mapeh music grade 10 learner's module qtr 1

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MUSIC Quarter I

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Quarter I: MUSIC OF THE 20TH CENTURY

CONTENT STANDARDS

The learner demonstrates understanding of...

1. The 20th century music styles and characteristic features.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

The learner...

1. Creates musical pieces using a particular style of the 20th century.

LEARNING COMPETENCIES

The learner...

1. Listens perceptively to selected 20th century music.2. Describes distinctive musical elements of given pieces in 20th

century styles.3. Relates 20th century music to its historical and cultural

background.4. Explains the performance practice (setting, composition, role of

composers/performers, and audience) of 20th century music.5. Sings melodic fragments of given Impressionism period pieces.6. Explores other arts and media that portray 20th century elements

through video films or live performances.7. Creates short electronic and chance music pieces using knowledge

of 20th century styles.

From the Department of Education curriculum for MUSIC Grade 10 (2014)


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Music of the 20th Century

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Quarter I: MUSIC OF THE 20TH CENTURY

The start of the 20th century saw the rise of distinct musical styles that reflected amove away from the conventions of earlier classical music. These new styles were:

impressionism, expressionism, neo-classicism, avant garde music, and modernnationalism.

The distinct musical styles of the 20th century would not have developed if not for themusical genius of individual composers such as Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, ArnoldSchoenberg, Bela Bartok, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofieff, and George Gershwin standout as the moving forces behind the innovative and experimental styles mentioned above.Coming from different nations—France,Austria, Hungary, Russia, and the United States—these composers clearly reflected the growing globalization of musical styles in the 20thcentury.

IMPRESSIONISM

One of the earlier but concrete forms declaring the entry of 20th century music wasknown as impressionism. It is a French movement in the late 19th and early 20th

century. The sentimental melodies and dramatic emotionalism of the preceding RomanticPeriod (their themes and melody are easy to recognize and enjoy) were being replaced infavor of moods and impressions. There is an extensive use of colors and effects, vaguemelodies, and innovative chords and progressions leading to mild dissonances.

Sublime moods and melodic suggestions replaced highly expressive and program music,or music that contained visual imagery. With this trend came new combinations of extendedchords, harmonies, whole tone, chromatic scales, and pentatonic scales. Impressionismwas an attempt not to depict reality, but merely to suggest it. It was meant to create anemotional mood rather than a specific picture. In terms of imagery, impressionistic formswere translucent and hazy, as if trying to see through a rain-drenched window.

In impressionism, the sounds of different chords overlapped lightly with each other toproduce new subtle musical colors. Chords did not have a definite order and a sense ofclear resolution. Other features include the lack of a tonic-dominant relationship whichnormally gives the feeling of finality to a piece, moods and textures, harmonic vaguenessabout the structure of certain chords, and use of the whole-tone scale. Most of theimpressionist works centered on nature and its beauty, lightness, and brilliance. A numberof outstanding impressionists created works on this subject.


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The impressionistic movement in music had its foremost proponents in the Frenchcomposers Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Both had developed a particular style ofcomposing adopted by many 20th century composers. Among the most famous luminariesin other countries were Ottorino Respighi (Italy), Manuel de Falla and Isaac Albeniz(Spain), and Ralph Vaughan Williams (England).

CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862–1918)

One of the most important and influential of the 20th centurycomposers was Claude Debussy. He was the primary exponentof the impressionist movement and the focal point for otherimpressionist composers. He changed the course of musicaldevelopment by dissolving traditional rules and conventions intoa new language of possibilities in harmony, rhythm, form,texture, and color.

Debussy was born in St. Germain-en-Laye in France on August22, 1862. His early musical talents were channeled into pianolessons. He entered the Paris Conservatory in 1873. He gaineda reputation as an erratic pianist and a rebel in theory and

harmony. He added other systems of musical composition because of his musical training.In 1884, he won the top prize at the Prix de Rome competition with his composition L’Enfant Prodigue (The Prodigal Son). This enabled him to study for two years in Rome,where he got exposed to the music of Richard Wagner, specifically his opera Tristan undIsolde, although he did not share the latter’s grandiose style.

Debussy’s mature creative period was represented by the following works: Ariettes Oubliees Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun String Quartet Pelleas et Melisande (1895)—his famous operatic work that drew mixed

extreme reactions for its innovative harmonies and textural treatments. La Mer (1905)—a highly imaginative and atmospheric symphonic work

for orchestra about the sea Images, Suite Bergamasque, and Estampes—his most popular piano

compositions; a set of lightly textured pieces containing his signature workClaire de Lune (Moonlight)

His musical compositions total more or less 227 which include orchestral music, chambermusic, piano music, operas, ballets, songs, and other vocal music.


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The creative style of Debussy was characterized by his unique approach to the variousmusical elements. Debussy’s compositions deviated from the Romantic Period and isclearly seen by the way he avoided metric pulses and preferred free form and developedhis themes. Debussy’s western influences came from composers Franz Liszt and GiuseppeVerdi. From the East, he was fascinated by the Javanese gamelan that he had heard at the1889 Paris Exposition. The gamelan is an ensemble with bells, gongs, xylophone, andoccasional vocal parts which he later used in his works to achieve a new sound.

From the visual arts, Debussy was influenced by Monet, Pissarro, Manet, Degas, andRenoir; and from the literary arts, by Mallarme, Verlaine, and Rimbaud. Most of his closefriends were painters and poets who significantly influenced his compositions. His role asthe “Father of the Modern School of Composition” made its mark in the styles of thelater 20th century composers like Igor Stravinsky, Edgar Varese, and Olivier Messiaen.Debussy spent the remaining years of his life as a critic, composer, and performer. Hedied in Paris on March 25, 1918 of cancer at the height of the First World War.

