Musical Changes Leading to the 20^th Century

Getting Started: Some things about the 19th Century that serve as a point of departure:

• Romanticism was an important force that shaped music, especially early in the 19th Century
• Traits of Romanticism: Individualism, Intensity of Expression, Focus on Melancholy and darker emotions
• Nationalism also had great impact, especially later in the 19th Century
• Other Traits of 19th Century Music: attention to program music (music which paints a picture or tells a story, but without direct text, e.g. lyrics); also expansion, in length of works, size of ensembles
• Throughout the century, there is a gradual expansion and/or breakdown of the tonal system
• chromaticism obscures traditional/common practice harmony
• different scales are used, e.g. medieval modes, whole tone scale, etc.
• avoidance of traditional harmonic progressions through deceptive cadences, borrowed chords, chords drawn from alternate scales (e.g. French 6th is found within the whole tone scale), delayed or unresolved progressions, prominent use of unrelated keys within movements, etc.