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Impressionism (1820s-1930s)
Impressionism is a French style introduced by Claude Debussy (1862-1918) in the 1890s. Impressionism included musical elements, it abandoned traditional rules for each. Impressionism also focuses on being vague, meaning that phrases were rubato and meters and tempos changed. Melody was an important element of impressionism and such importance was not placed on rhythm. Harmonies were vague but tonal. Parallel chords were used for color, rather than progression. -
John Philip Sousa (1854-1932)
John Philip Sousa promoted the American wind-band tradition. He was known for marches and a failed opera composer. Sousa wrote 9 operettas, but they were not suitable for stage and rather became the themes for marches. -
Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909)
Spanish composer and pianist. Compositions include piano and dramatic works, orchestral works, and songs. -
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Gustav Mahler was an Austrian composer who made important expansions to symphonies and Lieder. He is classified as a maximalist because of the size of his performance groups, as well as the length of pieces. He was considered to be the heir to Mozart and Beethoven and embraced this to an extent. -
Frederick Delius (1862-1934)
An English composer of German descent. Delius used impressionism in their works. Works included orchestral, choral, and chamber music; as well as stage works and songs. -
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Debussy was a French composer and pianist. Debussy composed piano works, chamber music, tone poems, stage works, and songs. Debussy initiated the style of musical impressionism in his work Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (1894). -
Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945)
Italian composer and conductor. He became the official composer of the Fascist regime in the 1930s. -
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Richard Strauss was a German composer and supported Wagner musically to an extent. Strauss is famous for his tone poems and some of the first modern operas. His operas are weird. Strauss uses excessive motives, a large orchestration, and many musicians. He was also an accomplished conductor. -
Paul Dukas (1865-1935)
French composer, teacher, and critic who only allowed a few of his works to be published. He is mostly known for his orchestral work, L'Apprenti sorcier (1897). -
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
A Finnish composer who wrote tone poems, 7 symphonies, concertos, and chamber music. His later music is more modern. -
Erik Satie (1866-1925)
A composer who led in new French aesthetics. Satie's musical innovation was what impressionism was built upon. -
Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (1867-1944)
An American composer and pianist, wrote scholarly articles, and very successful in Europe. She wrote an opera, vocal-orchestral works, chamber music, keyboard works, choral works, and 130 songs. -
Scott Joplin (1868-1917)
Scott Joplin is regarded as the "King of Ragtime," and was the first African-American composer to win international fame. -
Aleksandr Skyrabin (1872-1915)
A composer influenced by chromaticism and impressionism, and complex harmonic language. -
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
An English teacher and conductor, and became the leader in English music. He collected and edited folksongs and hymns. He composed symphonies, choral music, chamber music, stage works, orchestral and band music, songs, carols, hymns, and writings. -
Sergei Rachmaniov (1873-1943)
Rachmaniov was a virtuoso pianist who toured the USA. He also composed symphonies, piano concertos, symphonic poems, operas, choral music, piano works, and songs. He did not show interest in nationalism. -
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, theorist, and painter. He is included in the Second Viennese School. He was a violinist and arranger. He was also a teacher of Webern and Berg. His early music is tonal, but eventually went atonal in the late 1900s, when he created the 12-tone system. -
Charles Ives (1874-1954)
Charles Ives was one of the most innovative and original composers. His father encouraged his musical style. His style included polytonality, polyrhythms, polymeters, quotations of American songs, and limited atonality. -
Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
An English composer influenced by folksongs and Hindu mysticism. -
Maurice Ravel (1876-1937)
Ravel was a French composer who was credited with writing the first impressionist piano piece. Ravel's music is considered more tonal. -
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)
A Spanish composer who used popular Spanish music and folk music. He earned international fame. -
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)
An Italian composed who used impressionism. Respighi composed stage works, concertos, tone poems, as well as vocal and piano works. -
Béla Bartok (1881-1945)
Hungarian composer and pianist. Bartok was known for his rhythmic music and incorporated native folk music into his compositions. He was also an important ethnomusicologist. -
Robert Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943)
Robert Nathaniel Dett was a composer and also wrote marches. Helped to found the National Association of Negro Musicians (1919). He also studied with Natalie Boulanger. -
Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967)
A Hungarian ethnomusicologist, educator, and composer. Kodály created the movable 'do' solfege system. -
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Stravinsky was a versatile composer. Typical traits in Stravinsky's music were ostinati, the harshness of sounds, rhythmic complexity, tonality (for the most part), and self-borrowed music. Stravinsky is popularly known for The Rite of Spring (1913). -
Anoton Webern (1883-1945)
Anton Webern was a member of the Second Viennese School. He was a student of Schoenberg. His music uses pointillism. -
Edgard Varèse (1883-1965)
A French-American composer who wrote non-tonal music and focused on elements other than pitch. Eventually, took interest in electronic music and the idea of organized sound as music. -
Alban Berg (1885-1935)
Alban Berg was a member of the Second Viennese School. He was a student of Schoenberg and his music was often atonal. -
Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979)
Nadia Boulanger was an important teacher of many American composers. -
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)
Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer and cellist. He wrote dramatic works, choral music, orchestral and vocal works, chamber music, and piano works. -
Florence Price (1887-1953)
Florence Price was the first black female composer to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra. Price attended the New England Conservatory of Music. Her career flourished in Chicago after her and her family moved there because of racial unrest. -
Louis Durey (1888-1979)
Louis Durey was a member of Les Six. He initiated the first Les Six album and left the group shortly after. Durey wrote songs for the French resistance and protest music against the Vietnam war. -
Ragtime Genre (emerges 1890s)
Ragtime developed from an African-American piano style with syncopated rhythms and sectional forms. Precursor to jazz. -
Blues Genre (emerges in 1890s)
An American genre of folk music based on a simple, repetitive, form. This form follows 12 or 16 bars with 3 line repeating strophes. A common progression known is the 12-Bar Blues, or I, IV, I, V, IV, I. The earliest recordings of Blues were in the 1920s, but the style originated in the 1890s. This was one of the first genres of pop music that split into more genres. -
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Maximalism (1890s-1914)
Maximalism is a relatively new term used to describe this style. It was initiated in Germany primarily by composers Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) and Richard Strauss (1864-1949). Musical elements in this style are pushed to the extreme. The music contained many themes and motives, thick textures, chromaticism, and large sizes of performers. -
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Russian orchestral composer and pianist. His music is based on tales of growing up in Russia, Russian folk songs, and Russian folklore. -
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974)
Darius Milhaud was a member of Les Six. He was from the southern coast of France. He studied Debussy and rejected the style of Impressionism. His compositions were influenced by Brazil after a visit in 1918, as well as American Jazz. -
Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983)
Germaine Tailleferre was the only female member of Les Six. She ran in the same social circles of fashion designer. She mostly accompanied because of stage fright. -
Arthur Honegger (1892-1955)
Arthur Honegger was a member of Les Six. He was born to Swiss parents and considered himself Swiss. He is the only member of Les Six who was not French. Switzerland was a neutral country in WWII, and worked with the Nazis. Honegger appreciated the framework of music and composed majority of his works on commission. -
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)
Lili Boulanger was the sister of Nadia Boulanger. She was a composer and pianist. -
William Grant Still (1895-1978)
William Grant Still was the first African-American composer to have his symphony performed by a leading orchestra and to conduct a major symphony. He arranged music for jazz bands and dance orchestras in the 1920s. He quoted African American songs into traditional European genres. -
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)
German composer, teacher, author, and composer. Hindemith wrote music for the practicing musician, "Gebrauchmusik." -
Sousa- El Capitan (1896)
March composed by Sousa. Originally an operetta. -
Sousa- Stars and Stripes Forever (1897)
March composed by Sousa. -
Henry Cowell (1897-1965)
Henry Cowell was an American innovator. He was John Cage's teacher. He invented new techniques for playing piano and chance music. He also coined the term tone cluster. -
George Gershwin (1898-1937)
American composer who wrote for Broadway, film, and the concert hall. He was aware of expressionism, impressionism, but chose to incorporate jazz in his compositions. -
Georges Auric (1899-1983)
Georges Auric was a member of Les Six, born in southern France. He studied composition with Satie's teachers. He wrote for French film and ran SACEM, which dealt with copyright laws. -