CLAIRE DE LUNE(MOONLIGHT)

Suite Bergamasque (Excerpt)Claude Debussy

Copyright by everynote.com


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MAURICE RAVEL (1875–1937)

Joseph Maurice Ravel was born in Ciboure,France to a Basque mother and a Swiss father.He entered the Paris Conservatory at the age of14 where he studied with the eminent Frenchcomposer Gabriel Faure. During his stint withthe school where he stayed until his early 20’s,he had composed a number of masterpieces.

The compositional style of Ravel is mainlycharacterized by its uniquely innovative but notatonal style of harmonic treatment. It is definedwith intricate and sometimes modal melodiesand extended chordal components. It demandsconsiderable technical virtuosity from the

performer which is the character, ability, or skill of a virtuoso—a person who excels inmusical technique or execution.

The harmonic progressions and modulations are not only musically satisfying but alsopleasantly dissonant and elegantly sophisticated. His refined delicacy and color, contrastsand effects add to the difficulty in the proper execution of the musical passages. Theseare extensively used in his works of a programmatic nature, wherein visual imagery iseither suggested or portrayed. Many of his works deal with water in its flowing or stormymoods as well as with human characterizations.

Ravel’s works include the following:

Pavane for a Dead Princess (1899), a slow but lyrical requiem Jeux d’Eau or Water Fountains (1901) String Quartet (1903) Sonatine for Piano (c.1904) Miroirs (Mirrors), 1905, a work for piano known for its harmonic evolution

and imagination, Gaspard de la Nuit (1908), a set of demonic-inspired pieces based on the

poems of Aloysius Bertrand which is arguably the most difficult piece in thepiano repertoire.

These were followed by a number of his other significant works, includingValses Nobles et Sentimentales (1911)

Le Tombeau de Couperin (c.1917), a commemoration of the musicaladvocacies of the early 18th century French composer Francois Couperin,

Rhapsodie Espagnole Bolero


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Daphnis et Chloe (1912), a ballet commissioned by master choreographerSergei Diaghilev that contained rhythmic diversity, evocation of nature,and choral ensemble

La Valse (1920), a waltz with a frightening undertone that had beencomposed for ballet and arranged as well as for solo and duo piano.

The two piano concerti composed in 1929 as well as the violin virtuosicpiece Tzigane (1922) total the relatively meager compositional output ofRavel, approximating 60 pieces for piano, chamber music, song cycles,ballet, and opera.

Ravel was a perfectionist and every bit a musical craftsman. He strongly adhered to theclassical form, specifically its ternary structure. A strong advocate of Russian music, healso admired the music of Chopin, Liszt, Schubert, and Mendelssohn. He died in Paris in1937.

BOLEROTranscriptions for Two Pianos (Excerpt)

Maurice Ravel



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Comparative Styles of Debussy and Ravel

As the two major exponents of French Impressionism in music, Debussy and Ravel hadcrossed paths during their lifetime although Debussy was thirteen years older than Ravel.While their musical works sound quite similar in terms of their harmonic and texturalcharacteristics, the two differed greatly in their personalities and approach to music.Whereas Debussy was more spontaneous and liberal in form, Ravel was very attentive tothe classical norms of musical structure and the compositional craftsmanship. WhereasDebussy was more casual in his portrayal of visual imagery, Ravel was more formal andexacting in the development of his motive ideas.

ARNOLD SCHOENBERG (1874–1951)

Arnold Schoenberg was born in a working-class suburb of Vienna, Austria on September13, 1874. He taught himself music theory, but took lessons in counterpoint. Germancomposer Richard Wagner influenced his work as evidenced by his symphonic poemPelleas et Melisande, Op 5 (1903), a counterpoint of Debussy’s opera of the same title.

Schoenberg’s style was constantly undergoingdevelopment. From the early influences of Wagner,his tonal preference gradually turned to the dissonantand atonal, as he explored the use of chromaticharmonies.

Although full of melodic and lyrical interest, his musicis also extremely complex, creating heavy demandson the listener. His works were met with extreme

reactions, either strong hostility from the general public or enthusiastic acclaim from hissupporters.

Schoenberg is credited with the establishment of the twelve-tone system. His worksinclude the following:

Verklarte Nacht, Three Pieces for Piano, op. 11 Pierrot Lunaire, Gurreleider Verklarte Nacht (Transfigured Night, 1899), one of his earliest successful

pieces, blends the lyricism, instrumentation, and melodic beauty of Brahmswith the chromaticism and construction of Wagner.

His musical compositions total more or less 213 which include concerti, orchestral music,piano music, operas, choral music, songs, and other instrumental music. Schoenbergdied on July 13, 1951 in Los Angeles, California, USA where he had settled since 1934.


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THREE PIANO PIECES, OP. 11, NO. 1(Excerpt)

Arnold Schoenberg



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IGOR STRAVINSKY (1882–1971)

Igor Stravinsky stands alongside fellow-composer Schoenberg, painter Pablo Picasso,and literary figure James Joyce as one of the great trendsetters of the 20th century.

He was born in Oranienbaum (now Lomonosov), Russia on June17, 1882. Stravinsky’s early music reflected the influence of histeacher, the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Butin his first successful masterpiece, The Firebird Suite (1910),composed for Diaghilev’s Russian Ballet, his skillful handling ofmaterial and rhythmic inventiveness went beyond anythingcomposed by his Russian predecessors. He added a newingredient to his nationalistic musical style. The Rite of Spring(1913) was another outstanding work.Anew level of dissonancewas reached and the sense of tonality was practically abandoned.Asymmetrical rhythms successfully portrayed the character of a

solemn pagan rite. When he left the country for the United States in 1939, Stravinskyslowly turned his back on Russian nationalism and cultivated his neo-classical style.

Stravinsky adapted the forms of the 18th century with his contemporary style of writing.Despite its “shocking” modernity, his music is also very structured, precise, controlled,full of artifice, and theatricality. Other outstanding works include the ballet Petrouchka(1911), featuring shifting rhythms and polytonality, a signature device of the composer.The Rake’s Progress (1951), a full-length opera, alludes heavily to the Baroque andClassical styles of Bach and Mozart through the use of the harpsichord, small orchestra,solo and ensemble numbers with recitatives stringing together the different songs.

