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Romantic -- German One of the most prominent figures of romantic music, Wagner created operas that defined Germany and a musical era. -
The lifespan of 40+ major composers, from Mahler to Glass.
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Czech -- Modernist, Primitivist, Folk Janáček wrote powerful, folk inspired music charged with a nationalistic intensity. -
Late Romantic -- Italian
Giacomo Puccini was a popular composer known for his operas. -
Late Romantic -- German "a symphony must be like the world; it must embrace everything". Mahler wrote expansive, polystylistic symphonies. -
Impressionism -- French Debussy wrote music he thought sounded good, rather than that which followed a set of specific rules. Though this methodology garnered criticism, this refreshing and free style was also championed. -
Late Romantic, Modernist -- German
Richard Strauss furthered the modernist and romantic sound well into the 20th century, with works such as Metamorphosen and Salome. -
Post Romanticism -- Finland Retired early, with a critical ear for his work. Became a symbol for his homeland, with works renowned worldwide. -
French -- Impressionism Erik Satie was a strange man, known for several qualities and innovations. Worked with Les Sixe, Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Pablo Picasso, Sergei Diaghilev, and Jeav Cocteau. -
United Kingom -- Post Romanticism - Neoclassicism A composer of folk inspired music across several genres. -
Expressionism, Atonality, Serialism -- German A major player for much of the 20th century, Schoenberg first embraced the furthest reaches of romantic expression before developing ways to further it. His systems of atonality and serialism were controversial- and a breath of fresh air for himself and many others. -
Modernist -- American
Ives explored everything at the cutting edge, from tone clusters to alleatory. His wide breadth of style and exploration led to an immediate lack in popularity, and long term explosion in recognition. -
Impressionism -- French “Music, I feel, must be emotional first and intellectual second." Ravel’s music featured intricate, impressionistic harmonies and the neoclassical flair of modern form. -
Hungarian -- Primitivism, Expressionism Bartok explored two wildly different ends of the musical spectrum, primitivist modernism and the folk tunes of his native Hungary. -
Expressionism, Primitivism, Neoclassicism, Atonality, Serialism -- Russian Stravinsky characterized many styles in his lifetime. From the thunderous primitivist ballets, to the neoclassical middle period, or his serialist interests in his final period. Stravinsky followed many paths, but always strayed towards the cutting edge. -
French -- Electroacoustic, Percussion
Believed music to be "Walls of Sound", and organized his music as such. Created such atmospheres using primarily percussion driven experiences. -
Expressionism, Atonality, Serialism
-- German Stravinsky once said Webern’s compositions were ‘dazzling diamonds. Furthered atonal and serialist sounds with small, pointillistic sounds and spaces. -
Notable Piece: Tristan und Isolde
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Expressionism, Atonality, Serialism -- German Created a serialist sound without losing touch with the use of romantic texture. Berg’s music almost feels tonal at points. -
Italian -- Modernism, Futursim
Pioneered 'Noise Music' and Futurism, synthesizing abstract sound. -
Soviet -- Neoclasscisim Sergei Prokofiev was a prolific cross genre composer, who found himself writing music both approved and decried by the soviets. -
Swiss -- Neoclassicism A talented opera composer, quiet on the outside but tortured by his passion for opera. -
The only female member for Les Six, and associate of Maurice Ravel. -
French -- Neoclassicism, Jazz A member of Les Sixe, inspired by American music. A prolific composer and talented teacher, tutoring several of the 20th century's most famous composers. -
American, German -- Neoclassicism Paul Hindemith created a system of functional tonality that prioritized ease of writing. Hindemith was a general proponent of music serving a greater purpose -
German -- Neoclasscism
A prominent composer and educator associated with the Nazi Party. -
American -- Post Romantic, Neoclassical
Virgil Thomson is a composer with a subtle but distinctly american voice with a notable and widespread language. -
