20century

Twentieth Century (1930-2000)

  • Arnold Schoemberg (1874-1951)

    Arnold Schoemberg (1874-1951)
    Expressionism: Father of 12-tone music and teacher of Webern and Berg. Pierrot Lunaire
  • Igor Stravinski (1882-1971)

    Igor Stravinski (1882-1971)
    Rhythmic Style, Very Interesting Harmonically.Infernal Dance
  • Zoltán Kodály (1882-1973)

    Zoltán Kodály (1882-1973)
    Kodaly Method, Invented Movable Do solfege system, Ethnomusicologist, music educator. []Psalmus Hungaricus, Op. 13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gYZoC3GmR8)
  • Edgard Varèse (1883-1965)

    Edgard Varèse (1883-1965)
    French-American, Non-Tonal Music, interested in Electronic music, Idea of Music as organized sound. (Ionisation)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wClwaBuFOJA]
  • Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)

    Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)
    Brazilian Composer and Cellist. (Amazonas)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LbpjOyi2c4]
  • Gramophone Patent

    Gramophone Patent
    Emile Berliner patented the first successful system for sound recording.
  • Erns Toch (1887-1964)

    Erns Toch (1887-1964)
    Austrian prolific composer. 1956-Awarded the Pulitzer Price for (symphony n.3)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwppm1JaD_M]
  • Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)

    Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)
    Composer and Pianist. Russian Voice in Western culture. Dance of the Knights
  • William Grant Still (1895-1978)

    William Grant Still (1895-1978)
    First African American composer to conduct and have his work performed by a major orchestra. (Ennanga)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFj0wHeP964]
  • George Gershwin (1898-1937)

    George Gershwin (1898-1937)
    American composer, pianist, and conductor. Fussed jazz and pop into classical music. (Rhapsody in Blue)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH2PH0auTUU]
  • Carlos Chavez(1899-1978)

    Carlos Chavez(1899-1978)
    Mexican composer, teacher, and conductor.
    (Sinfonia No.2, "Sinfonía India")[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKoq4KOHUEU]
  • Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

    Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
    Most popular American composer from the 20th Century. Teacher, conductor, and author. (Hoe-Down from Rodeo)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kbAWI7K0ok]
  • Louis Armstrong (1901-1971)

    Louis Armstrong (1901-1971)
    African-American musician who revolutionized jazz. The precursor of Blues with (West End Blues)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WPCBieSESI]
  • Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978)

    Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978)
    Armenian Composer, one of the main pillar of Russian composers.
    (Sabre Dance)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUQHGpxrz-8]
  • Dimitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)

    Dimitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
    The most important working in Russia, Russian composer.(Festive Overture Op 96)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gDZTah8J2A]
  • Elliot Carter (1908-2012)

    Elliot Carter (1908-2012)
    American innovative composer treating rhythms and forms. Contributed to 21st Century music. (Elegy)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow6sPbYTbGc]
  • Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)

    Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
    French composer, organist, and author. Innovative rhythms and first advocate in total serialism. (O Sacrum Convivium)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0__tgrjTkc]
  • Samuel Barber (1910-1981)

    Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
    American Composer, Conservative Tonality experimentations. Agnus Dei
  • John Cage (1912-1992)

    John Cage (1912-1992)
    Most innovative American composer of the 20th Century, centerpiece of the Avant-garde movement. Many non-traditionals works.Water walk
  • Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)

    Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
    Most prolific English composer of the 20th century. (Simple Symphony)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFeRels8AyY]
  • Period: to

    World War I

    World War I began after the assassination of Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand by South Slav nationalist Gavrilo Princip.
  • Alberto Ginastera(1916-1983)

    Alberto Ginastera(1916-1983)
    Argentinian composer and pianist. (Danza Final (Malambo) from "Estancia")[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAJs0btLvUw]
  • Milton Babbitt (1916-2011)

    Milton Babbitt (1916-2011)
    American composer, teacher, and writer. Used Serialism
    (Reflections)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d01fwczBHp0]
  • Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)

    Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
    Most influential American musician of the 20th century. Conductor, composer, teacher, author, pianist. (Slava! A Political Overture)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6GyiGMM9pE]
  • Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001)

    Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001)
    Aleatoric Music, advocate of Stochastic Music.
    (Pithoprakta)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvH2KYYJg-o]
  • György Ligeti (1923-2006)

    György Ligeti (1923-2006)
    Austrian composer of Hungarian birth. Textural music with sound blocks.
    (Lontano)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2OQbA3r78M]
  • Pierre Boulez (1925-2016)

    Pierre Boulez (1925-2016)
    French composer, an advocate of Serialism, Post-Modern. (Le Marteau sans maître)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljcDXPcWRvI]
  • Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007

    Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007
    German composer, teacher, conductor, and theorist. Pioneer of electronic music and new forms of music. One of the most important musical innovators in the 20th century post WWII
    (Telemusik)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdIe2CrorMM]
  • Period: to

    The Great Depression

  • Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020)

    Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020)
    Polish composer, textural music using sounds. (Polymorphia)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wtq5iCxCIdU]
  • NEW DEAL BEGINS

  • Terry Riley (1935-Present)

    Terry Riley (1935-Present)
    American composer. One of the founders of minimalism. (In C)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbTn79x-mrI]
  • Arvo Pärt (1935)

    Arvo Pärt (1935)
    Estonian composer who created his own spiritual minimalism with his tintinnabuli technique.

    (Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten )[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94ByTxhtT38]
  • Philipp Glass (1937)

    Philipp Glass (1937)
    American-Jewish composer and performer. One of the innovators of the minimalism. One of the most influential composers of the 20th century. (String Quartet No. 3 "Mishima" , VI)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4XMeY1RkWQ]
  • Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (1939)

    Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (1939)
    American composer and violinist. First female to win the Pulitzer Prize for music with her (Symphony No. 1)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glHt8-uZwJ0]
  • Period: to

    World War II

  • Normandy landings (D-Day) 1944

    Normandy landings (D-Day) 1944
  • Paul Lansky (1944)

    Paul Lansky (1944)
    American Pioneer in digital sound synthesis. (Mild und Leise (Part 1 of 2))[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wib_L7CyNdI]
  • First Nuclear Weapon used in Warfare (1945)

    First Nuclear Weapon used in Warfare (1945)
    United States dropped its first atomic bomb over the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The “Little Boy” exploded with about 13 kilotons of force, leveling five square miles of the city and killing 80,000 people instantly.
  • John Adams (1947)

    John Adams (1947)
    American composer and conductor. Expanded the language of minimalism and neo-romanticism. One of the composers of post-minimalism (Short Ride in a Fast Machine)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LoUm_r7It8]
  • Period: to

    The Cold War

    A rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union.
  • Sputnik Launch

    Sputnik Launch
    First artificial satellite launched to space.
  • Koji Kondo (1961)

    Koji Kondo (1961)
    Japanese video game composer and sound director of Nintendo.(Super Mario Maker)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKap57-TTwQ]
  • Fall of the Berlin Wall (1961)

    Fall of the Berlin Wall (1961)
    The fall of the Berlin Wall marked the end of the Cold War.
  • Moon Landing (1969)

    Moon Landing (1969)
    Apolo 11 Landed on the moon and Neil Armstrong took the first steps on the Moon.
  • Eric Whitacre (1970)

    Eric Whitacre (1970)
    American composer, writes in neo-tonal music. (Cloudburst)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boOGv7e9AME]
  • Francisc Poulenc (1899-1983)

    Francisc Poulenc (1899-1983)
    French Composers from the "Famous Six". Irreverent style.
    (Mélancolie)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxwX9o1Lji8]