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Francis Poulenc was a member of Les Six. He was one of the most famous members, due to the accessibility of his music. Poulenc was self-taught, but had musical tutors as he was born into a wealthy family. His partner Pierre Bernac premiered many of his songs. -
Duke Ellington (1899-1974)
American Jazz composer and band leader. He created a unique style of big-band jazz. He was one of the first African-American composers to cross races with his music. -
Carlos Chávez (1899-1978)
Mexican composer, conductor, teacher, writer, government official. His works included stage works, symphonies, choral and vocal music, songs, instrumental works, and writings. -
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
Aaron Copland was an American composer, teacher, conductor, critic, and sponsor. He studied with Nadia Boulanger. He composed a variety of genres, but not many works. He wrote mostly tonal music, though some was atonal. He quoted his own music. -
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Undisguised avant-garde (1900-1920s)
A style used by Satie and Fauré. This style opposed Wagnerian style and rejected romantic aestheticism. -
Langston Hughes (1902-1967)
An African American poet. Prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance. -
Ives- The Unanswered Question (1906)
Published in 1940. An orchestral work with no specific genre, a three part piece that contained symbolism. -
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Expressionism (1910s-1925)
Began as German style based out of Vienna. It focused on turning away from tonality. The 12-tone row was introduced in this stylistic period and each notes were treated equally. -
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Neo-Classicism (1910-1920s)
Neo-Classicism returned to ideas of the 18th century. The style used textures, topics, and form of the 18th century and combined them with modern harmony, tonality, and timbres. Neo-Classicism began with Bach;s music. For Aaron Copland, Neo-Classicism was embodied in Stravinsky's Octet for Winds. -
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Primitivism (1910-1920s)
A Western visual art movement that borrowed folk-like or native elements. Stravinsky's Rite of Spring used repetitive, driving ostinatos that demonstrate musical aspects of primitivism. -
Harmoniehre (Harmony Method)
Written by Schoenberg. It discussed the 12 tone method. -
Schoenberg- Pierrot lunaire (1912)
Composed by Schoenberg. A song cycle based on 21 poems from the Belgian symbolist poet Albert Giraud's pierrot lunaire. -
Pierrot lunaire No. 18 "Der Mondfleck" (1912)
In this poem, Pierrot sees a spot of moonlight on his jacket and tries to wipe it off. Schoenberg writes an atonal fugue and uses imitation. -
Cowell- "The Tides of Manaunaun: (1912)
This piece contains tone clusters played on piano. -
Stravinsky- The Rite of Spring (1913)
Stravinsky composed this ballet at the age of 31. The music and the story were radical. The orchestra was very percussive, polyrhythmic, and music has irregular accents. Thirteen is a recurring number in this piece, as Stravinsky was obsessed with it. Upon it's premiere, people rioted. -
"The Art of Noises" (1913)
Created by Luigi Russolo. Wrote "The Art of Noises" and created experimental musical instruments. -
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World War I
World War I was a global war that started in Europe. The Central Powers fought against the Allies. -
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Dadaism (1915-1920)
Dadaism was a movement of anti-art thinking. Artists and poets reacted against war and the bourgeois in Europe. This opened the doors to modern thinking and questioned traditional artist expectations. -
Formation of Les Six
Les Six was a group of French composers who bonded together. -
Jazz Genre ( emerges 1916-1917)
Jazz arose out of many different styles. It evolved out of west African music, as well as popular and art music traditions of the West. -
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
A conductor, composer, teacher, pianist, and influence on many styles of music during the 20th century. He is famous for West Side Story (1957), which was very complex compared to other musicals. -
National Association of Negro Musicians Founded (1919)
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Les Six term is coined (1920)
Henri Collet coined the term Les Six in the French journal Commedia in 1920. -
L'Album des Six (1920)
This album was written by all six composers of Les Six. -
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Non-tonal Music (1920s-1940s)
A musical style that focused on musical elements other than pitch. This was developed later in the 20th century. -
12-tone technique (Serialism)
The 12-tone row was created by Schoenberg in 1921. In this method, all 12 notes are treated equally and a note may not be used again until the other 11 are. -
Les mariés de la tour Eiffel (1921)
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Stravinsky- Octet for Winds (1923)
Premiered at the Paris Opera House. In 1941, Aaron Copland commented that this piece served to influence other composers with a desire to reach back to 18th century objectivity. -
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The Harlem Renaissance (1923-1930s)
A cultural movement of African American arts (literature, painting, and music). William Grant Still and Langston Hughes were two dominant figures in the movement.