Stravinsky’s musical output approximates 127 works, including concerti, orchestral music,instrumental music, operas, ballets, solo vocal, and choral music. He died in New YorkCity on April 6, 1971.

OTHER MUSICAL STYLES

Primitivism

Primitivistic music is tonal through the asserting of one note as more important thanthe others. New sounds are synthesized from old ones by juxtaposing two simple

events to create a more complex new event.

Primitivism has links to Exoticism through the use of materials from other cultures,Nationalism through the use of materials indigenous to specific countries, and Ethnicismthrough the use of materials from European ethnic groups. Two well-known proponentsof this style were Stravinsky and Bela Bartok. It eventually evolved into Neo-classicism.


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RUSSIAN DANCE FROM “PETROUCHKA”(Excerpt)

Igor Stravinsky


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BELA BARTOK (1881–1945)

Bela Bartok was born in Nagyszentmiklos, Hungary (now Romania) on March 25, 1881,to musical parents. He started piano lessons with his mother and later entered BudapestRoyalAcademy of Music in 1899. He was inspired by the performance of Richard Strauss’sAlso Sprach Zarathustra to write his first nationalistic poem, Kossuth in 1903. He was aconcert pianist as he travelled exploring the music of Hungarian peasants.

In 1906, with his fellow composer Kodaly, Bartokpublished his first collection of 20 Hungarian folk songs.For the next decade, although his music was being badlyreceived in his country, he continued to explore Magyarfolk songs. Later, he resumed his career as a concertpianist, while composing several works for his own use.

As a neo-classicist, primitivist, and nationalist composer,Bartok used Hungarian folk themes and rhythms. He alsoutilized changing meters and strong syncopations. Hiscompositions were successful because of their richmelodies and lively rhythms. He admired the musical stylesof Liszt, Strauss, Debussy, and Stravinsky.

He eventually shed their influences in favor of Hungarian folk and peasant themes. Theselater became a major source of the themes of his works. Bartok is most famous for hisSix String Quartets (1908–1938). It represents the greatest achievement of his creativelife, spanning a full 30 years for their completion. The six works combine difficult anddissonant music with mysterious sounds.

The Concerto for Orchestra (1943), a five-movement work composed late in Bartok’slife, features the exceptional talents of its various soloists in an intricately constructedpiece. The short and popular Allegro Barbaro (1911) for solo piano is punctuated withswirling rhythms and percussive chords, while Mikrokosmos (1926–1939), a set of sixbooks containing progressive technical piano pieces, introduced and familiarized thepiano student with contemporary harmony and rhythm.

His musical compositions total more or less 695 which include concerti, orchestral music,piano music, instrumental music, dramatic music, choral music, and songs. In 1940, thepolitical developments in Hungary led Bartok to migrate to the United States, where hedied on September 26, 1945 in New York City, USA.


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DUET FOR PIPES(Excerpt)

Bela Bartok


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Neo-Classicism

Neo-classicism was a moderating factor between the emotional excesses of theRomantic period and the violent impulses of the soul in expressionism. It was, in

essence, a partial return to an earlier style of writing, particularly the tightly-knit form ofthe Classical period, while combining tonal harmonies with slight dissonances. It alsoadopted a modern, freer use of the seven-note diatonic scale. Examples of neo-classicismare Bela Bartok’s Song of the Bagpipe and Piano Sonata. In this latter piece, the classicalthree-movement format is combined with ever-shifting time signatures, complex butexciting rhythmic patterns, as well as harmonic dissonances that produce harsh chords.The neo-classicist style was also used by composers such as Francis Poulenc, Bela Bartok,Igor Stravinsky, Paul Hindemith, and Sergei Prokofieff.

SERGEI PROKOFIEFF (1891–1953)

Sergei Prokofieff is regarded today as a combination of neo-classicist, nationalist, andavant garde composer. His style is uniquely recognizable for its progressive technique,pulsating rhythms, melodic directness, and a resolving dissonance.

Born in the Ukraine in 1891, Prokofieff set out for the St.Petersburg Conservatory equipped with his great talent as acomposer and pianist. His early compositions were brandedas avant garde and were not approved of by his elders, hecontinued to follow his stylistic path as he fled to other placesfor hopefully better acceptance of his creativity.

His contacts with Diaghilev and Stravinsky gave him thechance to write music for the ballet and opera, notably theballet Romeo and Juliet and the opera War and Peace. Muchof Prokofieff’s opera was left unfinished, due in part toresistance by the performers themselves to the seemingly

offensive musical content. He became prolific in writing symphonies, chamber music,concerti, and solo instrumental music. He also wrote Peter and the Wolf, a lightheartedorchestral work intended for children, to appease the continuing government crackdownon avant garde composers at the time.

He was highly successful in his piano music, as evidenced by the wide acceptance of hispiano concerti and sonatas, featuring toccata-like rhythms and biting harmonic dissonancewithin a classical form and structure. Other significant compositions include the Symphonyno. 1 (also called Classical Symphony), his most accessible orchestral work linked to thecombined styles of classicists Haydn and Mozart and neo-classicist Stravinsky. He alsocomposed violin sonatas, some of which are also performed on the flute, two highlyregarded violin concerti, and two string quartets inspired by Beethoven.


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Prokofieff’s musical compositions include concerti, chamber music, film scores, operas,ballets, and official pieces for state occasions. He died in Moscow on March 15, 1953.

CONCERTO IN C MAJOR, OP. 26, NO. 3(Excerpt)

Sergei Prokofieff



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FRANCIS POULENC (1899–1963)

One of the relatively few composers born into wealth and a privileged social position, theneo-classicist Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a member of the group of young Frenchcomposers known as “Les Six.” He rejected the heavy romanticism of Wagner and the

so-called imprecision of Debussy and Ravel. His compositions hada coolly elegant modernity, tempered by a classical sense ofproportion. Poulenc was also fond of the witty approach of Satie,as well as the early neo-classical works of Stravinsky.

