Modern Classical

Music
Modern Era of Music
Music Appreciation

 A Short Introduction to Modern Classical Music

The Fast and Friendly Guide to the Modern Era of Classical Music

Characteristics
 A break with the past / “rules” are made to be broken
 Dissonance / atonal
 Aleotoric Music = Chance Music
 Use of prepared pianos, sprechstimme, & musical use
of non-instruments
Modern Era of Music
Music Appreciation

Notable Composers:

 Neo-classicist: Stravinsky
 Modernist: Schoenburg
 Neo-Romantic: Mahler
 Aleotoric composer: Cage
 Minimalist: Glass
 Electronic: Stockhausen
 Many composers write music for films: John Williams
Igor Stravinsky
 Seen as the musical
counterpoint to
Picasso

 Changed his style

many times

 Firebird Suite
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZkIAVGlfWk
Arnold Schoenberg
 Developed twelve-
tone music

 Fled from Germany to

escape Hitler’s reign

 Pierrot Lunaire
(see next slide)
Note use of “sprechstimme” in
song
Pierrot lunaire, Op. 21, No. 8 “Nacht” (“Night”) –1912 [2:06]ARNOLD SCHOENBERG (1874–1951)
Poetic 1/13/14 4:00 PM
Timeline Musical Features Poetry Translation
Structure

0:00 Slow statements of the ostinato motif in piano

0:09 Cello, then bass clarinet add sustained notes

Inst’l Intro
Piano strikes its eighth pitch; all instruments sustain a
0:15
fermata

0:20 Bass clarinet resumes the ostinato; reciter enters Finstre, schwarze Dark, black

Refrain (A) 0:25 Cello resumes the ostinato Riesenfalter Töteten der giant moths Killed the

0:30 Piano resumes the ostinato Sonne Glanz. sun’s brightness.

Ein geschlossnes Zauberbuch, Like a closed book of magic spells, The horizon
0:35 Reciter re-enters
Ruht der Horizont— rests—

Cello “trembles” on the bridge; Reciter sings (not using

0:49 —verschwiegen. —mutely.
Sprechstimme); ends with fermata

B
:55 All performers sustain a silent fermata

Ostinato in different speeds in piano & bass clarinet; Aus dem Qualm verlorner
:58 Out of the vapor of lost depths Arises a
trembling effect in bass clarinet & cello Tiefen Steigt ein

1:04 Upward leap on “Duft” word- paints “steigt” Duft, Erinnrung mordend! fragrance, murdering all memory!

Finstre, schwarze Riesenfalter Dark, black giant mothsKilled the sun’s

Refrain (A) 1:09 Running lines seem to sag downward
Töteten der Sonne Glanz. brightness.
John Cage
 Aleotoric composer
 Known for “prepared
piano” pieces &
avant-garde music
 4’33’’
 Read as “4 minutes and 33 seconds”

 AND now…a live

performance by your
Queen…or Mrs. Fritts
Karlheinz Stockhausen
 Known for electronic
& aleatoric music

 Gesang der Junglinge

“Song of the Youths”
Is this music?
Reading Article A & B Questions
1.Both articles are titled “Why Do We
Instructions:
Hate Modern Classical Music?” Do
1. Find one partner
they agree?
2. Decide who will be Reader 1 & who will
be Reader 2 2.What does “sound like bus crashes”
3. Find a piece of blank paper, a writing refer to & do you agree?
utensil, & your article 3.Retell a story from the articles that
4. Reader 1 reads 1st paragraph out loud to you remember/thought was
Reader 2, Reader 2 listens carefully & interesting.
takes notes
5. Reader 2 reads next paragraph & Reader
1 takes notes
6. Reader 1 & 2 keep switching roles until
entire article is read.
Additional Examples of Modern
Classical Music
 “Einstein on the  “Clair de Lune” by
Beach” by Philip Claude Debussy –
Glass example of
 “Helicopter Quartet” Impressionism
by Karlheinz  Six Bagatelles by
Stockhausen ANTON WEBERN –
example of Twelve
Tone music
20th Century American Classical Music

A brief list of American Classical Composers

with musical examples
DiscussionQuestion: Why are these composers not included in the
“Modern Classical Composers” section of this unit?
Modern Classical Review
 What is the genre/style of each
What do you know? composer?
 Give examples of each genre
 Classical/Romantic era rules  Perform your own sprechstimme
broken – ready go!
 Atonal is _______
 Dissonance sounds like
________
 Major Genres / Styles are
________
 Aleotoric music is ________
Modern Popular
Music
Modern Pop Music
Reading “What is pop music”? Questions
1.What is the difference between
Instructions:
1.Find one partner
“pop” and “popular” music?
2.Decide who will be Reader 1 & who will be 2.According to the article, define “pop”
Reader 2 music.
3.Find a piece of blank paper, a writing 3.What does “Pop Music Melting Pot”
utensil, & your article refer to?
4.Reader 1 reads 1st paragraph out loud to
Reader 2, Reader 2 listens carefully & takes 4.What does “art is not a concern”
notes mean?
5.Reader 2 reads next paragraph & Reader 1 5.What characterizes a “pure pop”
takes notes song?
6.Reader 1 & 2 keep switching roles until
entire article is read.
Popular Music Presenation
Instructions including the following information:
 Title of your song
You be assigned one popular song
from the following eras:  Name of artist

