Note About the Modern Era:
We are in an exciting time in music history! About twenty years ago, we used to call the Modern Era all music from about 1900 to the present. But with the invention of electronics and computers, music changed a lot. So now scholars are rushing to redefine this era. All over the internet, you will find different dates and names for this current part of our history. Some scholars group this era as Modern (1890-1930 or 1945) and Post-modern (1945- present). We like to call our new era the Technology era because we rely so heavily on technology. Also, the term “modern,” without being current, becomes irrelevant.
Vocabulary
Contemporary – Belonging to or occurring in the present time.
Atonal Music – Music that does not have a tonal center.
Tonal Center – (Tonality) The target toward which other tones lead, where there is perceived musical stability.
Tonic – The “home” pitch or chord other pitches relate to in a scale.
Dissonant – Lacking harmony, clashing.
Minimalism – Music that uses simple, repeated patterns, usually slow in tempo.
Serialism – A compositional technique using the twelve notes of the chromatic scale, developed by Arnold Schoenberg in 1923.
Chromatic scale – A musical scale with twelve pitches, each semitone, also known as a half-step, above or below its adjacent pitches.
Modern Classical Music
Modern Classical music or Contemporary Classical Music is the most recent form of classical music. Its compositions are closer to the present day. That’s why it’s called contemporary. Just like other types of classical music, contemporary classical music has several distinct features that set it apart from the other kinds of music.
One form of contemporary music is atonal music. Atonal music is music that does not have a tonal center. This means that there is no key signature and the notes do not follow the traditional musical scale. In tonal music, there is a clear sense of home or tonic, and the other notes in the scale relate to that tonic. In atonal music, there is no such sense of home, and the notes are all equally important.
Atonal music can sound very dissonant or strange to people who are used to tonal music. However, atonal music can be very expressive and powerful. Atonal music is like a forest without a central tree. There is no clear sense of home, and all of the notes are equally important. This can be a very disorienting experience, but it can also be a very interesting and challenging one. An example of an atonal composition is String Quartet No. 10 by Anton Webern.
Minimalism in music is a style of music that uses simple, repetitive patterns. Minimalist music often has a slow tempo and a calm, meditative sound. It often has a limited number of instruments, which helps to build focus on a particular instrument or instrument family. Have you ever seen a painting that wasn’t exactly realistic? Maybe it was a piece of abstract art or even a pattern like the one below. Minimalist music uses repeated notes in different ways, like a painting that repeats a pattern in new and interesting ways. An example of a minimalist composition is Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich.
The last feature of contemporary classical music we will discuss is serialism. Serialism is a way of composing music where all twelve notes of the chromatic scale are organized in a particular way. This method of organization is used to create the entire piece of music. Think of it like this; Imagine you are playing a game of Simon Says where you have to remember each particular step each time a new direction is added. The method you use to play that game of Simon Says is how a serialist composer would make their music. An example of a serialist composition is Pierrot Lunaire by Arnold Schoenberg.
In conclusion, contemporary classical music is a diverse and exciting genre that is constantly evolving. It is a genre that is worth exploring, and it is a genre that has something to offer everyone.
John Cage
John Cage was a modern composer who played with the philosophical idea of “What is Music?” in his composition 4’33.”
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian-American composer who lived from 1874 to 1951. He is considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century. Schoenberg’s music is often described as atonal, which means that it does not have a traditional tonal center. This was a radical departure from the traditional musical language of the time, and it caused a great deal of controversy.
Schoenberg’s early music was in a traditional tonal style, but he began to experiment with new musical ideas in the early 1900s. In 1912, he composed his landmark work Pierrot Lunaire, a song cycle for voice and chamber ensemble. This work was atonal, and it caused a great deal of controversy.
Schoenberg continued to develop his atonal style in the years that followed, and he eventually developed a system of composition known as serialism. Serialism is a method of organizing all twelve notes of the chromatic scale in a particular order. This order is then used to create the entire piece of music.
Serialism was a highly controversial technique, but it eventually became one of the most important and influential musical styles of the 20th century. Schoenberg’s pupils, including Alban Berg and Anton Webern, became important figures in the development of serialism.
Schoenberg was also a gifted teacher, and he taught many of the leading composers of the 20th century. He taught at the Berlin Academy of Arts from 1925 to 1933, but he was forced to flee Germany after the rise of the Nazi Party. He emigrated to the United States in 1933, and he taught at the University of California, Los Angeles until his death in 1951.
Schoenberg’s music is challenging and often dissonant, but it is also beautiful and expressive. He was a master of musical form, and his works are often highly complex and sophisticated. Schoenberg was a revolutionary figure in the history of music, and his work has had a profound impact on the development of modern music.
Some of Schoenberg’s most famous works include:
- Pierrot Lunaire (1912)
- String Quartet No. 2 (1908)
- The Gurre-Lieder (1900–1911)
- Moses und Aron (1930–1932)
- Variations for Orchestra (1926)
Schoenberg’s music is still studied and performed today. It is important because it helped to change the way music is written.