Poulenc was a successful composer for piano, voice, and choralmusic. His output included the harpsichord concerto, known asConcert Champetre (1928); the Concerto for Two Pianos (1932),which combined the classical touches of Mozart with a refreshingmixture of wit and exoticism in the style of Ravel; and a Concertofor Solo Piano (1949) written for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.Poulenc’s vocal output, meanwhile, revealed his strength as a lyrical

melodist. His opera works included Les Mamelles de Tiresias (1944), which revealed hislight-hearted character; Dialogues des Carmelites (1956), which highlighted hisconservative writing style; and La Voix Humane (1958), which reflected his own turbulentemotional life.

Poulenc’s choral works tended to be more somber and solemn, as portrayed by Litaniesa la vierge noire (Litanies of the Black Madonna, 1936), with its monophony, simpleharmony, and startling dissonance; and Stabat Mater (1950), which carried a Baroquesolemnity with a prevailing style of unison singing and repetition. Poulenc’s musicalcompositions total around 185 which include solo piano works, as well as vocal solos,known as melodies, which highlighted many aspects of his temperament in his avantgarde style. He died in Paris on January 30, 1963.

Other members of “Les Six”

Georges Auric (1899–1983) wrote music for the movies and rhythmic music with lotsof energy. Louis Durey (1888–1979) used traditional ways of composing and wrote inhis own, personal way, not wanting to follow form. Arthur Honegger (1882–1955)liked chamber music and the symphony. His popular piece Pacific 231 describes a trainjourney on the Canadian Pacific Railway. Darius Milhaud (1892–1974) was a verytalented composer who wrote in several different styles. Some of his music uses bitonalityand polytonality (writing in two or more keys at the same time). His love of jazz can beheard in popular pieces like Le Boeuf sur le Toit which he called a cinema-symphony.Germaine Tailleferre (1892–1983) was the only female in the group. She liked to usedance rhythms. She loved children and animals and wrote many works about them. Shealso wrote operas, concerti, and many works for the piano.


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PERPETUAL MOTION, NO. 1(Excerpt)

Francis Poulenc

Avant Garde Music

Closely associated with electronic music, the avant garde movement dealt with theparameters or the dimensions of sound in space. The avant garde style exhibited a

new attitude toward musical mobility, whereby the order of note groups could be variedso that musical continuity could be altered. Improvisation was a necessity in this style,for the musical scores were not necessarily followed as written. For example, one couldexpect a piece to be read by a performer from left to right or vice versa. Or the performermight turn the score over, and go on dabbling indefinitely in whatever order beforereturning to the starting point.



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From the United States, there were avant garde composers such as George Gershwinand John Cage with their truly unconventional composition techniques; LeonardBernstein with his famed stage musicals and his music lectures for young people; andPhilip Glass with his minimalist compositions. Through their works, these composerstruly extended the boundaries of what music was thought to be in earlier periods.

The unconventional methods of sound and form, as well as the absence of traditionalrules governing harmony, melody, and rhythm, make the whole concept of avant gardemusic still so strange to ears accustomed to traditional compositions. Composers whoused this style include Olivier Messiaen, John Cage, Phillip Glass, Leonard Bernstein,George Gershwin, and Pierre Boulez.

GEORGE GERSHWIN (1898–1937)

George Gershwin was born in New York to Russian Jewish immigrants. His older brotherIra was his artistic collaborator who wrote the lyrics of his songs. His first song waswritten in 1916 and his first Broadway musical La La Lucille in 1919.

From that time on, Gershwin’s name became a fixtureon Broadway. He also composed Rhapsody in Blue(1924) and An American in Paris (1928), whichincorporated jazz rhythms with classical forms. Hisopera Porgy and Bess (1934) remains to this day theonlyAmerican opera to be included in the establishedrepertory of this genre. In spite of his commercialsuccess, Gershwin was more fascinated with classicalmusic. He was influenced by Ravel, Stravinsky, Berg,and Schoenberg, as well as the group ofcontemporary French composers known as “Les Six”that would shape the character of his major works—half jazz and half classical.

Gershwin’s melodic gift was considered phenomenal, as evidenced by his numerous songsof wide appeal. He is a true “crossover artist,” in the sense that his serious compositionsremain highly popular in the classical repertoire, as his stage and film songs continue tobe jazz and vocal standards. Considered the “Father of American Jazz,” his “mixture ofthe primitive and the sophisticated” gave his music an appeal that has lasted long after hisdeath. His musical compositions total around 369 which include orchestral music, chambermusic, musical theatre, film musicals, operas, and songs. He died in Hollywood, California,U.S.A. on July 11, 1937.


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SUMMERTIME(Excerpt)

George Gershwin

LEONARD BERNSTEIN (1918–1990)

Born in Massachussetts, USA, Leonard Bernstein endeared himself to his many followersas a charismatic conductor, pianist, composer, and lecturer. His big break came when hewas asked to substitute for the ailing Bruno Walter in conducting the New YorkPhilharmonic Orchestra in a concert on November 14, 1943. The overnight success ofthis event started his reputation as a great interpreter of the classics as well as of the morecomplex works of Gustav Mahler.

Bernstein’s philosophy was that the universal language ofmusic is basically rooted in tonality. This came under fire fromthe radical young musicians who espoused the serialistprinciples of that time. Although he never relinquished hismusical values as a composer, he later turned to conductingand lecturing in order to safeguard his principles as to whathe believed was best in music. He achieved pre-eminence intwo fields: conducting and composing for Broadway musicals,dance shows, and concert music.

