A few Germans

Arnold Schoenberg (1874 - 1951)

His name was originally spelled Schönberg (with the umlaut), but was respelled to what we here in America consider it to be the normal spelling. His music dramatically reshaped the way we look at and listen to what we consider "new" music today. His compossitional shift, which takes place in Op. 11 No. 3 is his move into expressionism. Music no longer had any kind of tonal center, and thematic material would not be repeated in any way, which completely abandoned formal structure as well. From here on, Schoenberg was called the "Emancipator of Dissonace," because dissonace no longer had conssonace. If it were not for connssonace, we would not have dissonace, everything would just sound the same. However, simply "unresolving" chords left and right, leads throws out any kind of "dissonance" -- it is what it is. No need to label it as somehting "dissonant." By doing so, Schoenberg also got rid of any kind of harmonic expectatoins, and his music was truely "free."

Anton Webern (1883 - 1945)

One of Schoenberg's famous pupils. Anton was most inspired by Schoenberg's Op. 11 and Op. 19 which were some of Schoenberg's first experiments in this "expressionist" style, and this is most certainly reflected in Webern's works. His "Piano Variations Op. 27" are, I must say difficult to listen to upon first listen. However, the notes aren't all completley random. Upon closser inspection, you can find palendromes and interesting little tricks thrown all about that you really have to look for, and are much more difficult to hear than they are to see. He was killed tragically by an American soldier at the end of WWII during a cerfew he stepped outside for a cigar and was shot.

Alban Berg (1885 - 1935)

Another student of Schoenberg, but slightly less famous. His only significan piece for the piano is the Sonata, Op. 1. The piece is more High Romantic than what we think of as 20th century music. The piece is full of emotion and what appers to be tragety, or desperation under oppression of some kind, with excessive use of rubato throughout (quite a Romantic trait). Berg's music isn't completely "A-tonal." There still remains in his music a sence of center.

The 3 Amigos

Tres Amigos


Isaac Albeniz (1860 - 1909)

Albeniz is almost the 20th century Spanish version of Mozart. Child prodigy, making 4 year old public appearances, toured all around America before he returned to Europe at 14. But it seems that Albeniz, like Mendelssohn, didn't improve a whole lot. However, in his defense - his compositions changed dramatically after his studies with Felipe Pedrell. He is our first Spanish nationalist composer, using exotic scales, dance rhythms, Guitar Idioms (a very Spanishish thing), and wrote in the style of Cante Hondo, which was a deeper kind of song style.

Enrique Granados (1867 - 1916)

Not too much to say about this guy. He was much less nationalistis than either Albeniz or Falla. He studied composition with Filipe Pedrell as well. His real only big work was his "Goyescas," which was a sort of opera called a Zarzuela. Its a light opera which alternates with spoken drama and sung - much like recitative would in earliler. His music in generally retains elements of Romanticism in the early 20th century, and his solo piano stuff sounds like it could have been written by a Spanish Liszt or something. (well may not Liszt - but you get this idea).

I just had to put up this pic I found of Granados from wikipedia. He looks too much like Pedro from Napolean Dynamite.

He was killed when he boat was torpedoed in the English Channel during WWI.


Manuel (de) Falla (1876 - 1946)

Yes he also studied with Filipe Pedrell.

Also famous for his Zarzuelas but also his ballets. His Fantasie Baetica, which was dedicated to Artur Rubenstein is his most famous piece for solo piano. His compositional style is certainly the most "modern" of the 3 Amigos, and is evident in the Fantasie. His other important work for piano includes orchestra and is treated as a concerto titled (k)Nights in the Gardens of Spain (1909 - 1916).

Trivia - Falla's characature used to be on the Spainish currency before the Euro was introduced to Spain - Somehting else I discovered from wikipedia.

Claudio d-Bus

Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918)

Debussy was an instrumental figure in the way we listen to music today. As one of the first "20th century" composers, he nearly began the musical impressionistic movement, following in the footsteps of the artistic movement already underway. His music is very evocative, aiming at soothing or playing with the senses and creating images in the mind through music. Debussy all but threw older harmonic stereotypes out the window. If Schoenberg was to be the "emancipator of dissonance" then one of the first steps was Debussy's emancipation of harmony. His harmonies are free, not following any set rules or progression. Although he does borrow some standards at times, they are mostly free and independent like none before him, and after. Debussy was famous for his ear. Not that is was larger than normal, but that he could listen very well and hear things like nore other. Perhaps this is why in his music, there is usually no rhythmic figuration proloning harmoies, rather Debussy uses silences, to enjoy the sounds being produced and to digest. Debussy loved to play with different scales and harmonic fun things, such as whole tone, octatonic, and pentatonic scales.

In his Preludes, each preludes has a programatic title, which appears at the end of the piece oddly enough. Debusys insisted that the title appear after the piece had been played, perhaps to bring about whatever one's own 'impression' was of the music, then compared to his at the ending. Quite interesting. His most famous is "Volies" (from book 1), which incorporates entires sections in whole tone and pentatonic.

The Images are beautiful, and are also the essence of impressionistic music. Each has a programatic title, which is the image Debussy aimed at painting in the music. As Debussy grew more and more impressionistic, so did his titles, growing more and more particular.