The 20th century saw drastic innovations in musical styles and forms.Many composers continued their work based on the works of the 19th century that included Rachmaninoff (Russian composer) and Edward Elgar (English composer). However, the importance of music increased due to modernization.The first modernists were Stravinsky, Ives, Schoenberg, Bartok, and others composers such as Anton Webern, Alban Berg, who carried the trend to the extreme form by abandoning tone altogether along with its traditional harmony and conception of melody. They influenced the non-western cultures and the United States.Many composers were inspired by other genres of music like hip hop. It had more influence on Asian countries. During this period, electrical instruments were introduced, and electronic music came into existence. Later on, as composers started to use new technology in music and composition, it attracted the public to whom these works reached out widely.If you love this article, also check 20th-century facts and 21st-century facts on Kidadl.Musical Style In The 20th Century The 20th century is often known as the ‘age of diversity in music’ as the composers had more freedom to compose different types of music. It allowed the composers to experiment with new forms and styles of music.The technology and resources added advantage to them. Unique sounds were created on their own by the combination of noisemakers, instruments, and shifts in pitch, dynamics, and meter.There was an outbreak of romantic style in music by the end of the 19th century. The music written by composers was mostly an extension of 19th-century romantic music. It included some traditional instrumental groupings. The most typical ones are the string quartet and orchestra.Some important movements of music in this century are impressionism, modernism, expressionism, and post-modernism.Impressionism: This was a movement in music that occurred during the late 19th and early 20th century among various composers. It conveys the emotions and moods that arose from the subject rather than on a detailed tone picture. The two leading figures in impressionism are Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. While this movement began after 1890, Ernest Fanelli was credited for inventing this style in the 1880s. But his works were not performed before 1912. His works led to the claim that he was the father of impressionism.Modernism: This movement was referred to as a period of change and development in the artistic field. They thought to create a new musical language that expresses the modern era. They proved that this new style was emotionally provocative. Since then, the composers laid the foundation for everything that follows. This music created an impact on the psychology of early 20th century people. It connected in such a way that they were recognized as masterpieces of music all time.Expressionism: Expressionism is one of the most important movements of 20th-century music. The music of expressionists features an extremely high level of dissonance, constant change of texture, contrasts of dynamics, distorted harmonies, and melodies. The three important figures of expressionism are Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, and Anton Webern. There are also many other composers associated with this movement.Post-modernism: This movement is known as a reaction to modernism and also as a response to the corresponding art movement. The prominent figure of 20th-century music was John Cage, who has claimed justice for both modernism and post-modernism as the complex intersections between them were nonreducible with simple schemata. They were grown steadily during his whole lifetime. Currently, this movement includes composers who react to music of the late 20th century.Powerful Developments In 20th Century MusicOver the past thousand years, there has been a huge development in music. Music has six popular music periods. They are the Medieval period (500-1400 AD), the Renaissance period (1400-1600 AD), the Romantic period (1810-1910 AD), the Classical period (1730-1820 AD), the Baroque period (1600-1750 AD), and 20th and 21st centuries (1900-current).Among all these periods classical period has its fame. This period is well known for the compulsion of structural clarity in music. This period lasted till the baroque period, which majorly influenced new song forms as a sonata. The development of concert, trio, quartet, the symphony was seen in this period.The types of music in the 20th century include classical music, jazz, hip hop, romantic music, folk music, atonal music, aleatoric music, film music, contemporary music, art music, opera, electronic music, symphony, and rock and roll. These were the new music forms that attracted and reached out vigorously. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ which was released in 1975, is one of the most played songs of the 20th century. Performance Practices Of 20th Century Music20th-century music is notable for its diverse music. This huge fame was only because of some great composers from different places all over the world.Some famous composers are William Grant Still, John Cage, Leonard Bernstein who were American composers. Bartok Bela was a Hungarian composer, and Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Erik Satie are the French composers. John Williams is a film music composer of the 20th Century.Igor Stravinsky was a famous Russian composer. Stravinsky was a Russian, American, and French composer. He was also a conductor and pianist. He was marked as one of the most influential and important composers of the 20th century.2oth century has seen many powerful developments in music. Sound recording is one of the major and influential development. The development is mostly seen in the usage of instruments. The instruments used are percussion, piano, electric guitar, theremin, and electric bass.Serialism is an important aspect of the 20th century. It produced a revolution in the history of music. This reflected on the trouble times of Western Europe, which was facing the advent of the first world war and second world war.Famous Musicians Of The 20th CenturyThe 20th century was an innovative period. It allowed musicians to explore in many forms. It also allowed people to enjoy music in their style and languages.During the 20th century, the world experienced music from many different composers. Every composer has his style of composition, which has not been felt before. Some famous musicians of the 20th century are Ralph Vaughan, Charles Ives, Sergei Prokofiev, John Cage, and Arnold Schoenberg.The 20th century would be marked as a world musical era that gave many forms that continue in the 21st century.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 25 amazing 20th-century music facts for lyric lovers, then why not take a look at what lurks in the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean or 17 Viking god odin facts: curious details on Norse mythology revealed!
The 20th century saw drastic innovations in musical styles and forms.