Schoenberg and the European Tradition

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Lecture 21

• Schoenberg and the European Tradition

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Expressionism in the 20th Century Music

• Arnold Schoenberg
• (1874 - 1951)
• The Second Viennese School
• Expressionism
• highly disjunct melody
• klangfarbenmelodie
• atonal harmony
• highly complex rhythms
• Sprechstimme
• Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21, (1912) No.18 The
  Moonfleck

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Serialism in the 20th Century Music

• Arnold Schoenberg
• Serialism - a new system to replace tonality,
  most important innovation in early 20th century
  music.
• The 12-tone Method (1920s)
• tone row - a disjunct melody containing all 12
  notes
• used to build complex structures in dissonant
  contrapuntal textures
• Students - Webern and Berg
• Variations for Orchestra Op. 31 (1928) I

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Schoenberg Variations for Orchestra Op. 31

• Listening
• Melody - Disjunct - tone row
• Rhythm - highly complex
• Harmony - 12 tone
• Texture - Dissonant Counterpoint
• Form - neoclassical
• Expression - shifting tempos and dynamics
• Instrumentation - Symphony Orchestra

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NATIONALISM

• BÉLA BARTÓK (1881-1945)
• Ethnomusicology - the study of folk musics
• Used many of the elements he discovered in the
  ethnic music of Hungary in his own compositions
• Incorporated neoclassical forms
• Concerto for Orchestra
• IV Interrupted Intermezzo
• (1943)

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Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra

• Listening
• Melody - Disjunct
• Rhythm - shifting meters - triple
• Harmony - polytonality
• Texture - homophonic
• Form - neoclassical - Rondo-like
• Expression - shifting tempos and dynamics
  creating a sentimental mood
• Instrumentation - Symphony Orchestra

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Assignment

• Read Chapters 66 69