 Pre-1920’s  Name of lyricist

 1930’s  Name of music composer

 1940’s  Publishing company (record company)

 1950’s  Year song was released

 1960’s  Genre

 1970’s  Analysis of the lyrics

 1980’s  A 2 minute clip

 1990’s  3 “Did you know…” facts

 2000’s – today
Popular Music Presenation
Instructions (continued) The song that you choose must:
Based on your performance on the modern
classical music assessment, each student will be  Be approved by your teacher
given the chance to choose one song from the
following eras:  Be from an era that is different from
 Pre-1920’s your first song
 1930’s  NOT be from the same artist as
 1940’s someone else’s song
 1950’s
 1960’s
 Must be presented in a Prezi that
 1970’s included all the same info as your
 1980’s first song (see previous slide)
 1990’s  READY???
 2000’s – today
Modern Popular Music
Pre -1920’s
John Phillip Sousa
 “The March King”

 Emphasized brass
instruments

 Stars and Stripes

Forever
WC Handy
 “Father of the Blues”

 Introduced a new style of

music to the world

 Did not invent the blues

but brought them to a
worldwide audience

 1st blues song– Memphis

Blues

 Beale Street
Modern Popular Music
1920’s
Jimmie Rogers
 “Father of Country
Music”

 Guitar, voice

 Yodel

 In the Jailhouse Now

Modern Popular Music
1930’s
Robert Johnson
 “King of the Delta
Blues”
 Used voice and guitar
only
 Dubbed father of rock
and roll
 Crossroads
Billie Holliday
 “Lady Day”

 Along with Fitzgerald,

considered one of
greatest jazz voices
of all time

 Strange Fruit
Modern Popular Music
1940’s
Bill Monroe
 The Father of Bluegrass
Music

 High lonesome sound

 Mandolin with bass, guitar,

and fiddle

 Blue Moon of Kentucky

Woody Guthrie
 Noted for his
identification with
 the common man
 the poor
 the downtrodden

 Hated fascism and

exploitation

 This Land Is Your Land

Thelonius Monk
 Pianist who used “stride”
piano techniques along
with more “avant garde”
approach

 Used the entire keyboard,

not just those notes “in
tune”

 ‘Round Midnight
Ella Fitzgerald
 “The First Lady of Song”

 Three octave range

 How High The Moon

Duke Ellington
 Jazz musician

 Focused on Big
Band sound

 Take the A Train

Modern Popular Music
1950’s
Buddy Holly
 Rock and roll chords
(C, G, E)

 15 #1 hits on the
Billboard Top 40 in
one year

 Peggy Sue
Elvis Presley
 King of Rock
and Roll
 Huge teen idol
and heart throb
 Performed
older African-
American blues
songs
 Jailhouse Rock
Ray Charles
 Rhythm and blues

 Added gospel sound to

rock and roll

 Piano and boogie-woogie

sound

 Mess Around
Johnny Cash
 “The Man in
Black”

 Boom-chick-a-
boom sound

 Folsom Prison
Blues
Louis Armstrong
 “Satchmo”

 Trumpet player and

singer

 Reinvented himself as
both Big Band performer,
pop singer, and jazz
trumpeter

 Summertime
Miles Davis
 Bebop– Throttled notes
 Cool jazz—Improvisation
 Modal jazz– No keys, just
notes.
 Jazz fusion—Soul, R&B,
and jazz added with
electric instrumentation

 Tempus Fugit
Modern Popular Music
1960’s
Frank Sinatra/ The Rat Pack
 Big Band Sound

 One lead singer with

full orchestral
arrangement

 Strangers in the Night

 My Way
 Other?
Bob Dylan
 Influenced heavily by
Woody Guthrie

 Became most popular

folk musician since
Guthrie, but lost folk
audience for going
electric

 Blowin’ in the Wind

The Beatles
 The British Invasion

 Experimentation
with musical
instruments

 I Want to Hold Your

Hand
 Hey, Jude
Beach Boys
 The California Surf
Sound

 Experimentation with
musical time
signatures, music

 Good Vibrations
Motown
 Berry Gordy

 Black sound

 Back-up singers and

doo-wop groups

 I Heard it Through the

Grapevine
Modern Popular Music
1970’s
James Brown
 “The Godfather of
Soul”

 Soul music

 Funk music

 Get Up Offa That

Thing
Led Zepplin
 Hard rock/ heavy
metal

 Volume to 11

 Kashmir
Bee Gees
 Disco genre

 Known for 3 part

vocal harmonies

 Stayin’ Alive
Sugar Hill Gang
 MC– Master of
Ceremonies

 A mix of spoken word,

sampled melodies, and
“scratching” records

 Rapper’s Delight
Modern Popular Music
1980’s
Bob Marley
 Reggae genre

 Kettle drums with

basic electric guitar

 Redemption Song
Michael Jackson
 Changed pop music
into upbeat numbers
with synthesized
beats

 “The King of Pop”

 Thriller
Modern Popular Music
1990’s
Modern Popular Music
2000’s - now