History of Music 1700s to the 20 th century

Beethoven Transition between the Classical and Romantic periods Created and mastered a new musical language enlarged the orchestra Changed musical structure Began the tradition of program music

Beethoven (cont’d) Wrote to please himself Wrote much less than Haydn or Mozart Best known pianist in Vienna Temperamental Unsettled life with family difficulties, poor health, and money problems

Romantic Period ( ) Ideals of the Enlightenment inspired the French Revolution  left Europe with shattered economies and disrupted life Industrial Revolution created a new class system based on wealth; standard of living rose for the middle class, but the lower classes were exploited

Art of the Romantic Period Painting was the ideal medium for the romantic artist; landscapes were prominent Literature flourished  poetry and prose were important; fantasy tales were popular subjects Architecture did not advance much; builders were imitative

Music Most important developments: Stretching and eventual breakdown of the tonal system Use of instrumental color/orchestration Art Song  1 st example of “free standing” vocal solo literature; importance of the individual; reflects the romantic importance of words

Music (Cont’d) Schubert  well known for his art songs; wrote over 900 compositions; died of syphilis at age 31 Schubert & Mendelssohn represent the transition between the Classical & Romantic philosophies Mendelssohn presented Bach’s music to the world

More Music Solo piano music flourished with Chopin & Liszt Wagner & Verdi were the primary opera composers of the romantic period Tchaikovsky was one of the nationalist composers & had a gift for emotional melody

Still More Music Brahms used classic and baroque forms with romantic techniques Mahler is best known for his huge symphonies & beautiful orchestration; 1 st composer with an American connection  conductor of the NY Philharmonic

Impressionism Movement began in France in the late 1800s Works are atmospheric & vague  open to interpretation Debussy was the most important impressionist composer

Debussy 1 st to abandon the restrictions of tonality; looked at the possibilities of harmonies Led the introduction of new scales into the musical language Innovative orchestrator; carried on traditions of Berlioz & Liszt

Arts of the 20 th Century Simultaneous development of diverse artistic styles A trend toward intellectualization; often alienated audiences Movements back to the “classical” approach as reactions to the extreme emotional expression of the Romantic period

20 th Century Music Harmony was freed from tonality Melody became secondary; Rhythm was underdeveloped in Western music before 1900; became more complex in the 20 th century Timbre was explored in depth Recording technology increased accessibility

Expressionism ( ) Centered in Vienna Focused on the subconscious & extreme inner emotions Not intended to be “real” or pretty Van Gogh was the initiator of this style in art, though he died before the period began

Schoenberg An Austrian Jew who spent most of his career writing & teaching in the U.S. Early work revolved around atonality Developed the “12 tone system”

Primitivism Developed in art & music in the early 1900s Fascinated with the unstructured life, directness, & exoticism of uncivilized cultures Music & paintings are “raw” Gauguin & early Picasso represent the artists Stravinsky is the primary composer of this period

Neo-Classical Borrowed forms, textures, and concepts from the Baroque & Classical period Used 20 th century techniques to express their ideas

Stravinsky May be the most important composer of the 20 th century Born in Russia, but spent his career in the U.S. Made contributions to several musical styles Wrote of all combinations of voices & instruments & in all genres