In the first half of the 20th century several composers
continued the
tradition of "nationalism" that had begun in the late Romantic period.
They
combined new and traditional techniques and presented them in
individual
styles that were influenced by the music of their native lands.
Bartok - (p.363-64) was Hungarian, and
worked as an ethnomusicologist, pianist, and composer. His music is
"loosely" tonal and he updated the string quartet
for the 20th century.
Ives- (p.371) was the "first
truly original American musical genius". He was a
wealthy insurance salesman and wrote music as a hobby. He was ahead of
his time by at least 50 years. He had few performances during his life.
Copland - (p.373-74) wrote in an "American"
style. He incorporated jazz rhythms in symphonic works, his ballets are
"programmatic" of American scenes, and he quoted American folk
melodies.
He used open harmonies to evoke wide-open spaces.
Many composers have tried to bridge the gap between "serious"
and popular music.
George Gershwin (1898-1937) was a
successful "tin-pan alley" songwriter
and piano player who wrote concert music that was heavily influenced by
popular music of the 20's and 30's. Many of his popular songs have
become "standards". He did not feel "respected" in the art music world,
but his few concert works are now standards of "light" orchestral
programming.
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) is
possibly the best-known "art musician" from the 20th
century. He was very "flamboyant" and enjoyed
enormous success as a conductor, pianist, composer, and music educator.
He wrote movie scores; had a huge Broadway hit with West Side Story;
and
wrote a mass, 3 symphonies, 2 operas, etc. His music is deceptively
simple.
EXPERIMENTALISM
After W.W.II, the definition of "music"
was stretched in varied directions.
Boulez - One of the more intellectual
approaches was total serialism -
a technique that placed all elements of
music in a highly controlled structure (p. 384-385)
Penderecki - Some composers took an
approach that was, in
many ways, the opposite of total serialism.
Performers and
conductors are given a vague set of instructions rather than actual
pitches
or rhythms. This gives traditional instruments a "fresh" sound. Each
performance
of such works is a new experience because of the elements of improvisation
and chance.
Cage - One of the leading avant-garde
composers (music philosopher).
Schoenberg told him he would never make a composer, but Cage set out to
prove that "everything we do is music".
He invented the idea of the "prepared piano", used chance to design
compositions, and even wrote a piece for 12 radios.
Listening
Boulez - page 385
Penderecki - page 389
FUSION/INCLUSION
The end of the 20th century has seen the utilization of all
that has been developed in the history of Western music (p.400). It is
not uncommon to hear
several styles and music periods represented in a
single composition. From a critical and scholarly
viewpoint, anything can be "acceptable".
With the exception of the last 50 years, the history of
Western art music is a history of western European (white) males. We
have reached a point where all are welcome to participate, but none are
assured success.