American -- Post-Romantic Eric Korngold codified his sound into what would become widespread in hollywood filmmaking. -
American -- Jazz Classical Combined lush jazz harmony with classical form and presentation to create incredibly popular music. Tragically died young, leaving the world with questions of what else he could have created. -
American -- Jazz Duke Ellington was A key element to the widespread nature of American Jazz in the early and mid 20th century. -
Hungarian -- Avant Garde Prominent avant garde composer, who innovated several incredibly complex systems for large tone masses and colors. -
American -- Modernist With the use of frequent open sonorities, Aaron Copeland established the wide open American sound the west would become known for. -
Weimar, German -- Jazz Classical Kurt Weil was a prevalent composer for the stage, renowned in both popular and art music contexts. -
French -- Modernist
Antheil strived to explored all sounds of the early 20th century, constantly reinventing his music and working with new composers. -
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Soviet -- Modernism, Post Romantacism Prevalent in the USSR, Shostakovich was known for his popular national sound. However, it is theorized that Shostakovich coded more personal messages in his music that betray a more critical message of his homeland. -
French -- Post - Impressionism, Avant-Garde Messian pursued worldly styles and rhythmically complex music. His use of birdsong, reverence for God, and coloristic interpretations of music lead to a distinctive style -
American -- Neoclassicism
Samuel Barber was a composer and conductor famous in the United states. He embraced romanticism and lyricism in his music. -
Notable Piece: Symphony No. 2
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American -- Avant - Garde Cage sought to question all about music, from what it was to simply what it sounded like. Cage experimented with timbrel elements and philosophical elements of his music, exploring all ends of the spectrum. -
United Kingdom -- Post-Romantic Modernist An influential British composer notable for his widespread operas. -
Polish -- Primitivism, Expressionism Lutoslawski blended both traditional and avant garde elements into a distinctive style reminiscient of but entirely distinct from other european composers. -
American -- Avant Garde Composer and critic Milton Babbitt was a massive proponent of seralism, pointilism, and punctualism. Invented tone matrices. -
Notable Piece: La Mer
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American -- Post Romantic - Avant Garde Leonard Bernstein held a special prescense over music in the 20th century, as composer, conductor, and teacher. -
Greek -- Avant Garde Though Xenakis was critical of Darmstadt, furthered an avant Garde sound known for its use of extra-musical, stochastic concepts. -
Hungardian -- Avant Garde Prominent avant garde composer, who innovated several incredibly complex systems for large tone masses and colors in a technique referred to as "Micro-Polyphony". -
Notable Piece:
Tosca -
Notable Piece: Gnossienes
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French -- Avant Garde A major proponent of the avant garde style and the ideological presence of Darmstadt. Wrote pointillistic music for purposes greater than his own artistic direction, for better or for worse. -
American -- Avant Garde Morton Feldman shows the expanse of voices in the cacaphony of the 20th century; he wrote music that was broad, repetitive, and gray. His music asks many questions without saying too much in and of itself, creating an entirely unique soundscape that is hard to replicate elsewhere. -
Notable Piece:
Violin Sonata -
German -- Avant Garde Karlheinz Stockhauzen was a highly recognized and experimental composer, known for his innovative and eclectic output. -
American -- Avant Garde Schweitzer, Vivien claim that Crumb's "range[s] in mood from peaceful to nightmarish". This stylistic quality came about late in his career, exploring various other ideas throughout his other pieces such as Makrokosmos and the Madrigals. -
Tokyo, China, Japanese -- Post Impressionism Takemitsu had a passion for film scoring, and sought to merge both avant Garde and impressionistic soundscapes. -
Polish -- Avant Garde
Penderecki was recognized for his polystylistic career. Representing both avant garde, modernist ideas, and more traditional neoromantic forms in his later years. -
