MUSICAL "ISMS"

INTRODUCTION

• Music in the 20th century was the dawn of a new era
• It was thought that everything in music had been said and done
• But composers are very innovative
• And would keep stretching the boundaries of music

IMPRESSIONISM

• Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, the French men who kicked it off
• By applying the whole tone scale, which skips a very central note in all previous music, the 5th
• In previous centuries, the fifth had been an anchor by which to centralise ideas
• Without this anchor, the composers could go wherever they wanted, in a sense of zero gravity
• There were still repeated phrases and central ideas but with less restrictions

SERIALISM

• "Created" by Arnold Schoenberg
• Twelve tone row, involved playing every semitones once
• And only once, until they've all been played then repeat
• Probably most hated of the "isms"
• Very manipulated and mathematical

NEO-CLASSICISM

• Used almost only by Igor Starvinsky
• Opposite of Romanticism
• Written short for weird groups of instruments
• Introduced very open and free harmonies
• Resistant to individual expression

MINIMALISM

• Very simplistic
• Usually quite lengthy, repeating the same thing
• Using only a few notes in a few ways
• Easy to understand by everybody
• Philip Glass and Steve Rich were noticeable composers

EXPRESSIONISM

• Introduced in Germany
• Very harsh and dissonant
• Opposite of impressionism
• Expressed intense subjective emotion
• Famous composer - Berg

NATIONALISM

• Composers expressed ideas unique to their country
• Includes cultural and historical references
• As well as folk songs, myths and legends
• Famous composer - Coplan

PRIMITIVISM

• Music that made use of excessive percussion
• To create a tribal and primitive feel
• Music was often harsh, loud and unorganised
• Famous composer -Stravinsky