Bernstein is best known for his compositions for the stage. Foremost among these is themusical West Side Story (1957), an American version of Romeo and Juliet, which displaysa tuneful, off-beat, and highly atonal approach to the songs. Other outputs include anotherBroadway hit Candide (1956) and the much-celebrated Mass (1971), which he wrote forthe opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.


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He composed the music for the film On the Waterfront (1954). As a lecturer, Bernstein isfondly remembered for his television series “Young People’s Concerts” (1958–1973)that demonstrated the sounds of the various orchestral instruments and explained basicmusic principles to young audiences, as well as his “Harvardian Lectures,” a six-volumeset of his papers on syntax, musical theories, and philosophical insights delivered to hisstudents at Harvard University. His musical compositions total around 90. He died inNew York City, USA on October 14, 1990.

TONIGHTFrom “West Side Story”

(Excerpt)Leonard Bernstein, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim


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PHILIP GLASS (1937– )

One of the most commercially successful minimalist composer is Philip Glass who isalso an avant garde composer. He explored the territories of ballet, opera, theater, film,and even television jingles. His distinctive style involves cell-like phrases emanating from

bright electronic sounds from the keyboard that progressedvery slowly from one pattern to the next in a very repetitiousfashion. Aided by soothing vocal effects and horn sounds, hismusic is often criticized as uneventful and shallow, yetstartlingly effective for its hypnotic charm.

Born in New York, USA of Jewish parentage, Glass becamean accomplished violinist and flutist at the age of 15. In Paris,he became inspired by the music of the renowned Indiansitarist Ravi Shankar. He assisted Shankar in the soundtrackrecording for Conrad Rooks’ film Chappaqua. He formedthe Philip Glass Ensemble and produced works such as Music

in Similar Motion (1969) and Music in Changing Parts (1970), which combined rock-type grooves with perpetual patterns played at extreme volumes.

Glass collaborated with theater conceptualist Robert Wilson to produce the four-houropera Einstein on the Beach (1976), an instant sell-out at the New York MetropolitanOpera House. It put minimalism in the mainstream of 20th century music. He completedthe trilogy with the operas Satyagraha (1980) and Akhnaten (1984), based on the livesof Mahatma Gandhi, Leo Tolstoy, Martin Luther King, and an Egyptian pharaoh. Here,he combined his signature repetitive and overlapping style with theatrical grandeur onstage. His musical compositions total around 170. Today, Glass lives alternately in NovaScotia, Canada and New York, USA.

MUSIC IN FIFTHS(Excerpt)

Philip Glass


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Modern Nationalism

Alooser form of 20th century music development focused on nationalist composersand musical innovators who sought to combine modern techniques with folk

materials. However, this common ground stopped there, for the different breeds ofnationalists formed their own styles of writing.

In Eastern Europe, prominent figures included the HungarianBela Bartok and the Russian Sergei Prokofieff, who wereneo-classicists to a certain extent. Bartok infused Classicaltechniques into his own brand of cross rhythms and shiftingmeters to demonstrate many barbaric and primitive themesthat were Hungarian—particularly gypsy—in origin.Prokofieff used striking dissonances and Russian themes, andhis music was generally witty, bold, and at times colored withhumor. Together with Bartok, Prokofieff made extensive useof polytonality, a kind of atonality that uses two or moretonal centers simultaneously. An example of this style isProkofieff’s Visions Fugitive.

In Russia, a highly gifted generation of creative individuals known as the “Russian Five”—Modest Mussorgsky, Mili Balakirev, Alexander Borodin, Cesar Cui, and Nikolai RimskyKorsakov—infused chromatic harmony and incorporated Russian folk music and liturgicalchant in their thematic materials.

Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov

VISIONS FUGITIVE(Excerpt)

Sergei Prokofieff

Example of Modern Nationalism


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21ST CENTURY MUSIC TRENDS

Music scholars predict that the innovative and experimental developments of 20thcentury classical music will continue to influence the music of the 21st century.

With so many technical and stylistic choices open to today’s composers, it seems there isno obstacle to their creativity and to the limits of their imagination. And yet, this samefreedom that has allowed such varied musical experimentation in recent years has alsocaused contemporary classical music—or music utilizing the classical techniques ofcomposition—to lose touch with its audience and to lose its clear role in today’s society.Presently, modern technology and gadgets put a great impact on all types of music.However, what still remains to be seen is when this trend will shift, and what the distinctqualities of emerging classical works will be.

SUMMARY

The early half of the 20th century also gave rise to new musical styles, which were notquite as extreme as the electronic, chance, and minimalist styles that arose later.

These new styles were impressionism, expressionism, neo-classicism, avant garde music,and modern nationalism.

Impressionism made use of the whole-tone scale. It also applied suggested, rather thandepicted, reality. It created a mood rather than a definite picture. It had a translucent andhazy texture; lacking a dominant-tonic relationship. It made use of overlapping chords,with 4th, 5th, octaves, and 9th intervals, resulting in a non-traditional harmonic orderand resolution.

Expressionism revealed the composer’s mind, instead of presenting an impression ofthe environment. It used atonality and the twelve-tone scale, lacking stable andconventional harmonies. It served as a medium for expressing strong emotions, such asanxiety, rage, and alienation.

Neo-classicism was a partial return to a classical form of writing music with carefullymodulated dissonances. It made use of a freer seven-note diatonic scale.

The avant garde style was associated with electronic music and dealt with the parametersor dimensions of sound in space. It made use of variations of self-contained note groupsto change musical continuity, and improvisation, with an absence of traditional rules onharmony, melody, and rhythm.

Modern nationalism is a looser form of 20th century music development focused onnationalist composers and musical innovators who sought to combine modern techniqueswith folk materials.


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A number of outstanding composers of the 20th century each made their own distinctivemark on the contemporary classical music styles that developed. Claude Debussy andMaurice Ravel were the primary exponents of impressionism, while Arnold Schoenbergwas the primary exponent of expressionism, with the use of the twelve-tone scale andatonality. Bela Bartok was a neo-classical, modern nationalist, and a primitivist composerwho adopted Hungarian folk themes to introduce rhythms with changing meters andheavy syncopation. Igor Stravinsky was also an expressionist and a neo-classicalcomposer. He incorporated nationalistic elements in his music, known for his skillfulhandling of materials and his rhythmic inventiveness.

