-
Period: to
Richard Wagner
Influence on music:
-introduced new melodic and harmonic ideas, as well as in operatic structure
-Stretched the limits on the traditional tonal system(particularly with Triston und Isolde) Notable Works:
-Der Ring des Nibelungen(The Ring of the Nibelung, commonly referred to as the "Ring cycle"
-Triston und Isolde -
Period: to
Bela Bartok
Influence and contribution to music:
-made significant contributions to ethnomusicology by recording various folk tunes in the Eastern European countryside
-used scales derived from folk idioms in his compositions
-his music was hardly ever tonal, even though he made strong claims stating otherwise Notable Works:
-Concerto for Orchestra
-Bluebeard's Castle -
Period: to
Leos Janacek
Musical Influence and Style:
-incorporated elements of Moravian and Slavonic folk music in his compositions
-developed and applied the concept of "speech melodies"
-used unorthodox chord spacing and structures as well as repeating motifs and patterns -published many music theory essays, articles, and other works Notable Compositions:
-Jenůfa
-Sinfonietta
-The Cunning Little Vixen -
Period: to
Gustav Mahler
Musical Style and Influence:
-wrote mainly in song and symphonic form
-Scholars divide his musical writing into three periods: Early Period(1880-1901), Middle Period(1901-1907), Late Period(1907 to his death in 1911)
-acted as a bridge between the Austro-German tradition and modernism in the early 20th century Other facts:
-had a massive career as a conductor Notable Works:
-his 9 symphonies
-Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen -
Period: to
Claude Debussy
Influence on music and style:
-considered the leading exponent and founder of musical impressionism
-adopted non-traditional scales and tonal structures Notable Compositions:
-La Mer
-Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune(Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun) -
Period: to
Richard Strauss
Musical influence and style:
-early works were influenced by Romanticism of composers such as Wagner and Liszt
-later developed his own style characterized by the usage of chromaticism, extended tonality, and dissonance Notable Works:
-Don Juan
-Death and Transfiguration
-Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks -
Period: to
Jean Sibelius
Influence on music and style:
-powerful symbolism of nationalism used within musical compositions, incorporated elements of Finnish landscapes and nature within his works Notable works:
-Finlandia
-Violin Concerto -
Period: to
Charles Ives
Contribution to music:
-experimented with a variety of musical techniques including polytonality, polyrhythm, tone clusters, and quarter tones
-mixed popular music, church music, and traditional folk tunes into symphonic writing Notable works:
-Concord Sonata
-Symphony No. 2
-The Unanswered Question -
Period: to
Arnold Schoenberg
Influence and contribution:
-development of the twelve tone system
-experimented heavily with atonality and dissonance
-central figure of the Second Viennese School Notable works:
-Verklärte Nacht
-Five Pieces for Orchestra
-Chamber Symphony No. 1 -
Period: to
Serge Koussevitzky
Contributions to music:
-avid supporter of new music, founded a publishing company to support rising composers, also commissioned a number of works from prominent composers and often programed new music Other Facts:
-had a massive conducting career, known for his position as music director of the Boston Symphony
-double bassist(also learned violin, cello, piano, and trumpet) Notable works:
-his bass concerto
-Valse miniature -
Period: to
Maurice Ravel
Contribution to music:
-One of the first composers to incorporate the usage of recording their music to bring it to a larger public audience
-created new melodic and rhythmic structures and innovative harmonies
-incorporated jazz elements into his musical compositions Notable works:
-Daphnis et Chloé
-Boléro
-Le Tombeau de Couperin -
Period: to
Igor Stravinsky
Contribution to music:
-innovations in rhythm and harmony
-developed neoclassicism within music Style:
-Three periods: Russian(1907-1919), Neoclassical(1920-1954), and Serial(1954-1968)
-usage of motivic development Notable Works:
-Petrushka
-The Rite of Spring
-Firebird -
Period: to
Alban Berg
Musical contributions:
-developed the principals of atonality(or serialism)
-known for his expressive style, said to have brought more "human values" to the twelve tone system
-important figure in the Second Viennese School Notable Works:
-Violin Concerto
-Lyric Suite
-Three Pieces for Orchestra -
Period: to
Louis Durey
-part of Les Six, group of French composers who combated against Romanticism and traditions of the past and brought new musical innovations Notable Works:
-Scènes de Cirque
-Trois Préludes
-Deux Études -
Period: to
Sergei Prokofiev
Musical style:
-melodic lyricism
-energetic rhythms
-dissonant and atonal harmonies
-one of the leading figures in neoclassicism in music Notable Works:
-his Violin Concertos
-Romeo Juliet
-his Piano Concertos
-Peter and the Wolf -
Period: to
Germaine Tailleferre
-part of Les Six, group of French composers who combated against Romanticism and traditions of the past and brought new innovations within music Notable Works:
-Sonata alla Scarlatti
-Valse lente -
Period: to
Darius Milhaud
-part of Les Six, group of French composers who combated against Romanticism and traditions of the past and brought new innovations within music Style:
-influenced heavily on jazz and Brazilian Music
-extensive usage of polytonality Notable Works
-Saudades do Brasil
-Suite provençale -
Period: to
Arthur Honegger
-part of Les Six, group of French composers who combated against Romanticism and traditions of the past and brought new musical innovations Style:
-Bachian counterpoint
-driving rhythms
-highly coloristic harmonies
-concern for formal architecture
-descriptive music Other facts:
-pioneer of film music Notable Works:
-Pacific 231
-Antigone
-Rugby -
Period: to
Walter Piston
Contributions:
-wrote four major textbooks on music theory:Principles of Harmonic Analysis (1933), Harmony (1941), Counterpoint (1947), and Orchestration (1955) Style:
-Neoclassical, with occasional Romantic overtones
-structural strength
-lively rhythms Notable Works:
-Three New England Sketches
-Toccata for Orchestra -
Period: to
Paul Hindemith
Influence/contribution to music:
-Gebrauchsmusik(Music for Use): compositions having a social or political purpose, often played by amateurs
-major advocate for Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) Style:
-employed a unique system of writing that is tonal but non-diatonic Known Works:
- Der Schwanendreher
-Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria -
Period: to
Virgil Thomson
Contributions:
-pivotal figure in developing the "American Sound" within classical music
-highly respected and renowned critic Style:
-his music was rooted in American speech rhythms and hymnbook harmony
-influenced by Eric Satie's ideas of clarity, simplicity, irony, and humor Compositions:
-Four Saints in Three Acts
-A Prayer to St. Catherine -
Period: to
Howard Hanson
Style:
-Neo-Romantic
-experimentation with modern musical idioms
-extensive use of extended tertian chords, motoric ostinati in rapid passages and alternating triadic chords Other facts:
-served as director of the Eastman School of Music for 40 years, retired in 1964 Notable Works:
-The Lament for Beowulf
-The Mystic Trumpeter
-String Quartet -
Period: to
Roy Harris
Contributions:
-founded the International String Congress to combat shortage of string players in the U.S.
-co-founded the American Composers Alliance Style:
-obsessed with European pre-classical forms
-use of folk music Other facts:
-first American composer to conduct his own works in Russia Notable Works:
-American Symphony
-American Ballads -
Period: to
George Gershwin
Influence on music:
-blended two distinct genres of music together, classical and jazz
-he was inspired by French composers, particularly with Ravel(he ended up studying with him) Notable works:
-Rhapsody in Blue
-American in Paris
-Concerto in F -
Period: to
Duke Ellington
Influence on music:
-gave American Music its own distinctive sound
-pioneered and developed the "jungle style", characterized by use of exotic rhythms, growling brass, and innovative orchestrations Known works:
-In a Sentimental Mood
-Take the "A" Train -
Period: to
Francis Poulenc
-part of Les Six, group of French composers who combated against Romanticism and traditions of the past and brought new musical innovations Style:
-melodic simplicity
-harmonies with lush dissonances
-sense of irony and wit
-drew inspiration from popular music, jazz, and dance forms Notable works:
-Violin Sonata
-Sextet
-Dialogues of the Carmelites -
Period: to
Georges Auric
-part of Les Six, group of French composers who combated against Romanticism and traditions of the past and brought new musical innovations Style:
-mingled popular tunes with sophisticated harmony Notable works:
-Trois Interludes for piano and voice
-Adieu, New-York! for piano -
Period: to
Aaron Copland
Contributions to music:
-considered by his colleagues as the "Dean of American Music"
-help to define the sound of American Music Style:
-extensive use of open intervals and harmonies
-influenced by his mentor Nadia Boulanger
-drew inspiration from jazz as well as Latin and American folk tunes Notable works:
-Appalachian Spring
-Billy the Kid
-Fanfare for the Common Man -
Period: to
Kurt Weill
Impact on music:
-key figure in the development of modern forms in musical theatre Notable works:
-The Threepenny Opera
-Mack the Knife -
Period: to
Dimitri Shostakovich
-wrote music on a political tightrope due to Russian censorship during the Stalin era Style and characteristics:
-sharp contrasts
-elements of grotesque and ambivalent tonality
-influenced by neoclassicism(Stravinsky) and post-romanticism(Mahler), especially with his symphonies Notable works:
-String Quartet No. 8
-Symphony No. 5 -
Period: to
Oliver Messiaen
Impact on music:
-experimented with and introduced new compositional techniques such as limited transposition and chord colouration Style and Characteristics:
-complex rhythmic structure
-extensive use of limited transposition
-drew great inspiration from birdsong Known works:
-Quatuor pour la fin du temps
-La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ -
Period: to
Elliot Carter
Musical innovations:
-created a distinct musical language combining elements of European modernism and and American "ultra-modernism" Musical characteristics:
-elaborate rhythmic layering
-metric modulation Known works:
-A Symphony of Three Orchestras
-String Quartet No. 3 -
Period: to
William Schuman
-had a wide ranging career as a composer, educator and administrator
