Department of Education

Music 10
20th Century Musical
Styles
First Quarter - Week 1

Ghia Cressida T. Hernandez

Writer

Jeffrey M. Raymundo
Lyra R. Zaragosa
Validator

Wilson F. Pascual
Edison C. Enerlas
Division Quality Assurance Team

Schools Division Office – Muntinlupa City

Student Center for Life Skills Bldg., Centennial Ave., Brgy. Tunasan, Muntinlupa City
(02) 8805-9935 / (02) 8805-9940
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After completing the lesson in the SLeM (Supplementary Learning
Materials), you are expected to:
1. Describe distinctive musical elements of given pieces in 20th
Century
musical styles
2. Explain the performance practice 20th Century music
3. Relate 20th Century music to other art forms and media during
the same period

Directions: Choose and encircle the letter of the best answer.

1. Claire de Lune is an Impressionistic musical composition by

Claude Debussy. Which of the following is used in Impressionism?
a. atonality c. whole tone scale
b. tonic-dominant relationship d. twelve-tone scale

2. It was a partial return to the classical form of writing music with

carefully modulated dissonances. What style of music is this?
a. Impressionism c. Neo-classicism
b. Expressionism d. Chance music

3. What style of music uses atonality and twelve-tone scale, lacking

stable and conventional harmonies?
a. Impressionism c. Neo-classicism
b. Expressionism d. Chance music

4. It is the use of more than one key simultaneously.

a. Polyrhythm b. polytonality c. syncopation d. atonality
5. “Bolero” is a composition by Maurice Ravel. What is the style of
this composition?
a. Neo-classicism c. Expressionism
b. Impressionism d. Primitivism
6. “The Rite of Spring” is a composition by Igor Stravinsky. What is
the style of this composition?
a. Neo-classicism c. Expressionism
b. Impressionism d. Primitivism

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7. It is a looser form of 20th Century music development focused on
composers who sought to combine modern techniques with folk
materials.
a. Impressionism c. Expressionism
b. Neo-classicism d. Modern Nationalism

8. It is the use of two or more different rhythms at the same time.

a. Polytonality b. Polyrhythm c. atonality d. syncopation

9. He was the composer of “The West Side Story” (1957), an American

version
of Romeo and Juliet.
a. Leonard Bernstein c. Philip Glass
b. George Gershwin d. John Cage

10. He was the primary exponent of Expressionism, with the use of

atonality and a twelve-tone scale.
a. Claude Debussy c. Igor Stravinsky
b. Maurice Ravel d. Arnold Schoenberg

11. What characteristic of music lacks a tonal center?

a. Polyrhythm b. Rhythm c. Polytonalities d. Atonality

12. This style made use of the whole tone scale, characterized by
translucent and hazy texture.
a. Impressionism b. Expressionism c. Avant Garde d. Chance

13. Music produced by electronic devices i s recorded in magnetic

tape and then played through amplifiers. What kind of music is
this?
a. Chance b. Electronic c. Music concrete d. Avant-Garde

14. What kind of music uses a tape recorder?

a. Chance b. Electronic c. Music concrete d. Avant-Garde

15. What is the title of a story about a moonstruck clown, a 20th

century descendant of the classic Commedia dell’Arte clown
composed by Arnold Schoenberg?
a. Rite of Spring b. Bolero c. Pierrot Lunaire d. Clair de Lune

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Complete this: Fill the flow chart with the correct sequence of periods
of Western Music. Choose your answer from the box:

Baroque Romantic Renaissance Classical Medieval

1. 2. 3.
500- 1400- 1600 – 1750
1400 1600

5. 4.

1800 - 1909 1750 – 1820

The general characteristics of music of the 20th century are:

1. Fewer lyrical melodies than the music of former periods
2. Dissonant harmonies
3. The use of synthetic and electronic sounds
4. The use of polytonality, polyrhythm and atonality
5. Greater use of woodwind, brass and percussion instruments
6. The use of whole tone scale and twelve-tone scale

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The early half of the 20th Century gave rise to new musical styles.

Impressionism made use of the whole-tone scale. It also applied

suggested, rather than depicted, reality. It created a mood rather than
a definite picture. It had a translucent and hazy texture, lacking a
dominant-tonic relationship. It made use of overlapping chords, with
4th, 5th, octaves, and 9th intervals, resulting in a non-traditional
harmonic order and resolution.