Estonian-- Holy Minimalism Arvo Pärt uses a light and open variation of the minimalist style, as well as employing his own technique of tintinabulation. His spiritual blend of minimalist and avant Garde ideas creates his own unique style Notable Piece:
Spiegel Im Spiegel -
American -- Minimalism A central figure in the growth of post war, american avant garde music. Best known for sustained tones. Notable Piece:
Trio For Strings -
American -- Minimalism
Influenced by jazz and indian music, pioneering cross national styles that would blossom into several new genres. This includes In C, a work in which small rythmic cells are repeated at the ensemble's discretion. Notable Piece:
In C -
Notable Piece:
Wozzeck -
American -- Minimalism Composer John Adam’s once said “(Steve Reich) didn’t reinvent the wheel so much as he showed us a new way to ride.” Steve Reich’s inventive blend of African rhythmic styles, minimalist texture, and classical form created a new movement for American art music. Notable Piece: Music for 18 Musicians -
Notable Piece: Bolero
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American -- Minimalism Phillip Glass characterized his music with simple, repetitive structures, layered in complex and satisfying textures. Notable Piece: Metamorphosis -
Notable Piece:
Rhapsody In Blue -
English -- Avant - Garde
A proponent of new complexity, a movement that pushes performers and composers to their utter limit. Notable Piece:
String Trio -
Notable Piece:
Concerto For Orchestra -
Notable Piece:
5 Pieces for Orchestra -
American -- Minimalism, Contemporary, Modernism John Adams writes in a variety of styles, combining American minimalism with tradition and modernism. Notable Piece: Nixon in China -
Notable Piece: L'Arte dei Rumori (The Art of Noises)
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French -- Spectralism A leading figure in the formation of spectral music, utilizing the acoustic qualities of sound and music. Award winning and renowned for his inventive approach to composition and the the use of software. Notable Piece:
Gondwana -
Notable Piece:
Salome -
Notable Piece:
Threepenn Opera -
Notable Piece: Pierrot Lunaire
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Post-Spectralism Focused on dense sound masses that transformed over time, like exploring a kaleidoscope of sound. -
Austrian -- Post-Spectralism Microtonally focused composer, oriented with spectral texture and creating spacious, organic soundscapes. Seeks to create new sonic experiences. Notable Piece:
in vain -
Notable Piece: Romeo and Juliet
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Notable Piece:
The Unanswered Question -
Notable Work:
Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher -
Notable Piece:
Soundtrack to "The Adventures of Robin Hood" -
Notable Piece: Symphony No.2
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Notable Piece: Oboe Concerto
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Notable Piece:
Ballet Mécanique -
Argentine, Israeli -- Klezmer, Folk Often works with vocal work. Notable Piece:
Oceana -
Notable Piece:
Black Brown and Beige -
Notable Piece:
Symphonic Metamorphosis
of Carl Maria Weber -
Notable Piece:
Gloria -
Notable Piece:
Ionization -
Notable Piece:
The Rite of Spring -
Notable Piece:
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Notable Piece:
String Quartet No. 8 -
Notable Work:
Peter Grimes -
Notable Piece:
Adagio For Strings -
Notable Piece: Carmina Burana
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Notable Piece:
Petit livre de harpe de Madame Tardieu -
Notable Piece:
Rothko Chapel -
Notable Piece:
Lord Byron -
Notable Piece:
Score to "Westside Story" -
Notable Piece:
Appalachian Spring -
Notable Piece:
4'33 -
Notable Piece:
Quartet For the End of Time -
Notable Piece:
Concerto for Orchestra -
Notable Piece:
November Steps -
Notable Work:
Metastasis -
Notable Work:
Atmospheres -
Notable Piece:
Gesang der Jünglinge -
Notable Pieces:
String Quartet No. 2 -
Notable Piece: Vox Balanae
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Notable Piece:
Notations -
Notable Piece:
Threnody -
Notable Piece:
L'Amour de loin -
Though composers who are alive today such as (Steve Reich, Phillip Glass, Le Monte Young, John Adams, Tristan Murail, Brian Ferneyhough Arvo Part, Terry Riley, Osvaldo Golijov) still leave their influence, we are left to find many questions about the direction of music yet to come. Avant Garde, Spectralist, and Minamislist movements have all gone through significant changes and even revivals as we approach the third decade of the 21st century.