Expressionism was a modernist movement originating in Germany in the early 20th century that sought to express inner emotional experiences rather than physical reality. In music, Expressionism explored bold colors, harsh dissonances, and a weak sense of tonality through abrupt harmonies, melodies, and harsher instrumental combinations. Two influential Expressionist composers were Arnold Schoenberg, who developed the 12-tone serialism technique of composition, and Igor Stravinsky, whose early works like The Rite of Spring ballet and The Firebird Suite featured shifting rhythms and polytonality.

1. MUSIC OF THE 20TH
CENTURY

2. Expressionism
• Vasily Kandinsky, Blue Mountain

3. Expressionism
• Expressionism was a modernist movement,
initially in poetry and painting, originating in
Germany at the beginning of the 20th century.
• Its typical trait is to present the world solely from
a subjective perspective, distorting it radically
for emotional effect in order to evoke moods
or ideas.
• Expressionist artists sought to express meaning
or emotional experience rather than physical
reality.

4. Expressionism
• German movement
• Subjective look at an individual’s
internal struggles and strife
• Also started in painting
• Explored bold colors, harsh
dissonances, abstract (form
without content) images

5. Expressionism
Musical similarities
• Explored bold colors, harsh
dissonances - harsher instrumental
combinations, very weak sense of
tonality - sometimes “atonal” (absence
of tonality). Very abrupt harmonies
and melodies.

6. Expressionism
Goals of Expressionism
•Capture “being alive”
•Express emotional experience…
not physical reality
•Expressionism also in dance,
architecture, and movies

7. Impressionism Expressionism
-Atonal
-Dissonant
-Inner emotions
-Tonal
-Non-emotional
-“Color”
-Non Traditional
harmony
-“New Sounds”

8. Key points:
Impressionism was still mostly tonal.
It wasn’t about emotion, but about images.
Much of the music focused on creating new “colors” of
sound
Expressionism:
Was mostly atonal and very dissonant.
Focused on expressing inner emotions.
Similarities:
Free from previous time periods rules of traditional harmony.
Pushed the envelope.
Explored new sounds and musical ideas.

9. MUSICAL GENIUS OF
INDIVIDUAL COMPOSERS

10. Arnold
Schoenberg
• Was born in a working-class suburb of Vienna,
Austria on September 13, 1874.
• He taught himself music theory, but took lessons
in counterpoint.
• German composer Richard Wagner influenced
his work as evidenced by his symphonic poem
Pelleas et Melisande, Op 5 (1903), a
counterpoint of Debussy’s opera of the same title.

11. Arnold
Schoenberg
• 1874-1951
• Following the German tradition of
weakening harmony, polyphonic texture.
• Weakened tonality by creating the 12-tone
Serialism method of composition.
• He and his followers are called the
“Second Viennese School”.

12. Arnold
Schoenberg
• Style was constantly undergoing
development.
• His tonal preference gradually turned
to the dissonant and atonal, as he
explored the use of chromatic
harmonies.

13. WORKS AND COMPOSITIONS
Schoenberg is credited with the establishment of the
twelve-tone system.
• Verklarte Nacht, Three Pieces for Piano, op. 11
• Pierrot Lunaire,
• Gurreleider
• Verklarte Nacht (Transfigured Night, 1899), one of his
earliest successful pieces, blends the lyricism,
instrumentation, and melodic beauty of Brahms with the
chromaticism and construction of Wagner.

14. Pierrot Lunaire

15. Verklarte Nacht, Three
Pieces for Piano, op. 11

16. Igor Stravinsky
• (1882-1971)
• Russian composer active in Paris
• Wrote music for Rite of Spring
ballet (1913)
• French audience rioted at its
premiere!

17. Igor Stravinsky
• His early music reflected the influence of his
teacher, the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-
Korsakov.
• His first successful masterpiece, The Firebird
Suite (1910), composed for Diaghilev’s Russian
Ballet
• Nationalistic musical style

18. WORKS AND COMPOSITIONS
Stravinsky adapted the forms of the 18th century with his
contemporary style of writing.
• Petrouchka (1911), featuring shifting rhythms and
polytonality, a signature device of the composer.
• The Rake’s Progress (1951), a full-length opera, alludes
heavily to the Baroque and Classical styles of Bach and
Mozart through the use of the harpsichord, small
orchestra, solo and ensemble numbers with recitatives
stringing together the different songs.

19. RITE OF SPRING

20. THE FIREBIRD SUITE

21. Tonal vs atonal
• Some 20th century art music is
still written with a heavy emphasis
and awareness of key. Key
relationships are still built and
explored.
• NOT ALL 20th CENTURY
MUSIC IS ATONAL!!