Expressionism - revealed the composer’s mind, atonality, and

the twelve-tone scale, lacking stable and conventional harmonies. It
served as a medium for expressing strong emotions, such as anxiety,
rage, and alienation.

Neo-Classicism - was a partial return to a classical form of

writing music with carefully modulated dissonances. It made use of a
freer seven-note diatonic scale. It uses folk tunes and rhythms.

Modern Nationalism - is a looser form of 20th-century music

development focused on nationalist composers and musical
innovators who sought to combine modern techniques with folk
materials.

Avant-Garde Music – closely associated with electronic music,

made use of variations of self-contained note groups to change
musical continuity and improvisation, absence of traditional rules on
harmony, melody, and rhythm.

Electronic Music – music that requires knowledge or use of

electronic devices to produce or manipulate sounds, use of tape
recorders, computers, cassette tapes, compact disc, etc. (music
concrete – music that uses tape recorder).

Chance Music – manipulate musical instruments to achieve new

sounds, unconventional, use of natural elements, sound from the
environment, and audience as a performer.

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20th Century Musical Compositions and its style
Clair de Lune
Impressionism By Claude Debussy
>Clair de Lune meaning “Moonlight” is
the third movement of a four-part work
called “Suite Bergamasque” by Claude
Debussy published in 1905.
>The title comes from a poem of the
same name, published in 1869, by the
Symbolist poet Paul Verlaine.
> it is the best-loved piano piece of
Debussy combining influences from
poetry and Impressionism style in
music.

Claude Debussy: Clair de Lune

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea2WoUtbzuw
&t=33 4s

Impressionism Bolero
By Maurice Ravel
>Bolero is a one-movement orchestral
piece by the French composer Maurice
Ravel.
> Bolero epitomizes Ravel’s preoccupation
with
restyling and reinventing dance
movements.
>It was also one of the last pieces he
composed before illness forced him into
retirement.

Maurice Ravel: Bolero https://youtu.be/dZDiaRZy0Ak

Expressionism The Rite of Spring

By Igor Stravinsky
>Igor Stravinsky's ballet score “The Rite
of Spring”. The work's premiere on May
29, 1913, at the Théatre des Champs-
Elysées in Paris, depicts various
primitive rituals celebrating the advent of
Spring, after which a young girl is
chosen as a sacrificial victim and
dances.
>In addition to the outrageous
costumes, unusual choreography and
bizarre story of pagan sacrifice,
Stravinsky's music itself was angular,
dissonant, and unpredictable.

Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhXX4Kzzt
dA
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 Pierrot Lunaire
Expressionism By Arnold Schoenberg
>Pierrot Lunaire is the story of a
moonstruck clown, a 20th century
descendant of the classic Commedia
dell’Arte clown
> The way the story is told and the
music Schoenberg composed to tell it
has become one of the most
th
significant works in the 20 century.
>The inward psychological focus of the
text and the eerie combination of
atonality and Sprechstimme (half sung-
half spoken manner) mark this as an
Expressionist work
Arnold Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ala
_vGjv-YI
SixString Quartets
Neo-Classicism By Bela Bartok
> Bartok eventually shed the influences
of his compositions in favor of
Hungarian folk and peasant themes.
>These later became a major source
of the themes of his works.
>Bartok is most famous for his Six String
Quartets (1908–1938). It represents the
greatest achievement of his creative
life, spanning a full 30 years for their
completion. The six works combine
difficult and dissonant music with
mysterious sounds.
Bela Bartok: Six String Quartets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWHLjHK
WVdk
Peter and the Wolf
Neo-Classicism By Sergei Prokofieff
>a "symphonic fairy tale for children", is
a musical composition written by Sergei
Prokofiev in 1936. The narrator tells a
children's story, while the orchestra
illustrates it.
>Each character of this tale is
represented by a corresponding
instrument in the orchestra: the bird by a
flute, the duck by an oboe, the cat by a
clarinet playing staccato in a low
register, the grandfather by a bassoon, the
wolf by three horns, Peter by the string
quartet, the shooting of the hunters by the
kettle drums and bass drum.
> Thereby, the children learn to
distinguish the sounds of the
instruments during the
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 performance of this tale.

