Twentieth Century
Overall
11/16/2006 11:48:00 AM
Ideas of 20th century music Lots of material still written for the piano Percussive uses of the piano become important in the 20th century Folk elements are still important Expressionism becomes very important (psychological response to emotion) Plain sound becomes important Neoclassicism Musique Concréte Aleatoric Music Mimimalism Serialism Impressionism Expressionism Atonal Primitivism Avant Garde Nationalism Jazz
Development of the Instrument Digital Piano Pedal has more uses – often indicated by the composer Middle pedal becomes more important (s.p.) Preparing the piano Famous painting – “The Scream” – Edvard Munch – great example of expressionism (emotional response to an event) Austria Vienna was the center of the classical world, has a new hey-day in the early 20th century Arnold Schönberg o Developed serialism (each pitch is equal) o 12-tone scale o New serialism – rhythms are serialist and dynamics o Op. 23, No. 5 (Waltz) – first 12-tone piece for piano o Not a pianist Alban Berg (pupil of Schönberg)
o Highly emotional o Wozzeck – opera (highly charged and depressing) o Kind of a romantic basis – definitely 20th century harmonies Anton Webern (pupil of Schönberg) o Simple texture o Incredibly ordered 12-tone o Very strict about 12-tone o Variations, Op. 27 Germany Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) o Ludus Tonalis WTC of the 20th century 12 fugues preceded by prelude for no. 1 Interludes in between each one Postlude at the very end You have to play it in its entirety Retrograde Inverted (backward and upside down) o Suite “1922”, Op. 26 – Dances from the 1920s Ragtime – forget what you’ve learned in piano lessons and play percussively o Sonatas Excellent – but a lot of work! 5 movements, 4 movements, 3 movements Russia Sergei Prokofiev o From Russia, spent a number of years in Paris o Spent some time in the USA o Censored music in the USSR o A struggle for Russian composers of these generations o Gets a full sonority out of the piano o Talked about 5 principal elements in his music Classicism (pre-established form) Innovation (harmonic innovation) Toccata (motoric element – nonstop notes) – Driving Rhythm Lyrical
Satiric / Grotesque, Mockery o Character pieces (Romantic device) o Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75 – is a ballet A full length ballet 10 of these pieces arranged for piano solo Really captures the mood – Montagues and the Capulets So proud, they are not willing to budge Very angular – rough, vertical quality to it Young Juliet – running around the room, precociously Masked Ball – Masks – where Romeo has spotted Juliet – Good example of typical Russian male dancing (big leaps) Lyrical style – the morning Romeo and Juliet wake up – Romeo bids Juliet fare well (a dance of 2 people – pas de deux) – most famous part of the ballet o Examples o Suggestion Diabolique – (Diabolical Suggestion) Starts out with tritone Example o 10 pieces, Op. 12 Many play the prelude which is No. 7 in the set (for piano or harp) A great example of one of the aspects of Prokofiev o Toccata, Op. 11 Abbey Simon played in 20 seconds in Carnegie Hall Not Bach-style Toccata, but more of a show piece Similar to Schumann, Debussy, Ravel (end of Tombeau de Couperin) o Groups of pieces – Possible Graduate Oral Examination Question o Sarcasms / Fugitive Visions o Sonatas 9 of them – greatest contribution to piano music Within his writing, as important as Beethoven’s sonatas No. 1 – student piece
No. 2 – played a lot – Scherzo – ABA form (very ballet like) No. 3 – played often – all in one movement Two main themes as typical of sonata form – lyrical theme, development Had a big gap – wrote fifth sonata in 1923, no more sonatas written until 1939 The WAR sonatas – 6, 7, 8 No. 6 – beginning – you can hear the strife – use a fist in one portion (con pugno – with wrist) – pianist Richter
– gave the world premiere of this piece No. 7 – in 3 movements – allegro in quieto (inside feeling unsettled) – very unsettling – lots of artillery – last movement is quite famous – 7/8 – never lets up – huge showstopper – Horowitz has a famous recording of it o 5 Concertos – One of them is for the left hand o The Competition – Richard Dreyfuss (at least 20 years old) Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) o o o o o o Wrote in many different styles Didn’t really write in 12 tone style Went through a neoclassical period, and primitivism Piano didn’t play much in his writing (mostly orchestral) Riot at the premiere of the Rite of Spring Works 3 Movements from Petrouchka Puts two chords on top of each other – C and F# (polytonality) Arranged these 3 pieces for piano One of the hardest piano pieces ever written Too hard for Stravinsky to play About 3 people – a clown, ballerina, and a moor A love triangle End of the ballet – Petrouchka’s head is cut off by the moor I. Russian Dance