WHAT TO KNOW

1. What group of people inspired many of Bartok’s compositions?

2. Which Russian composer created the music for the ballet The Firebird?

3. Who is considered the foremost impressionist?

4. What kind of musical style is attributed to Schoenberg and Stravinsky?

5. Who was the target audience of Prokofieff’s Peter and the Wolf?

6. Give an example of a musical work of Debussy, Ravel, Schoenberg, Stravinsky,Bartok, Prokofieff, Poulenc, Gershwin, Glass, and Bernstein. Write your answersin the table below.

Composer Musical Work

Debussy

Ravel

Schoenberg

Stravinsky

Bartok

Prokofieff

Poulenc

Gershwin

Glass

Bernstein


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20TH CENTURY MUSICAL STYLES:ELECTRONIC and CHANCE MUSIC

The musical styles that evolved in the modern era were varied. Some of these wereshort-lived, being experimental and too radical in nature, while others found an active

blend between the old and the new.

New inventions and discoveries of science and technology lead to continuing developmentsin the field of music. Technology has produced electronic music devices such as cassettetape recorders, compact discs and their variants, the video compact disc (VCD) and thedigital video disc (DVD), MP3, MP4, ipod, iphone, karaoke players, mobile phones andsynthesizers. These devices are used for creating and recording music to add to or toreplace acoustical sounds.

NEW MUSICAL STYLES

Electronic Music

The capacity of electronic machines such as synthesizers, amplifiers, tape recorders,and loudspeakers to create different sounds was given importance by 20th century

composers like Edgar Varese, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Mario Davidovsky.

Music that uses the tape recorder is called musique concrete, or concrete music. Thecomposer records different sounds that are heard in the environment such as the bustle oftraffic, the sound of the wind, the barking of dogs, the strumming of a guitar, or the cryof an infant. These sounds are arranged by the composer in different ways like by playingthe tape recorder in its fastest mode or in reverse. In musique concrete, the composer isable to experiment with different sounds that cannot be produced by regular musicalinstruments such as the piano or the violin.

Synthesizer


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SYNCHRONISMS NO. 5(For Five Percussion Players and Tape / Excerpt)

Mario Davidovsky

Example of Electronic MusicCopyright by Edward B. Marks Music Corporation

EDGARD VARESE (1883–1965)

Edgard (also spelled Edgar) Varèse was born on December22, 1883. He was considered an “innovative French-borncomposer.” However, he spent the greater part of his life andcareer in the United States, where he pioneered and creatednew sounds that bordered between music and noise.

The musical compositions of Varese are characterized by anemphasis on timbre and rhythm. He invented the term“organized sound,” which means that certain timbres andrhythms can be grouped together in order to capture a wholenew definition of sound.Although his complete surviving worksare scarce, he has been recognized to have influenced severalmajor composers of the late 20th century.


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POÈME ÉLECTRONIQUEEdgard Varese

Copyright by Philips International B.V.

Varèse’s use of new instruments and electronic resources made him the “Father ofElectronic Music” and he was described as the “Stratospheric Colossus of Sound.” Hismusical compositions total around 50, with his advances in tape-based sound provingrevolutionary during his time. He died on November 6, 1965.

KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN (1928– )

Karlheinz Stockhausen is a central figure inthe realm of electronic music. Born inCologne, Germany, he had the opportunity tomeet Messiaen, Schoenberg, and Webern, theprincipal innovators at the time. Together withPierre Boulez, Stockhausen drew inspirationfrom these composers as he developed his styleof total serialism. Stockhausen’s music wasinitially met with resistance due to its heavilyatonal content with practically no clear melodic or rhythmic sense. Still, he continued toexperiment with musique concrete. Some of his works include Gruppen (1957), a piecefor three orchestras that moved music through time and space; Kontakte (1960), a workthat pushed the tape machine to its limits; and the epic Hymnen (1965), an ambitioustwo-hour work of 40 juxtaposed songs and anthems from around the world.


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The climax of his compositional ambition came in 1977 when he announced the creationof Licht (Light), a seven-part opera (one for each day of the week) for a gigantic ensembleof solo voices, solo instruments, solo dancers, choirs, orchestras, mimes, and electronics.His recent Helicopter String Quartet, in which a string quartet performs whilst airbornein four different helicopters, develops his long-standing fascination with music whichmoves in space. It has led him to dream of concert halls in which the sound attacks thelistener from every direction. Stockhausen’s works total around 31. He presently residesin Germany.

Chance Music

Chance music refers to a style wherein the piece always sounds different at everyperformance because of the random techniques of production, including the use of

ring modulators or natural elements that become a part of the music. Most of the soundsemanate from the surroundings, both natural and man-made, such as honking cars, rustlingleaves, blowing wind, dripping water, or a ringing phone. As such, the combination ofexternal sounds cannot be duplicated as each happens by chance.

An example is John Cage’s Four Minutes and Thirty-Three Seconds (4’33") where thepianist merely opens the piano lid and keeps silent for the duration of the piece. Theaudience hears a variety of noises inside and outside the concert hall amidst the seemingsilence.

STUDY II(Excerpt)

Karlheinz Stockhausen


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JOHN CAGE (1912–1992)

John Cage was known as one of the 20th century composerswith the widest array of sounds in his works. He was born inLos Angeles, California, USA on September 5, 1912 andbecame one of the most original composers in the history ofwestern music. He challenged the very idea of music bymanipulating musical instruments in order to achieve newsounds. He experimented with what came to be known as“chance music.”

