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230 BCE
Javanese Gamelan
A percussive ensemble. A collection of drums, gongs, xylophones, sometimes plucked string instruments / vocalists. Non-western tuning system, including microtones. -
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Mahler
Mahler made important expansions to symphonies and Lieder. He is also considered to be the heir to Mozart and Beethoven. -
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Debussy
Debussy is considered the most important French composer of the early 20th century. He is credited with composing the first modern orchestral work. -
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Strauss
Strauss is a German man who supported Wagner's use of chromaticism and expanded on this trait. He is famous for his poems and operas such as Salome and Elektra. He is also known for being a conservative conductor. -
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Ravel
Ravel is a French Impressionism composer credited with writing the first impressionist piano piece. -
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Stravinsky
His style changed often switching through the "Russian Period", "French Period", "Neoclassical Period", and the "Serialist Period". His overall style is described as "harsh" and "brash." -
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Impressionism
Anti Germanic. Debussy leads. As one of the first anti-Romantic styles it disregarded chord progression rules, it is essentially tonal. -
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Maximalism
Mainly German speaking. Comprised of extreme chromaticism, extreme sizes of performance groups, extreme use of themes and motives, and thick textures. -
Fin de siècle
Composers reacted stylistically against against the romantic style and it's aesthetic -
Key Musical Developments
Orchestral Programmatic Music, Naturalism, Lieder (vocal songs), Orchestral expansion, opera as musical drama, modern orchestration, harmonies do not always resolve, Non- western scales, vague tempo and meter. -
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Expressionism
German speaking areas, Schoenberg leads. Focused on freeing music from tonality. Used the 12 tone method. -
Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring is a ballet that was written by Stravinsky. It depicted scenes of Russian Pagan rituals. The whole play was seen as "radical" and a riot broke out during a bassoon solo. -
Period: to
World War I
World war I started with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.