20th Century1901-2000

We have traced the progress that music

has made through each period we have studied

so far. Each new period has brought

new developments in music. But The last 100 years or so have

been the most drastic. Most composers

abandoned all rules. They have tried

everything there is to try, no matter how

strange or unusual. It seems they have left no stone unturned.

Here is a piece called 4’33” by John Cage, one of the foremost composers of the 20th

Century.

The definition of music became a turning point in the

20th Century. When some composers came to the

conclusion that silence and sounds around us could be considered music, then it

opened up the door to aleatoric or “chance” music. This is music that is totally

unplanned, or “by chance.” It deals with everyday outside noises such as traffic or kids

playing in a playground. What you are listening to right now

is aleatoric music.

John Cage eventually wrote another piece called 4’33” No. 2.

The instructions indicate for a “solo to be played in any

way by anyone” for 4 minutes and 33

seconds.

Each of the six elements of music has been radically changed during the 20th century. The next several frames show how each of these

elements has been adapted.

Escher

1. Rhythm

20th Century Rhythm can be very complex.

Composers often used changing time signatures and polyrhythms (different rhythms used at the

same time). All these complex rhythms can make the music sound very aperiodic.

Changing time signatures

Polyrhythms

2. Melody

20th Century melody is very jagged and jumpy.

The melodies are not often repeated and very

hard to remember.

Pre-20th Century melody

20th Century melody

3. Harmony In the 20th

Century, consonance is no longer the

primary type of harmony used.

Dissonance begins to have more and more appeal and is

used more frequently.

Dissonance

Harmony - continuedIn the 20th Century, composers found many

ways to use dissonance. One such way is called “12-tone-music”.

Usually, most songs center around a given tone called “the key”. A song can be in the key of C or F sharp, there are 12 tones to choose from.

Composers of 12-tone-music believe that a song centered around one tone is “unfair” to the

other 11 tones, So their strategy was to use all 12 tones equally.

A – A# – B – C – C# – D – D# – E – F – F# – G – G# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Harmony - continuedAnother way that composers used

dissonance is called polytonality. This is

when music is performed in 2 or more keys at the

same time.

PolytonalityPolytonalityPolytonalityPolytonality

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4. Expressive QualitiesIn the 20th Century, new ways of writing music were invented to

represent every sound possibility on every instrument. Composers

used special markings that instructed vocalists to hiss,

shriek, buzz their tongue, or snap their fingers. Some markings

instructed string players to play the strings by the tuning pegs, hit

their instruments, or play their bows upside down. Other instructions informed flute players to play their flutes without blowing air into it.

New markings

Expressive Qualities - continuedAlthough this song sounds like awful noise, it has

more meaning when you know what it is about. This song was written about the horrors of Hiroshima. (?)

Mushroom Cloud - 50,000 Feet High

Just as popular music often reflects society, “serious” music can also reveal cultural events

and feelings.

The bomb created 7000 degree winds traveling at

speeds over 600 mph. 140,000 dead

20th Century tone color can be quite unusual.

Composers were looking for new sounds. Often, unusual combinations of instruments were used to

find this sound.

5. Tone Color

Here are some examples of strange combinations in real

songs:

1. Music for 80 voices, zither, guitar and a tape player2. Boy soprano, oboe, mandolin, harp, and toy piano3. Violin, percussion, and off-stage glass harmonica

6. FormJust like 20th

Century artwork, most 20th Century music lacks any

kind of form whatsoever.

Although most were following the 20th Century trends, there were some who didn’t go with the flow. These composers and artists stuck to the old fashioned consonance, and we’re

often considered “traitors” by other composers and artists.

These rebel composers weren’t completely old-fashioned. They would

use dissonance occasionally for the right effect. Most importantly, they kept the general public interested in “serious” music. The 12-tone-music

was too much to handle for the average person (and still is).

20th Century

The End