Sergei Prokofieff: Peter and The Wolf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfM7Y9Pc
dzw
Avant-Garde Rhapsody in Blue
By George Gershwin
> Rhapsody in Blue, musical composition
by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz
bands, known for its integration of jazz
rhythms with classical music, that
premiered on February 12, 1924, as part of
bandleader Paul Whiteman's “An
Experiment in Modern Music” concert at
New York's Aeolian Concert Hall.

George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynEOo28ls
bc

Avant-Garde
The West Side
Story By Leonard
Bernstein
> The West Side Story is a musical with a
book by Arthur Laurents, music by
Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by
Stephen Sondheim. It was inspired by
William Shakespeare's play Romeo and
Juliet. The story is set in the Upper West
Side neighborhood in New York City in
the mid- 1950s, a multiracial, blue-collar
neighborhood

Leonard Bernstein: Maria, The West Side

Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyofWTw0
bqY

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IMPRESSIONISM IN ARTS AND MUSIC

>The aim of Impressionism in

Arts 10 LM p. 190
Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet
arts was to render the effects of
lights on objects rather than the
objects themselves.
>subject is outdoors, uses
vibrant colors, applied in small
touches and lack of emphasis on
the detail
>Impressionist art focuses on the
use of light and color to create
different visual impressions on
their paintings

>What Impressionists did in art,

Debussy did in music. He turned
away from the established style and
creates his own individual style.
>Impressionist music is greatly
influenced by impressionist paintings
where the real picture of the subject
matter is not given emphasis
>music creates atmosphere and
subtle emotion Arts 10 LM p. 195
>departure from traditional musical The Red Boats, Claude Monet
forms
EXPRESSIONISM IN ARTS AND MUSIC
>Expressionist artists created vivid
pictures, distorting colors and shapes to
make unrealistic images that suggested
strong emotions.
> directly focused on the emotional response
of the artist to the real world, using
disproportionate sizes, odd angles and painted
in vivid and intense colors.
>subjects often include fantasy, violence and
anxiety
>Expressionist composers poured intense
emotional expression into their music and
explored the subconscious mind.
> In music it used atonality lacking stable
and conventional harmonies. It served as a
medium for expressing strong emotions, such
an anxiety, rage,and alienation.
The Scream, Edvard Munch
Pinterest.com

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Activity 1. Fill in the table
Directions: Identify the style/s of each characteristic of music

Characteristics Musical style/s

1. Atonal

2. Use of whole tone scale

3. Use of sound from environment

4. Absence of traditional
rules on harmony, melody
and rhythm
5. Modern technique with folk
materials

6. Moderate dissonances

7. Hazy texture

8. Use of electronic devices

9. Use of folk tunes and rhythms

10. Use of natural sound

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Activity 2. Compare them!

Directions: Choose the words to describe the characteristic of

Impressionism and Expressionism. Write your answer in the spaces
given.

Impressionism Expressionism

Light colors strong emotions distorting colors and

shape
Fantasy subject is outdoor subtle emotions

Vibrant colors Disproportionate sizes small touches

Atonality Individual style anxiety

The early half of the 20th century also gave rise to new musical
styles, which were not quite as extreme as the electronic, chance, and
minimalist styles that arose later. These new styles were impressionism,
expressionism, neo-classicism, avant-garde music, and modern
nationalism.
Several outstanding composers of the 20th century each made
their distinctive mark on the contemporary classical music styles that
developed. Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel were the primary
exponents of impressionism, while Arnold Schoenberg was the primary
exponent of expressionism, with the use of the twelve-tone scale and
atonality. Bela Bartok was a neo-classical, modern nationalist, and a
primitivist composer who adopted Hungarian folk themes to

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introduce rhythms with changing meters and heavy syncopation. Igor
Stravinsky was also an expressionist and a neo-classical composer. He
incorporated nationalistic elements in his music, known for his skillful
handling of materials and his rhythmic inventiveness.

Directions: Answer the following: Choose your answer from the box below
and on the space provided.

1. What is a "symphonic fairy tale for children", a musical composition

written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936?

