How Has Music Changed Over Time

968 Words2 Pages

Throughout the 20th Century, music has been defined by the dramatic innovation development of advanced technology for recording and distributing music. Forms and styles of music have also radically progressed. These days, due to the highly developed technology, artists are no longer restricted to live performances and are able to rapidly become known world-wide.
During the 20th Century, many new forms and styles of music have been created which have breached the boundaries and rules of music from previous periods. In addition to rapid improvements, 20th Century transportation has permitted artists and fans to travel widely to perform or listen. Professional amplification has allowed music to be broadcasted to a larger audience and given access …show more content…

Not only have we been bombarded by an incredible variety of stimuli, but there has also been a constant demand for novelty. New styles in fashion and the visual arts spread rapidly and then disappear. In music as well, the emphasis has been on novelty and change. Musical innovations since 1945 have been even more far reaching than those of the first half of the 20th century. There have been many new directions, and the range of musical styles and systems is wider than ever” (Kamien 2008: 349). This statement suggests that music styles and forms have dramatically changed over time. However, when analysing impressionism repertoire from 1893 and 2008, it is clear, that despite the large time gap, new pieces of impressionist music still include the same characteristics and influences as in the 1800’s. The following evaluation and analysis will prove to disagree with the above …show more content…

- Blurring the beat
- The pieces usually give an impression of a story

Source: Klaublepianostudio.com, 2014, Academic.muohio.edu, 2014
Aside from the most famous impressionist composers, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, some other prominent composers include Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Karol Szymanowski, Frederick Delious and Erik Satie.
Claude Debussy:
Claude Debussy was amongst one of the most influential composers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His compositions, distinctive and appealing, combined modernism and sensuality so successfully that their pure beauty often obscures their technical innovation. Debussy is considered the founder of musical Impressionism.
Born on August 22, 1862, Claude Debussy was born into a poor family in France. From a young age, Debussy showed a gift as a pianist and began taking lessons at the age of seven. By the time Debussy was eleven years old, he had entered the Paris Conservatory where his talents were recognized. He created a system of harmony and musical structure that expressed in many respects the ideals to which the Impressionist and Symbolist painters and writers of his time aspired. Some of his main works include Clair De Lune (“Moonlight”,1890–1905), Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (1894), Pelléas et Mélisande opera (1902), and La Mer (“The Sea,

Open Document