese School
đĄAlban Berg
đĄBela Bartok
đĄOperas
đĄPierrot Lunaire
đĄLulu
Highlights
Expressionist music reflects an artistic movement characterized by distortion to enable new emotional expression.
Expressionist art often portrays the darker side of human nature, with artists like Edvard Munch and Wassily Kandinsky as ideal starting points for exploration.
The Expressionist movement emerged from Impressionism towards the end of the 20th Century and continued into the troubled decades leading to WWI.
Expressionist music is distinct for its lack of warmth, romanticism, or dissonant angularity, often being unpleasant to the ear.
Arnold Schoenberg, a key composer of the Expressionist movement, initially followed late romantic traditions before drifting towards atonality.
Schoenberg's Op. 11 Solo Piano pieces mark a transition with weakened tonality and increased atonal elements.
In his 'Five Orchestral Pieces,' Op.16, Schoenberg fully embraced atonality and developed serialism, giving equal value to each note of the chromatic scale.
Serialism revolutionized pitch organization, opening new compositional possibilities for expressing inner emotions.
Expressionist music saw a transformation in melodic material, with dissonant intervals and rich harmonic textures replacing traditional harmonies.
Audiences found the new music challenging due to its departure from the lyricism and tonality of the past.
The Second Viennese School, including Schoenberg, Anton von Webern, and Alban Berg, advanced Expressionist music with distinct approaches.
Webern's music is noted for its structural beauty and clarity, utilizing the 12-tone method to create pure and uncluttered compositions.
Berg's music encapsulates Expressionist ideals, delving into the harsh realities of human experience without abandoning hope.
Berg's Violin Concerto (1935) resolves the conflict of tonality and atonality, reflecting his inner turmoil and serving as a requiem.
Expressionist operas reveal the genre's characteristics through the expressive power of the human voice, with works by Bartok and the Second Viennese School being notable.
Schoenberg's 'Pierrot Lunaire' and Berg's operas, including the incomplete 'Lulu,' capture the essence of Expressionism with their exploration of difficult human qualities.
The Second Viennese School's works provide a deeper understanding of Expressionism and its impact on self-exploration.
Transcripts
Characteristics of Expressionist Music
Expressionist music reflects an artistic movement. This genre of art involves the Â
distortion of shapes, images, and colors to create wildly unrealistic works of art.Â
The aim was to enable new forms of emotional expression. The results were often disturbing Â
and portrayed unexplored representations of the darker side of human nature.Â
Artists like Edvard Munch and Wassily Kandinsky Â
are ideal starting points to explore this genre of art.
The Expressionist movement emerged from the background of Impressionism by the Â
end of the 20th Century. It carried forward into one of the world's most Â
troubled decades and lived to see the start of the First World War in 1914.Â
During this period, unrest, disputes, and social change dominated the Western World. It gave birth Â
to composers of the expressionist school. Expressionist music is neither warmly Â
romantic nor dissonantly angular and often very unpleasant to hear.Â
Certain controversial composers emerged from this period, and with them came an undesired change Â
that altered the sonic landscape forever. One such composer was Arnold Schoenberg (1874 â 1951).
Schoenberg's early compositions reflect the late romantic traditions. However, at the beginning of Â
the 20th Century, he was already writing music that dramatically drifted from these confines.Â
In Schoenberg's Op. 11 Solo Piano pieces, Â
we notice the weakened sounds of tonality and the inclusion of greater atonal elements. Â
By his 'Five Orchestral Pieces,' Op.16 (1909), Schoenberg had eliminated tonal Â
structures and developed his system of pitch organization, which became known as serialism.
Schoenberg gave equal value to each note of the chromatic scale. This Â
replaced the idea of a tonal center and the prominence of tonic, dominant harmonies.Â
By applying Schoenberg's methods, the entire system of ordering pitch Â
changed. The effect of serialism was to open radically new compositional possibilities. Â
This revolutionary approach allowed composers to express their inner Â
emotions in a manner that later defined the expressionist movement.
As expressionism grew, the nature of musical composition twisted in unexpected Â
directions. The languorous, luxurious lyricism of the past Century dissolved.Â
Melodic material transformed into awkwardly sculpted shapes that leap across dissonant Â
intervals. Chromaticism and rich harmonic textures replaced clusters of dense, Â
polarized chords. Naturally, Audiences found this new music overly challenging to understand.Â
It would be fair to say; that all orchestral force was utilized during this period.
Melodies were composed of fragments from one instrument or group of instruments to another. Â
Most music was just sudden surges of dark, clustered chords thundered across orchestras, Â
echoing the guns of war. The sound of music had changed forever.
Arnold Schoenberg's innovation was born at The Second Viennese School. His two fellow serialists, Â
Anton von Webern and Alban Berg were alongside him during his work in music. Â
These three composers forged ahead in similar but distinct ways.
For Webern, expressionism, and the use of Schoenberg's techniques in his work enabled Â
him to create austere yet crystalline compositions in structural beauty.Â
Webern's music has an almost classical clarity to it. Â
His material methodically relies on the 12-tone methods, yet the outcome is pure and uncluttered.Â
Emotions in Webern's pieces are concentrated in arching Â
motifs that purposefully travel through the fragile landscape.
On the other side of the coin is Alban Berg. Berg's Â
music perhaps most satisfactorily encapsulates the ideals of expressionism. Â
It plunges into the ugly truth of human experience while seemingly never completely abandoning hope.Â
Berg's scores are perhaps more approachable as an entry point into expressionism and serial music. Â
His Violin Concerto (1935) is a fine example. It was composed only a year before the composer's Â
death and is known as his Requiem. It comes from Bachâs cantata âO Ewigkeit, du Donnerwortâ, BWV. Â
60, (Oh Eternity, Thou Fateful Word). In this concerto, Berg resolves the conflict of tonality Â
and atonality and perhaps his inner turmoil too. Maybe it is in the expressionist operas that the Â
genre's characteristics reveal themselves in their full glory. The raw power of Â
the movement comes through the naturally expressive qualities of the human voice.
Bela Bartok drew serial experimentation in his early opera compositions. Many of Â
the elements of expressionism are prevalent in 'Blue Beard's Castle Â
(1911) and 'The Miraculous Mandarin' (1919). But it is once again the operas and vocal works Â
of Schoenberg and Berg that essentially capture the essence of expressionism.
Schoenberg sets twenty-one poems by Albert Giraud in three sets of seven. Â
The 'moonstruck' Pierrot takes us through madness, Â
violence, and love. Through a journey that exposes us to difficult human qualities.Â
A visit to the operas of Berg is vital to understanding expressionism.
A further and later opera is 'Lulu' (left incomplete in 1937), which tells of a femme Â
fatale's dismal descent into destruction, by Jack the Ripper. Underlying both operas Â
are rigid structures that reflect the works of the great Baroque composers.Â
Through the works of The Second Viennese School, Â
we can closely tread the expressionist path and get a deeper understanding of ourselves.
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