In one instance, Cage created a “prepared” piano, wherescrews and pieces of wood or paper were inserted betweenthe piano strings to produce different percussive possibilities.The prepared piano style found its way into Cage’s Sonatasand Interludes (1946–1948), a cycle of pieces containing a wide range of sounds, rhythmicthemes, and a hypnotic quality. His involvement with Zen Buddhism inspired him tocompose Music of Changes (1951), written for conventional piano, that employed chancecompositional processes.

CONCERT FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA, 1958(Cover, instruction sheet, and pages 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9)

John Cage

Copyright Edition Peters


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He became famous for his composition Four Minutes and 33 Seconds (4’33"), a chancemusical work that instructed the pianist to merely open the piano lid and remain silent forthe length of time indicated by the title. The work was intended to convey the impossibilityof achieving total silence, since surrounding sounds can still be heard amidst the silenceof the piano performance.

Cage also advocated bringing real-life experiences into the concert hall. This reached itsextreme when he composed a work that required him to fry mushrooms on stage in orderto derive the sounds from the cooking process. As a result of his often irrational ideaslike this, he developed a following in the 1960s. However, he gradually returned to themore organized methods of composition in the last 20 years of his life.

More than any other modern composer, Cage influenced the development of modernmusic since the 1950s. He was considered more of a musical philosopher than a composer.His conception of what music can and should be has had a profound impact upon hiscontemporaries. He was active as a writer presenting his musical views with both wit andintelligence. Cage was an important force in other artistic areas especially dance andmusical theater. His musical compositions total around 229. Cage died in New York Cityon August 12, 1992.

SUMMARY

The new musical styles created by 20th century classical composers were truly uniqueand innovative. They experimented with the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony,

tempo, and timbre in daring ways never attempted before. Some even made use ofelectronic devices such as synthesizers, tape recorders, amplifiers, and the like to introduceand enhance sounds beyond those available with traditional instruments. Among theresulting new styles were electronic music and chance music. These expanded theconcept of music far beyond the conventions of earlier periods, and challenged both thenew composers and the listening public.

As the 20th century progressed, so did the innovations in musical styles as seen in theworks of these composers. From France, Edgard Varese’s use of new instruments andelectronic resources led to his being known as the “Father of Electronic Music” and adescription of him as “The Stratospheric Colossus of Sound.” From Germany, there wasKarlheinz Stockhausen, who further experimented with electronic music and musiqueconcrete. Stockhausen’s electronic sounds revealed the rich musical potential of moderntechnology. From the United States, there was John Cage with his truly unconventionalcomposition techniques. Cage’s works feature the widest array of sounds from the mostinventive sources.


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WHAT TO KNOW

1. Who was the French composer known as the “Father of Electronic Music?2. What are some of the new musical approaches of Cage?3. What is meant by musique concrete used by Stockhausen?4. Give an example of a musical work by Varese, Stockhausen, and Cage. Write

your answers in the table below.

Composer Musical Work

Varese

Stockhausen

Cage

WHAT TO PROCESS

Listening Activity: Works of 20th Century Composers

1. Your teacher will play excerpts of any (one) of the following musical examples:

Debussy – Claire de Lune, La Mer, Children’s Corner SuiteRavel – Miroirs, Sonatine, Daphnis et Chloe, Jeux d’Eau, BoleroSchoenberg – Verklarte Nacht, Violin Concerto, Piano Concerto,

GurreliederBartok – String Quartet no. 4, Allegro, Mikrokosmos, Barbaro,

Music for StringsStravinsky – The Rite of Spring, Petrouchka, The Firebird SuiteProkofieff – Romeo and Juliet (ballet), Piano SonatasGershwin – An American in Paris, Porgy and Bess, Rhapsody in Blue,

Someone to Watch Over MeBernstein – Tonight from West Side Story, Clarinet SonataGlass – Einstein on the Beach, Satyagraha, AkhnatenPoulenc – Concerto for Two Pianos, Dialogues des CarmelitesCage – 4’33"; Metamorphosis, for piano; Five Songs, for

contralto soloist and piano; Music for WindInstruments, for wind quintet

Stockhausen – Etude, Electronic STUDIES I and II, Gesang derJunglinge, Kontakte, Momente, Hymnen

Varese – Hyperprism for wind and percussion,Octandre for seven wind instruments and double bass,Intégrales for wind and percussion,Ionisation for 13 percussion players


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2. Listen carefully to each excerpt and be able to recognize the distinct musicalstyle of each composer.

3. Choose a composition that you like. Write a short reaction paper on it.

WHAT TO UNDERSTAND

A. Name the Composer, Title of the Music, Musical Style, and Description

1. After the Listening Activity, your teacher will prepare selected excerpts ofcompositions by Debussy, Ravel, Schoenberg, Bartok, Stravinsky, Prokofieff,Poulenc, Stockhausen, Glass, Cage, Bernstein, Varese, and Gershwin.

2. The class will be divided into four teams, with each team forming a line.3. As your teacher plays a few measures of the first excerpt, the first student

in each line goes to the board and writes the name of the composer. Thesecond student will write the title of the music. The third student will writethe musical style. Then, the fourth student will write a description of themusic in one phrase.

4. The team that writes the correct answers first scores four (4) points.5. The same procedure goes on until all the students in the line have had their

turn.6. One student will be assigned as the scorer. The team with the highest

score is the winner. In case of a tie, the first team to finish is the winner.7. The scorer will announce the winners and then ask them this question:

What was the most significant thing that you have learned from this activity?

WHAT TO PERFORM

A. Activity 1:Experimentation with the Sounds of 20th Century Music Systems

1. Chance Music – Put small items inside a bag. Include coins, pens, pins,small bells, and other articles with percussive sounds. Pour the bag’s contentson a hard surface and record the sounds that are produced with a cellphoneor other available device. Put the items back in the bag, and unload thesame while once again recording the sounds being produced. Note thechanges between the two sets of sounds recorded.

