Experimental Music

Futurism and repercussions: Futurist movement was response to new urbanization and the machine age. It glorified machines, noises of urban life, and speed. Musical branch of futurism imitates sounds of machines or actually uses machines

· George Antheil’s (1900-59) Ballet Mechanique: creates machine type sounds using percussion, but also uses actual machines

· Other Composers are led to explore unusual sound resources, e.g. Henry Cowell (1897-1965) explored non-western music but also tried new sounds from traditional sources, especially the piano. His works The Aeolean Harp (1923) and The Banshee (1925) demonstrate these techniques

· Edgar Varèse (1883-1965) (French-born immigrant to US in WWI years) was interested in new sounds; wrote lots of percussion ensemble pieces, etc. but was really interested in applying technology to music; eventually led to explorations in recording techniques and electronic music, piece called Poème ´Electronique:

· Electronic music pioneers manipulated recorded sound and generated sound electronically

· Milton Babbitt (b. 1916) explored electronic music because he could obtain very precise performances of his music. His other motivating force was 12-tone composition.

· John Cage (1912-92) also explored 12-tone composition and electronics, but soon went other directions with alternate sound resources.

· Began with alternate uses of piano, introduced “prepared piano.”

· Next explored possibilities of chance in music.

· Explored the distinction between sound and silence

· Iindeterminacy: scores are very imprecise; this music never sounds the same twice.

· Elliott Carter (b. 1908) was a student of Nadia Boulanger in the 30’s. Most of Boulanger’s students studied neo-classicism at one time or another, and Carter’s early works are this way. In 40’s serial technique was popular; unlike most serialists, Carter’s principal idea in composing was that music should be a communication between composer and audience.

· Metric Modulation: Carter developed an organization system for rhythm and meter; this system uses some portion of a beat at the first tempo to derive the next tempo.