Second Half of the Twentieth Century Total control Radical objectivism extension of serial technique Integral serialism precompositional control of interfacing musical components ID: 340600
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Slide1
In the
Second Half of the Twentieth CenturySlide2
Total control
Radical
objectivism
—
extension of serial technique
Integral
serialism
— precompositional
control of interfacing musical components
Interrogates
the intention of musical “expression”
Demands machinelike
accuracy from performersSlide3
Extended techniques
Expansion
of timbral possibilities with existing instruments
Long
history of special effects in scoring
—
mutes, stopped horns, different bow placements and
col legno
,
Sprechstimme
, etc.
Leads
to invention of new notations
Often
justified by textual/programmatic considerationsSlide4
Electronic music
Electronic
capability responding to different issues
invention of new sounds
complete control of musical organization
Tape
music
new sounds
—
musique concrète
, synthesized tones
organization
—
overdubbing, tape loop
Computer
-generated music
new sounds
—
increased manipulation of timbre
organization
—
programmed form
Music
without performers
—
or performers in ensemble with recorded musicSlide5
Indeterminacy
Also
called
aleatory
music
or
chance music
Composer
cedes some aspects of music to
uncontrolled circumstances
performers’ decisions
Two
types of indeterminacy
controlled sound but indeterminate structure
controlled structure but indeterminate sound
John
Cage,
4'33"
:
Is the music
silent?
ambient sound?
listeners’ thoughts during performance?Slide6
Postmodernism
Reaction
to modernism
Rejects
progressive view of history
Mistrusts
objectivism, rejects science and technology as best sources of solutions to all problems
Pluralism
no single governing epistemology
multiculturalism
eclecticism in artistic style
—
diversity and fusionSlide7
Minimalism
Emphasizes
process over product, duration over development
Artistic
material consists of small units
form developed by
repetition
cycling or phasing
Favors
attentive but not
necessarily
analytical listeningSlide8
Mixed-media and performance-oriented music
Multimedia
composition (or improvisation)
often takes advantage of technology
high interest factor for audiences
encourages programmatic topicality
Performance
art
features performer improvisation
often multimedia
engaging for audience
“New Romanticism”
—
characterized by approachable sound, integration of art forms, expressive contentSlide9
Some jazz styles after the 1940s
Bebop
(bop)
free treatment of harmony
—
increased dissonance
extreme virtuosity
Cool
jazz
less intense than bebop
mellower, ensemble-based sound
Free
jazz
independent of established harmonic progressions
exploitation of extended techniques
Fusions
third stream
—
jazz and classical music
jazz-rockSlide10
Rock and roll
First
popular genre in Western tradition also supported by greatest wealth base, the American middle class
Derived
from union of rhythm and blues and country-western folk traditions
Topical
appeal to teenage audience
Supported
dance
Social
commentary
—
especially generational issues
Dependent
on recording industry and broadcast media
Rapid
development of different styles
—
postmodern manifestationSlide11
Questions for discussion
At what periods in the Western musical tradition have there been notable emphasis on developing timbres as part of the compositional palette? Are there significant parallels between those periods and the twentieth century?
How did the development of recording alter the positions of composer, performer, and listener in comparison to earlier eras?
Do developments since 1950 demand rethinking of the definition of
music
?
Can the position of popular music in the United States after World War II be paralleled to any earlier developments in the Western musical tradition?