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ELEMENTS OF MUSIC IN THE 20TH CENTURY

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1. Tone color

  • there is less emphasis on blended sound
  • percussion play a major role
  • individual tone color is clearly

heard

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2. Harmony

  • Polychord is created – 2 chords heard at the same time.
  • Use of fourth chord
  • Use of tone cluster – produced on a piano by striking a group of adjacent keys
  • use of Polytonality – use of 2

or more keys at a time.

  • Use of 2 keys – Bitonality

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3. Rhythm

  • One of the most striking elements
  • Used to generate power, drive and excitement.
  • Beats are grouped irregularly and the accented beat comes at an equal time intervals
  • Example: ‘Ritual of Abduction’ by Stravinsky
  • Polyrhythm – use of 2 or more contrasting and independent rhythms at the same time

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4. Melody

  • Based on a wide variety of scales and freely used in all 12 chromatic tones without a tonal center

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D. CHARACTERISTICS OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

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  1. Impressionism – having refinement, delicacy vagueness, and an overall “luminous fog” atmosphere
  2. Non-classicism or New Baroque – largely anti-romantic and predominantly objective.

- strives for simplicity and clarity of material, form, texture, and medium.

3. Expressionism – characteristically subjective, dissonant, and tonal

4. Nationalism – producing music that can neither be conservative or radical.

5. Futurism – use of noise in place of, or in addition to, musical sounds.

6. Computer Music – some experimentation in programming

7. Popular Music and Jazz – relationship of art music and popular music