Twentieth Century Music: Questions And Answers

Chapter 1: Musical Styles * Glissando * Rapid slide up or down a scale * Tone Cluster * Chord made up of tones only a half step or a whole step apart, used in twentieth-century music. * Bitonality * Approach to pitch organization using two keys at one time, often found in twentieth century music. * Polychord * Combination of two chords sounded at the same tine, used in twentieth century music. * Polytonality * Approach to pitch organization using two or more keys at one time, often found in twentieth century music. * Atonality * Absence of tonality, or key, characteristic of much twentieth century music. * Polyrhythm * Use of two or more contrasting and independent rhythms at the
Using the websites provided above, answer the following questions:
Select three modern composers of your choice and answer the following questions concerning their background and music: * What social and or political events did the artist witness during his or her lifetime? * How did these events influence their philosophy and composition? * How did the mass media and consumer culture influence the dissemination of their work? * In what ways is free jazz similar to modern classical composition? How does it depart from traditional jazz? * sfksdj
Chapter 2: Music and Musicians in Society * Mass media was used as a form of propaganda in both world wars. What role did music play in propaganda efforts? * How did the world wars affect the lives of musicians in Europe and America? * Compare the challenges facing modern composers in the 20th century to those of past eras. * Give evidence of shifting attitudes towards race, class and gender in the musical culture of the 20th century. How does this compare to past
* Chance music (aleatoric music) * Music composed by the random selection of pitches, tone color and rhythms, developed in the 1950s by John cage and others. * Microtone * Interval smaller than a half step. * Compare “indeterminism” and serialism” How are they opposite approaches to creating music? * What impact does electronic music in elite compositional culture have on approaches to popular music? * What is a theramin? Give examples of contemporary recordings of the instrument. * How did john cage define “open minded?
Chapter 17: Music since 1945: Four Representative pieces
Listen to the following musical pieces then indicate the best answer for each of the following questions:
Cage, Sonata II (Sonata II (3667.ok))
Varese, Poeme electronique (Electronic poem) (Poeme electronique can be found on CD 4, track49 of the 4CD set that accompanies the textbook)
Zwilich, concerto Grosso 1985
(Concerto Grosso 1985 can be found on CD 4, track 51 of the 4 CD set that accompanies the textbook)
Adams, Short ride in a fast machine (short ride in a fast machine