A Concise Look at Historical Music Movements
Historical Music Movements
Musique Concrète
Musique Concrète uses sounds and noises recorded on tapes for further manipulation. Its inventor was Schaeffer, who considered this music to be based on sounds produced in the world by any object.
Electronic Music
Electronic music uses sounds produced by a synthesizer or other electronic devices. Composers include Berio and Stockhausen.
Serialism
Serialism applies the series of twelve tones typical of twelve-tone technique to all elements of the music, such as rhythm, dynamics, duration, and timbre.
Aleatory Music
In aleatory music, the composer composes at random and may even allow the performer to make decisions at the last minute, improvising.
Impressionism
Impressionism is a style that first emerged in painting and then extended to music.
Impressionist painting is characterized by a change of subject, predominantly outdoor scenes, and a change of style that emphasizes color and texture over drawing and composition.
It began in the late nineteenth century as a French phenomenon that continued throughout Europe. Prominent composers include Debussy and Ravel.
Expressionism
Expressionism embodies an aesthetic of horror and despair typical of the war period. It originated in Germany but then spread throughout Europe.
It is understood as an intensification or distortion of reality to adequately express general values of the era. It is a movement involving painting, literature, and music, and is characterized by the expression of the human soul in a harsh and pessimistic way. The main issue is the man and his inner experience full of conflict and fear, which shows a distorted reality marked by pain and anguish. The most representative composer is Arnold Schoenberg, along with his disciples Alan Berg and Anton Webern.
Definitions
Lied
Lied is the German word for song. In the history of European classical music, the term refers to a composition typical of Germanic countries, written for one singer with piano accompaniment. This type of composition, which originated in classical times and flourished during the Romantic era, evolved during the twentieth century. Typical characteristics include the brevity of the form, the rejection of bel canto virtuosity, the close relationship with the poem, and the strong influence of German folk song.
Symphonic Poem
A symphonic poem is a work of extra-musical origin, often of a poetic or literary character, whose purpose is to awaken feelings and sensations, move the listener, or describe a scene through music. It usually consists of a single movement and is written for orchestra, although it may be for piano or small instrumental groups. The symphonic poem guided the development of musical form itself in technical terms. The term was first applied by Franz Liszt to one of his works. This form is a direct product of Romanticism and the association sought between the various arts.
Piano Music
The piano became the instrument par excellence of the Romantic period, offering both intimacy and brilliance.
Key Periods
- Early 19th Century: Beethoven and Schubert
- Mid-Period (1830-1850): Mendelssohn, Chopin, Liszt
- Late Period: Brahms
In the eighteenth century, the piano replaced the harpsichord and became increasingly popular due to its adaptability to any type of musical texture.