II. Petrouchka’s Room III. Happens during Easter Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) o 100th anniversary of his birth o 24 Preludes and Fugues – Free for students next Thursday (Dec. 7th) o 24 Preludes o Who has written groups of 24? o Same key organization as Chopin o Wrote 2 sonatas o Wrote 2 concertos Kabalevsky (1904-1987) o Wrote lots of pieces for beginner and intermediate levels o So great for students! o Delightful and accessible music, easy to memorize o Op. 39 – 24 pieces for children o Op. 27 – 17 easy pieces – good for technique (Etude) Toccatina (great for 1st inversion chords) Etude Khachaturian (1903-1978) o Toccata – very famous ABA form o Sonatina – also well known (in 3 movements) o Piano Concerto
Hungary Belà Bartok o Biography True Hungarian Composer Mother died at an early age Studied at the Budapest Conservatory at age 18 Hungarian music became a part of his style Along with Kodaly, researched Hungarian folk music in a big way (would go through the countryside) Collection of Hungarian Folk Tunes – 8000 Different Tunes Recorded these folk songs Became a professor at the Budapest Academy
o Style Definitely a nationalistic composer Spent the summers collecting the gypsy music Would have been lost forever
Started at age 26 Taught on the faculty for 27 years Came to this country in 1940 – age 59 Took an adjunct position at Columbia, taken advantage of Died of Leukemia
2 Ways Folk tunes are used Uses the actual tunes (beginner type pieces) Incorporated that style into his own types of melodies Melodies themselves small in range (less than an octave) Short phrases Rhythms are often dance-like (native dance music) Or very free rhythms
Harmonic structure is twentieth century Uses very traditional forms – nothing radical Sounds of his music Very percussive pianistic writing Night music – imitating insects Directions are very specific Lists time that it should take o Works Microkosmos Designed to be a method book for kids A method of 20th century techniques Several books Particularly rhythms and dissonances 6 volumes, 150 pieces Usually a lot of ostinatos Written for his son Peter Example 1
Vol. 6 – Concert Level Pieces o From the diary of a fly o Lots of energy – original melody o Last 6 pieces in the Microkosmos o 6 Dances in Romanian Rhythms 4+2+3 over 8 – first one 2+2+3 over 8 3+3+2 over 8 pedal technique 10 Easy Pieces Evening in the country (Second section – dance) Bear Dance For Children – quite easy Early Intermediate – Intermediate Not very strange First Term at the Piano Easy just like the beginning of Microkosmos Two Romanian Dances ABA form B section is kind of interesting – more gypsyish – free rhythmic Three Burlesques A Little Tipsy Allegro Barbaro Also an example of Primitivism One of his most famous pieces 6 Romanian Folk Dances Third one is unusual – certain raised pitches Fourth one Fifth One – polka Fast Dance (Sixth Dance) Sonatina Bagpipe Bear Dance Finale Sonata
Considered his masterpiece for piano A lot of counterpoint in his writing Tone Clusters 3 movements First movement – driving rhythm (primitivism) – melody is in a narrow range Second movement – dirge (funeral type) Third movement – jovial, short very singable folk songs Out of Doors With Drums and Pipes Bagpipe Section – more lyrical 2nd movement – Barcarolle Song about water (boat piece) Water is not even A more realistic Barcarolle Example of 2nd movement up and down Musette – often accompanied by a bagpipe
Music of the Night (Musique Nocturne) – 4th movement – very atmospheric Chase – End of Suite Sonata for 2 pianos and percussion (very intellectual) 3 Piano Concertos Performed often for 20th century pieces First two are quite difficult Third one not as difficult
France Erik Satie o Music often has funny little directions to it o Thinly scored writing o Most famous piece – Gymnopedie o Three pieces in the form of a pare (containing seven) o Sports and Divertissements (play softly like a nightingale with a toothache) o The Perpetual Tango (With great boredom)
o Would often illustrate his music Darius Milhaud o Lived in Brazil as a Government person o Saudades do Brazil (Souvenirs of Brazil) o Member of Les Six (the six) Group of six composers that had common goals of simplifying music The Anti-Wagner movement o Scaramouche (two-piano) Frances Poulenc The composer out of the Les Six that wrote the most for piano Music is witty, elegant, delightful 3 Movements Perpetuals Lushful Babar – Children’s stories (Babar’s son has continued the series) o Composed music for Babar Oliver Messian o Wrote 2 incredibly difficult sets for piano o o o o o
o Contemplations on the infant Jesus Uses leitmotivs Themes for the different holy people o Catalog of the Birds Very difficult Highly complex Sounds very authentic Recorded birds South American Ginastera o From Argentina o Three Pieces o Argentine Dances o Sonata No. 1 Very exciting piece Villa Lobos o From Brazil
o Bachnieras Brazileras (Ideas of Bach in a Brazilian style – not all for piano)
11/16/2006 11:48:00 AM
11/16/2006 11:48:00 AM