Transcript Twentieth Century Music I: Impressionism and Primitivism Stravinsky, by Picasso The Twentieth Century      Fast advances in communication, transport, and technology Rejection of German Romanticism Rejection of traditions Experimentation Musical Renaissance in France.

Twentieth Century Music I:
Impressionism and Primitivism
Stravinsky, by Picasso
The Twentieth Century
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Fast advances in
communication,
transport, and
technology
Rejection of German
Romanticism
Rejection of traditions
Experimentation
Musical Renaissance in
France (Paris)
Impressionism
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Artistic movement which instead of
attempting to depict a photographic
visual image, attempted to depict
artist’s impression of what s/he sees
Characterized by delicacy,
‘blurriness’, and luminosity (focus
on light):
Major composer of this movement:
Debussy
Used chords with no 3rd (listener
can’t tell if it is major or minor –
ambiguity);
Used whole tone mode (dream
sequence sound);
Used parallel chords (like parallel
organum
Church modes (again, scales which
are neither major or minor)
Use of free rhythms, syncopation:
lack of prominence of bar lines
Monet, Rouen Cathedral
Debussy, Trois Nocturnes: Nuages, 1899
Debussy and Stravinsky
Primitivism
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Ballet, “Rite of Spring” 1913
3rd of Stravinsky’s major ballets
(after “Firebird” and “Petrushka”
Riot at first performance due to
subject matter (primitivism –
human sacrifice), and dissonance
and violence of music
Folk tunes used (Romantic
tradition)
Dissonance: chord constructed
from adjacent triads
Unusual use of instruments (see
opposite for high bassoon used
at start)
Rite of Spring
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Musical innovations
include:
Frequently changing
metres
Syncopation (unaccented
beats receive accents)
Irregular rhythms
Frequent use of trills,
repeated figures and
arpeggios
Highly dissonant
harmonies
Stravinsky with Rite Choreographer Nijinsky
Dancers from Nijinsky’s Rite of Spring