2. What is the title of a one-movement orchestral piece by the French

composer Maurice Ravel?

3. What is the story of “The West Side Story?

4. What is the story of “The Rite of Spring”?

5. What is the title of the third movement of a four-part work called

“Suite Bergamasque” by Claude Debussy published in 1905?

6. What became a major source of the themes of Bartok’s works?

7. Rhapsody in Blue, musical composition by George Gershwin for solo

piano and jazz bands, is known for its integration of two kinds of music.
The two kinds of music are classical and

8. What is the story of Pierrot Lunaire?

9. What is the title of Bartok’s composition which represents his

greatest achievements in 30 years?

10. What is the meaning of Clair de Lune?

Pagan Rituals Hungarian Folk tunes

Clair De Lune Bolero

Jazz Moon struck clown

Peter and the wolf Six string quartets

Moonlight American version of Romeo and Juliet

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Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer.

1. The simultaneous combination of two or more tonalities in one

composition is what we called as,
a. Polyrhythm b. Rhythm c. Polytonality d. Atonal

2. What is the process of using simultaneous two contrasting rhythms?

a. Polyrhythm b. Rhythm c. Polytonality d. Atonal

3. What characteristic of music lacks a tonal center?

a. Polyrhythm b. Rhythm c. Polytonalities d. Atonality

4. This style made use of the whole tone scale, characterized by

translucent and hazy texture.
a. Impressionism b. Expressionism c. Avant Garde d. Chance

5. The tones are arranged in the 12-tone series wherein you play the
notes of the tone row backward. What is it?
a. 12 tone scale b. 12 rows c. 12 keys tone d. 12 series

6. The movement in art and music seeks to express emotions with

exaggeration and believe that people in this world are full of tension. What
do you call the movement?
a. Impressionistic b. Expressionistic c. Avant Garde d. Chance

7. It was a partial return to a classical form of writing music with

carefully modulated dissonances.
a. Neoclassicism b. Avant-Garde c. Electronic d. Chance

8. Music produced by electronic devices is recorded in magnetic tape and

then played through amplifiers. What kind of music is this?
a. Chance b. Electronic c. Music concrete d. Avant Garde

9. What kind of music uses a tape recorder?

a. Chance b. Electronic c. Music concrete d. Avant Garde

10. “Bolero” is a composition by Maurice Ravel. What is the style of

this composition?
a. Impressionism c. Expressionism
b. Neoclassicism d. Primitivism
11. What is the title of a story about a moonstruck clown, a 20th
century descendant of the classic Commedia dell’Arte clown composed
by Arnold Schoenberg?
a. Rite of Spring b. Bolero c. Pierrot Lunaire d. Clair de Lune
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 12. It refers to a style wherein the piece always sounds different at every
performance. Most of the music emanating from the surroundings.
a. Chance music b. Electronic c. Classical d. Music concrete

13. He composed “Clair de Lune” meaning Moonlight.

a. Claude Debussy b. Arnold Schoenberg c. John Cage d. Prokofieff

14. Music that combines modern technique and folk materials.

a. Neoclassicism b. Modern Nationalism c. Electronic d. Avant Garde

15. He was the composer of “The West Side Story” (1957), an American
version of Romeo and Juliet.
a. Leonard Bernstein c. Philip Glass
b. George Gershwin d. John Cage

References
1. Sunico, Raul M Ph.D., Horizon Grade 10 Learner’s Material, Music
and Arts
Appreciation for Young Filipinos, 2015 pp 3-30
2. Elliot Jones, Music 101 20th Century Music: Impressionism,
Expressionism and Twelve-Tone located at: http://www.sac.edu
3. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy copyright 2016 by The
Metaphysics Research Lab, Center for the Study of Language and
Information (CSLI), Stanford University
4. Ungayan, Keren Gel
https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/KerenGelUngayan/music-of-
the-20-th- century

Answer key music 10 week 1 C 15. 15. A

C 14. 14. B
B 13. 13. A
A 12. 12. A
D 11. 11. C
D 10. 10. A
A 9. 9. C
B 8. 8. B
D 7. 7. A
C 6. 6. B
B 5. 5. A
B 4. 4. A
B 3. 3. D
C 2. 2. A
C 1. 1. C
Pre-Tes Post Test

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