2. Electronic Music – Create short electronic music pieces using yourknowledge of 20th century musical styles.


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B. Performance Activity 2:Original Chance and Electronic Music

Rate scores are based on the elements of music such as rhythm, melodic appeal,harmony and texture, tempo and dynamics, timbre, and overall musical structure.1. The class will be divided into four groups.2. Each group will create an original five-minute performance of Chance Music

and Electronic Music (if available) to be performed in class.3. Those who are not performing will act as judges for the performance

evaluation.4. Judges will have five placards or score cards or paper marked: BEST,

BETTER, GOOD, FAIR, NEEDS FOLLOW UP.5. Judges will display a score card after evaluating the performance.6. One student may be assigned to tabulate the scores after the performance.7. Your teacher will announce the “Best Performance” award.8. What was the role of the audience in the performance of Chance music?

Explain your answers.

C. Performance Activity 3: Group Activity

Video Clips1. You will be divided into four groups by counting off from 1 to 4.2. Create and explore other arts (multi- media) that portray 20th century musical

style (chance, electronic, jazz, avant garde) through a 10-minute video clipor MTV using your digital cameras or mobile phones.

3. Show and discuss your video works in class.

Live / TV Performances1. Watch live performances of musical concerts, if available in your area or

watch live concerts recorded on TV.2. Re-enact in class what you watched.3. Make a 10-minute audio video presentation while you re-enact what you

have seen on live concerts and on TV.4. Show and discuss your video works in class.

D. Performance Activity 4:Singing or Humming Musical Fragments

1. Your teacher will play several musical excerpts of selected 20th centurycomposers and will briefly discuss the title, composer, musical style, andbrief description of how he or she feels about the music.

2. Listen carefully to each excerpt and be able to recognize the distinct musicalstyle of each composer.


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3. Sing or hum some melodic fragments (portion only) of any of the followingexcerpts of 20th century music, together with the recordings:a. Claude Debussy’s Claire de Luneb. Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Storyc. George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blued. Ravel’s Boleroe. Any work of minimalist composers, Philip Glass or Meredith Monkf. Any work of nationalist composers, Erik Satie or Bela Bartok.

4. Based on the melodic fragments of the excerpts that you sang or hummed,you should be able to aurally identify the different selected works of thecomposers of the 20th century.

5. Choose a composition that you like. Write a brief profile about the composerand give your personal reaction about the music on a 1/2 sheet of paper.Submit it in class next meeting.

Evaluation Activity: “Drawing Lots”

1. After the above singing or humming activity, your teacher will prepare abox containing slips of paper with the names of Debussy, Ravel, Gershwin,Bernstein, Glass, Monk, Satie, and Bartok written on them.

2. The class will be divided into four groups. Each group will choose fourrepresentatives who will be assigned as contestants.

3. Each contestant will draw out a composer’s name from the box and mustsay three sentences about his compositional technique or musical style, hismajor contribution to modern music, and one work that shows hiscompositional style.

4. The rest of the groups will evaluate each contestant’s answer by flashing acard or paper marked “CORRECT” or “WRONG.” Each correct answerearns a point.

5. The group with the highest number of points wins the contest.

E. Performance Activity 5:Film Showing or Video Watching

1. Research on the 20thcentury musical play West Side Story written by LeonardBernstein.

2. Watch any video clip of West Side Story on the internet or You Tube.3. Write a reaction paper explaining the following elements of the performance:

a. Settingb. Musical compositionsc. Role of composer and lyricistd. Role of performers (actors, actresses)e. Role of audience (yourself)


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f. Sound and musical directiong. Script / screenplayh. Props, costumes, lighting

4. Did you like what you watched? Why or why not? Explain your answers.

F. Performance Activity 6:Singing Songs from West Side Story

1. You may opt to do this as an individual or group activity. Groups will bedivided into four.

2. Listen to the songs Tonight, Maria, Somewhere, and America from videoor recordings of West Side Story. You will be asked to draw lots for thesong to sing.

3. Sing and perform the song in class with or without accompaniment. Youmay also sing with the recordings.

4. Those who are not performing will act as judges for the performanceevaluation.

5. Judges will have five placards or score cards or paper marked: BEST,BETTER, GOOD, FAIR, NEEDS FOLLOW UP.

6. Judges will display a score card after evaluating the performance.7. One student may be assigned to tabulate the scores after the performance.8. Your teacher will announce the “Best Performance” award.

G. Performance Activity 7:Live Concert or Recording or Music Video

Choose the activity that you are interested in.

1. Class Concert – Live Performancea. You will be grouped into two. You choose your group if you will be

doing the following: singing, dancing, choreography, musical directing,playing an instrument (either as accompaniment to the song or danceor solo performance or as a band). Use props and costumes, if needed.

b. Perform the concert in class in your own original interpretation of thesongs from West Side Story.

2. Recording or Music Video: Individual or Group Activitya. You will be grouped into two and you will choose your group members.b. Record the performance of your classmates using a cassette recorder

or make a music video using your cellular phone, digital camera, orvideo camera


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c. Play the recorded performance or show the music video to yourclassmates and choose the “Best Performers.”

Evaluation of Performing Activities

Rating scale: 5 = Very Good4 = Good

3 = Fair2 = Poor

1 = Needs Follow-up

Rate scores are based on your performance quality.

1. How well did I perform the songs from WestSide Story? ____________

2 How well can I identify the different musical genresbased on instrumentation, text, and purpose? ____________

3. How well can I describe the characteristics of eachthrough listening to their melody, harmony, rhythm,text, and mass appeal? ____________

4. How well did I participate in the performance ofthe different activities? ____________

Teacher’s Rating of the Student’s Performance

1. Musicianship (60%)a. compositional concepts presented ____________b. musical elements ____________c. technique ____________

2. Ensemble coordination (20%) ____________

3. Ensemble organization (20%) ____________


mapeh music grade 10 learner's module qtr 1

Education

century music styles

century styles

century elements

music grade

program music

music ofthe

chance music pieces

century content standards