Early Modernism (1895-1945)

By the twentieth century, there was a sort of exhaustion from the Wagner revolution. And so, almost predictably, composers wrote music in reaction to that era. The most easily seen contrast is in the music of Claude Debussy. He reacted against the density of Wagner's music and also to tonality. He was part of the impressionist movement, during which the painter Claude Monet lived. The characteristics of impressionism can easily be heard and understood when listening to the music of Debussy and viewing the paintings of Monet.

Impression: Sunrise by Claude Monet

In his piece "Nuages" from Nocturnes, Debussy essentially paints with sound the images of clouds.

  

 

Characteristics:

1. sensual impression, rather than every detail
2. depicting of scenes, especially in nature
3. pleasure to the senses
4. timbre became important, led to advances in instrumentation and effects (ie. muted strings)
5. un-metered rhythms and long meandering melodic lines, similar to French poetry of the time

During 'early modernism' there was a renewed fascination with primitivism.  The most noteworthy instance was Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. Here he collaborated with Diaghilev and Nijinsky to create a ballet that wasn't very well received at its premier. His aim was not to appeal to those who wished to hear about 'fairy tales and human joy and grief', but rather to express the 'sublime uprising of Nature renewing herself' using a Pagan ritual. Perhaps this was not so well-received by the audience because this subject was one that was often hushed in public. While this period was short lived, perhaps Stravinsky wanted to prove the point that music doesn't always have to be "beautiful" to have worth.

In reaction to impressionism, expressionism was created as a last onset of Romanticism. This was a  period when composers wrote music that expressed the stream of consciousness. What they thought of or experienced, they wrote as it happened. This can be heard in movements from Schoenberg's Five Pieces for Orchestra.

There is no real development of a melodic idea or form to the movements. Rather than creating music to 'paint' a certain idea or setting, there are simply just a string of sounds and ideas....similar to how thoughts float through our minds....through Schoenberg's mind. As expected, audiences didn't know quite what to make of this music. There was plenty of rioting and fighting at some of Schoenberg's premiers, as listeners were puzzled at what they were hearing.

Throughout these time periods in music, one thing remains the same: creating art based on the human experience. Whether it be emotional affect, thoughts, or how one relates to nature, musical creations continued to be centered around the experiences of its creators....not just preexisting drama or poetry.