6.1 Introduction to 20th Century Music

The 20th century saw a radical transformation in music. World wars, technological advancements, and social movements sparked new genres and techniques. Composers pushed boundaries, blending cultures and challenging traditional tonality.

From atonality to minimalism, jazz to electronic music, this era birthed unprecedented diversity. Recording technology and mass media revolutionized how we create and consume music, shaping the sonic landscape we know today.

20th Century Music Transformations

Post-War Influences and Technological Advancements

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• World Wars I and II aftermath impacted artistic expression led to new musical movements reflecting societal trauma and disillusionment
• Mass media rise (radio and television) revolutionized music distribution and consumption allowed wider dissemination of diverse musical styles
• Recording techniques and electronic instruments advancements expanded sonic possibilities for composers and performers
  • Synthesizer introduction enabled creation of entirely new sound palettes
  • Multi-track recording allowed for more complex layering of instruments and voices
• Cold War era influenced artistic expression
  • Some governments promoted or censored certain musical styles for ideological purposes
  • Soviet Union restricted Western popular music while promoting state-approved classical and folk styles

Social Movements and Cultural Exchange

• Civil Rights Movement and other social justice causes inspired politically charged works
  • Musicians used music as a form of protest and activism (Bob Dylan, Nina Simone)
• Globalization and increased cultural exchange facilitated blending of musical traditions
  • Led to new fusion genres (Afro-Cuban jazz, Indo-jazz)
• Youth culture and counterculture movements emergence in mid-20th century developed new popular music genres
  • Rock and roll evolved from blues and R&B (Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry)
  • Psychedelic rock reflected 1960s counterculture (The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix)
• World music gained prominence in Western classical and popular music
  • Composers incorporated non-Western scales, rhythms, and instruments (Debussy's use of gamelan influences)

Tonality vs Atonality

Evolution of Tonality

• Traditional tonality breakdown began in late 19th century
  • Composers like Wagner and Debussy paved way for more radical experiments
  • Wagner's "Tristan chord" challenged conventional harmonic resolution
  • Debussy's use of whole-tone scales and non-functional harmony expanded tonal possibilities
• Atonality developed by Arnold Schoenberg and the Second Viennese School
  • Deliberately avoided traditional tonal centers and hierarchies
  • Schoenberg's "Pierrot Lunaire" exemplified early atonal style
• Twelve-tone technique (serialism) introduced as systematic approach to composing atonal music
  • Used all twelve chromatic pitches equally
  • Webern's "Symphony, Op. 21" demonstrated rigorous application of twelve-tone technique

Experimental Approaches to Composition

• Aleatoric or chance music pioneered by John Cage incorporated randomness and indeterminacy
  • Cage's "4'33"" challenged the very definition of music
  • Earle Brown's "December 1952" used graphic notation to allow for performer interpretation
• Minimalism emerged as reaction against serialism complexity
  • Focused on repetitive patterns and gradual changes
  • Steve Reich's "Music for 18 Musicians" exemplified minimalist style
• Microtonality explored intervals smaller than traditional Western semitone
  • Expanded tonal palette available to composers
  • Harry Partch developed 43-tone scale and built custom instruments to perform his microtonal works
• New forms of notation developed to accommodate innovative compositional techniques
  • Graphic scores used visual symbols to represent musical ideas (Cornelius Cardew's "Treatise")
  • Text-based instructions provided guidelines for performance (La Monte Young's "Composition 1960 #7")

Musical Diversity in the 20th Century

Classical Music Innovations

• Neoclassicism emerged as reaction to late Romanticism excesses
  • Reinterpreted classical forms and techniques in modern context
  • Stravinsky's "Pulcinella" suite drew inspiration from 18th-century Italian music
• Experimental music pushed boundaries of what was considered music
  • Incorporated unconventional sound sources and challenged traditional notions of form and structure
  • Karlheinz Stockhausen's "Helicopter String Quartet" required musicians to perform in flying helicopters
• Film and video game music emerged as important new areas of composition
  • Composers adapted techniques to support visual narratives
  • John Williams' iconic scores for "Star Wars" and "Jaws" demonstrated the power of film music

Popular and Electronic Music Developments

• Jazz evolved from African American community roots to globally influential genre
  • Spawned numerous subgenres and fusion styles
  • Bebop (Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie) emphasized complex harmonies and virtuosic improvisation
  • Modal jazz (Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue") explored new harmonic frameworks
• Electronic music developed alongside technological advancements
  • Early experiments with tape music (Musique concrète by Pierre Schaeffer)
  • Computer-generated compositions (Iannis Xenakis' "GENDY3")
  • Electronic dance music genres (techno, house) emerged in the 1980s
• Popular music genres proliferated with distinct stylistic characteristics and cultural significance
  • Rock evolved into numerous subgenres (punk, metal, grunge)
  • Hip-hop emerged as a powerful form of urban expression (Grandmaster Flash, Run-DMC)
  • Electronic pop incorporated synthesizers and drum machines (Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode)