Timeline #5 - Post-Romanticism (1890-1930)

  • Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)

    Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
    Gustav Mahler was an Austrian conductor and Maximalistic composer of the Post-Romantic era. He composed 10 symphonies and had many songs with an orchestra. Mahler's most notable work would probably be his Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor. Fun fact: his father was not in the picture, so he was a big mama's boy. So much so, that he adopted a slight limp because she had a limp.
  • Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

    Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
    Achille-Claude Debussy, or more commonly known as Claude Debussy, was a French Impressionistic composer of the Post-Romantic era. In my opinion, Debussy was the biggest composer of the Post-Romantic era. He was an influence to many Impressionistic composers and artists. Debussy's most notable work would probably be Clair de lune. 2 fun facts: he was an amazing pianist by the age of nine and won the Grand Prix de Rome in 1884.
  • Richard Strauss (1864-1949)

    Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
    Richard Strauss was a German conductor and Maximalistic composer of the Post-Romantic era. He composed many symphonic poems and operas and had composed 140 pieces (59 art songs and many chamber and orchestral songs) by the time he left school in 1882. Strauss' most notable work would probably be his Horn Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major.
  • Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)

    Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
    Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian-American Expressionistic composer and teacher of the Post-Romantic era. He taught other famous composers listed on this timeline, Berg and Webern. Schoenberg also created new ways of composing, including atonality and the 12-tone row. His most notable work would probably be Pelleas und Melisande.
  • Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

    Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
    Igor Stravinsky was a Russian Impressionistic composer of the Post-Romantic era. He received many awards throughout his life for his outstanding and revolutionary compositions. Stravinsky won Grammys in 1961, 1962, and 1967. He was also honored with the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal in 1954 and the Wihuri Sibelius Prize in 1963. Overall, I think his most notable work would be his Symphony in C.
  • Anton Webern (1883-1945)

    Anton Webern (1883-1945)
    Anton Webern was an Austrian Expressionistic composer of the Post-Romantic era. He was a student of Schoenberg's and a friend of Berg's. Webern was known for his passacaglia for orchestra, his chamber music, and other various songs. His most notable work would probably be Entflieht auf leichten Kähnen.
  • Alban Berg (1885-1935)

    Alban Berg (1885-1935)
    Alban Berg was an Austrian Expressionistic composer of the Post-Romantic era. He was a student of Schoenberg's and a friend of Webern's. Berg was known for his use of atonal and 12-tone compositions. He composed chamber pieces, orchestral pieces, opera pieces, and various other pieces. Berg's most notable piece would probably be Lulu.
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    Impressionism Part 1

    Starting around 1890, there were 2 new styles of music introduced. One of which, was Impressionism. Basically, Impressionism just creates an artistic thought. Some elements used in Impressionism include tonality, static harmony, melodies that lack direct motion, emphasis on instrumental sound, tone color, unresolved 7ths and 9ths, parallel movement, and whole tone scales. (Go to Impressionism Part 2 to finish this)
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    Maximalism

    Starting around 1890, there were 2 new styles of music introduced. One of which, was Maximalism. Basically, Maximalism was about having everything larger and more extreme in every way. Thick textures, many uses of themes and motives, extreme chromaticism, a couple unprecedented build-ups of harmonic tension paired with a resolution, parallels, operas, and huge performance groups, such as symphonies, were all prominent throughout. Overall, Maximalism was about doing everything "to the max".
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    Genres

    Orchestras, operas, classical music, and choruses were all popular genres throughout the Post-Romantic era.
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    Impressionism Part 2

    (Sorry, there has to be a part 2 because I ran out of space to type) --- Also, the cadences typically used include plagal, authentic without a leading tone, and III to I. Overall, Impressionism was about composing something beautiful to listen to and to break away from traditional music.
  • Spanish-American War

    Spanish-American War
    The Spanish-American War was an armed battle between Spain and the United States.
  • First Headphones Invented

    First Headphones Invented
    Nathaniel Baldwin invented the first headphones in 1910. The final design consisted of two sound receivers, each containing a mile of copper wiring, attached to the operator's headband. Fun fact: the Navy ordered 100 of them, not knowing that Baldwin was making them by hand at his kitchen table.
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    Expressionism

    Starting around 1910, in Germany and Austria, the style of Expressionism was born. Basically, Expressionism focused on atonality, having no chord progression rules, and having no tonic to return to. It also took expressing feelings to the extreme, stretched the rules of harmony and form a ton, used a lot of dissonance with little resolution, wide leaps, and no cadences. Overall, Expressionism was about "expressing" thought and emotion through music, without rules holding them back.
  • Titanic Sank

    Titanic Sank
    On April 15, 1912, the Titanic sank during its first voyage to New York City from Southampton, England. The tragedy killed about 1,500 people.
  • World War 1 (1914-1918)

    World War 1 (1914-1918)
    World War 1 was a global war that originated in Europe and lasted from July 1914 to November 1918.
  • Prohibition (1920-1933)

    Prohibition (1920-1933)
    Prohibition was a constitutional ban on everything relating to alcohol. This included the production, transportation, selling, etc. of alcohol.
  • 19th Amendment Ratified

    19th Amendment Ratified
    On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified. This meant that women could now start voting.
  • Victor Orthophonic Victrola Phonograph Introduced

    Victor Orthophonic Victrola Phonograph Introduced
    On November 2, 1925, the Victor Orthophonic Victrola Phonograph was introduced. It had better sound quality and more volume.
  • Magnetic Tape Invented

    Magnetic Tape Invented
    Magnetic tape was invented in Germany in 1928 for recording sound.
  • Stock Market Crash

    Stock Market Crash
    The stock market crash was a sharp decline in the U.S. stock market values in 1929 and it contributed to the Great Depression of the 1930s.