Thoughts on Contemporary Music

Thoughts on Contemporary Music

What is contemporary idiom?  The story of twentieth-century music is the search for new sounds inspired by the machine age.  New instruments, new techniques with traditional instruments and voices have brought forth new concepts of melody, harmony, and rhythm.  More specifically, we are looking for pieces that are distinctly different from past periods; we are searching for writing that breaks from traditional expectations in pursuit of a new musical language.

*A piece of music may be classified as belonging to the contemporary idiom if it includes any of the following: 

 

Compositional techniques, devices and effects

ALEATORY OR CHANCE MUSIC                               OSTINATO

INSIDE THE PIANO                                                       TONE CLUSTERS

MIRROR WRITING                                                       TONE ROWS

SYMPATHETIC VIBRATIONS                                     SERIAL COMPOSITION  

FRAGMENTED, ASYMMETRICAL MELODIES      NON-TRADITIONAL NOTATIONS

ADDITIONS OF NON-MUSICAL SOUNDS            “PREPARED” INSTRUMENTS

Harmonic devices

ADDED NOTE CHORDS                                               CHORDS UNRELATED TO MAJOR-MINOR SYSTEM

CHORD CLUSTERS                                                        TRITONES

BITONALITY                                                                    QUARTAL AND QUINTAL HARMONIES

PARALLEL CHORDAL MOVEMENT                         SEVENTH AND NINTH CHORDS  

ATONALITY                                                                     DISSONANCE

POLYTONALITY                                                              CHROMATICISM

Rhythm and meter

ASYMMETRIC METERS                                               MULTIMETRIC

SHIFTING OR IRREGULAR METERS                        POLYMETRIC

BARLESS                                                                           SYNCOPATION (including ragtime)

Tonalities and scales

HUNGARIAN MINOR                                                  MODAL SCALES

JAPANESE SCALES                                                        PANDIATONIC

SYNTHETIC SCALES                                                      PENTATONIC

WHOLE TONE SCALE                                                   POLYTONAL

Other considerations of contemporary music include:

  1. Non-traditional use of the instrument (such as tapping, knocking, plucking).
  1. Any piece imitating the sound of a machine.
  2. Chords built on the interval of a fourth, fifth, or second.
  3. Any scale that is not major or minor (modes, 12-tone, whole tone, etc.)
  4. Aleatory (“Chance Music”) where portions of the composition are played at random according to the performer’s whim.
  5. Bitonal music where there is simultaneous use of different keys in different parts of the piece.

*Lists and definitions by Myklas publishing and other Contemporary Music Sources.

 

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