20 th Century

We have traced the progress that music has made through each period we have studied so far. Each new period has brought new developments in music. But The last 100 years or so have been the most drastic. Most composers abandoned all rules. They have tried everything there is to try, no matter how strange or unusual. It seems they have left no stone unturned.

Here is a piece called 4’33” by John Cage, one of the foremost composers of the 20 th Century.

The definition of music became a turning point in the 20 th Century. When some composers came to the conclusion that silence and sounds around us could be considered music, then it opened up the door to aleatoric or “chance” music. This is music that is totally unplanned, or “by chance.” It deals with everyday outside noises such as traffic or kids playing in a playground. What you are listening to right now is aleatoric music.

John Cage eventually wrote another piece called 4’33” No. 2. The instructions indicate for a “solo to be played in any way by anyone” for 4 minutes and 33 seconds.

Each of the six elements of music has been radically changed during the 20 th century. The next several frames show how each of these elements has been adapted. Escher

1. Rhythm 20 th Century Rhythm can be very complex. Composers often used changing time signatures and polyrhythms (different rhythms used at the same time). All these complex rhythms can make the music sound very aperiodic. Changing time signatures Polyrhythms

2. Melody 20 th Century melody is very jagged and jumpy. The melodies are not often repeated and very hard to remember. Pre-20 th Century melody 20 th Century melody

3. Harmony In the 20 th Century, consonance is no longer the primary type of harmony used. Dissonance begins to have more and more appeal and is used more frequently. Dissonance

Harmony - continued In the 20 th Century, composers found many ways to use dissonance. One such way is called “12-tone-music”. Usually, most songs center around a given tone called “the key”. A song can be in the key of C or F sharp, there are 12 tones to choose from. Composers of 12-tone- music believe that a song centered around one tone is “unfair” to the other 11 tones, So their strategy was to use all 12 tones equally. A – A# – B – C – C# – D – D# – E – F – F# – G – G#

Harmony - continued Another way that composers used dissonance is called polytonality. This is when music is performed in 2 or more keys at the same time. Polytonality July 14, 2012: Users of Google were taken aback to see the home page on Saturday. Initially, it looked like some golden pieces and a woman’s face. Nothing great. But a closer look reveals that it is actually a couple embracing each other and their bodies tangled in decorated robes. Today celebrated the 150th birth anniversary of Gustav Klimt, Austrian painter The doodle is actually a representation of Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss ( ).

4. Expressive Qualities In the 20 th Century, new ways of writing music were invented to represent every sound possibility on every instrument. Composers used special markings that instructed vocalists to hiss, shriek, buzz their tongue, or snap their fingers. Some markings instructed string players to play the strings by the tuning pegs, hit their instruments, or play their bows upside down. Other instructions informed flute players to play their flutes without blowing air into it. New markings

Expressive Qualities - continued Although this song sounds like awful noise, it has more meaning when you know what it is about. This song was written about the horrors of Hiroshima. (?) Mushroom Cloud - 50,000 Feet High Just as popular music often reflects society, “serious” music can also reveal cultural events and feelings. The bomb created 7000 degree winds traveling at speeds over 600 mph. 140,000 dead

20 th Century tone color can be quite unusual. Composers were looking for new sounds. Often, unusual combinations of instruments were used to find this sound. 5. Tone Color Here are some examples of strange combinations in real songs: 1. Music for 80 voices, zither, guitar and a tape player 2. Boy soprano, oboe, mandolin, harp, and toy piano 3. Violin, percussion, and off-stage glass harmonica

6. Form Just like 20 th Century artwork, most 20 th Century music lacks any kind of form whatsoever.

Although most were following the 20 th Century trends, there were some who didn’t go with the flow. These composers and artists stuck to the old fashioned consonance, and we’re often considered “traitors” by other composers and artists.

These rebel composers weren’t completely old- fashioned. They would use dissonance occasionally for the right effect. Most importantly, they kept the general public interested in “serious” music. The 12-tone- music was too much to handle for the average person (and still is).

20 th Century The End