-president of the Juilliard School in 1945, co- founded the Juilliard String Quartet, added the dance division to the school Style:
-incorporated jazz and American folk tunes and melodies in his works while experimenting with modern sounds and dissonances Known works:
-American Festival Overture
-his eight symphonies(originally ten but three of them were withdrawn) -
Period: to
Samuel Barber
Style:
-followed traditional 19th century harmonic language and formal structure while incorporating elements of modernism
-wide range of lyricism and emotional expression Other contributions:
-his opera Anthony and Cleopatra helped commission the opening of the Metropolitan Opera House Notable works:
-Adagio for Strings
-Violin Concerto -
Period: to
Alfred Mendelsohn
-served as conductor of the Romanian National Opera from 1944 to 1963
-taught counterpoint at the Conservatory in Bucharest Known works:
-Concerto for viola and orchestra
-Petite Suite for viola solo -
Period: to
John Cage
Musical innovations:
-developed and invented new compositional procedures and techniques such as the idea of chance-controlled music and the prepared piano
-pioneered a new body of music that he described as “the contemporary transition from keyboard-influenced music to the all-sound music of the future” Known works:
-4'33
-Bacchanale -
Period: to
Benjamin Britten
-central figure of 20th century British music, particularly with opera, but also with a wide range of orchestral, chamber, and other vocal works Style:
-gradual drift from tonal to atonal elements, especially in his later works
-heavily influenced by eastern music Known works:
-Violin Concerto
-Peter Grimes -
Period: to
Milton Babbitt
Contributions to music:
-major figure in contemporary music theory
-introduced multiple serial techniques such as the development of contrapuntal arrays and the extension of twelve-tone procedures to the dimension of rhythm Style:
-mostly atonal with some elements of tonality, especially in his third-period music Known works:
-Three Compositions for Piano
-Phonemena -
Period: to
Leonard Bernstein
-had a massive wide-ranging career as a composer, pianist, conductor, educator, and writer
-known for his role as music director of the New York Phil, as well as conducting major orchestras around the world
-heavily expanded and developed Young People's Concerts, considered one of his greatest achievements Known works:
-Candide
-Symphonic Dances from West Side Story -
Period: to
Iannis Xenakis
Contributions:
-pioneered the use of mathematical models in music such as applications of set theory, varied use of stochastic processes, and game theory
-important figure in the development of electronic music Known works:
-Metastaseis
-Rebonds -
Period: to
Gyorgy Ligeti
Musical innovations:
-experimented with various musical styles and techniques including micropolyphony, electronic music, and polyrhythm Known works:
-violin concerto
-Atmospheres -
Period: to
Pierre Boulez
-had a wide-ranging career as a composer, conductor, and writer
-founded several musical institutions including the Domaine musical, the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique / Musique (IRCAM), and the Ensemble intercontemporain Known works:
-Le Marteau sans maître
-Douze Notations -
Period: to
Morton Feldman
Influence on music:
-pioneer of indeterminacy(free choice or chance) in music Characteristics and style:
-free and floating rhythms
-softly unfocused pitch shadings
-recurring asymmetric patterns Known works:
-Intersection 1, for large orchestra
-Coptic Light -
Period: to
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Music contributions and innovations:
-known for his groundbreaking work in electronic music, considered the "father of electronic music"
-introduced controlled chance into serial composition
-also considered one of the most controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries due to his transformative and groundbreaking innovations Known works:
-Licht
-Sirius -
La Monte Young
-one of the first American minimalist composers Musical innovations:
-pioneered the concept of extended time
-major figure in the development of drone music Known works:
-The Well-Tuned Piano
-Day of Niagara -
Terry Riley
-pioneer of the minimalist school of composition Style:
-influenced by jazz and Indian classical music
-use of repetition, tape music techniques, improvisation, and delay systems Known Works:
-In C
-A Rainbow in Curved Air -
Arvo Part
Musical innovations:
-invented Tintinnabuli, a unique algorithmic system of composition aimed at the total reduction and the strictest organization of musical means Known works:
-Fratres
-Spiegel im Spiegel -
Steve Reich
Musical innovations:
-using tape loops to create phasing patterns
-the usage of simple, audible processes Known works:
-Electric Counterpoint
-City Life -
Philip Glass
Musical innovations:
-exploration of additive and subtractive rhythm
-repeated patterns of danceable rhythms as well as combining them with colorful textures Known works:
-Einstein on the Beach
-Mad Rush
-Violin Concerto No. 1 -
John Adams
Musical style:
-minimalist post-minimalist
-incorporates elements of pop, jazz, and electronic music Other facts:
-heavily sought-after and prolific conductor
-highly esteemed writer, has written for New York Times Reviews, The New Yorker, and The London Times Known works:
-Road Movies
-Doctor Atomic Symphony