Modern Composition and Experimental Music Techniques

What are Tone Clusters?

Tone clusters are chords built by stacking adjacent notes.

How did John Cage "Prepare" the Piano?

Cage put screws, erasers, and other items between piano strings to change the sound of the piano.

Defining Indeterminate and Chance Composition

Indeterminate or chance composition occurs when some parameter of the performance is left up to the performer, ensuring that something different will happen every time. It involves a random process of creating work.

Significance of John Cage's 4'33"

This piece consists of 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence by the performer. Cage hoped that the audience might realize that even in the absence of the performer playing, there is still no silence in the performance space.

First Piece for Percussion Ensemble

The first piece composed for percussion ensemble is Ionisation by Edgard Varèse.

How did Edgard Varèse Define Music?

Edgard Varèse defined music as "organized sound."

Conlon Nancarrow and the Player Piano

Conlon Nancarrow was specifically interested in the player piano.

Iannis Xenakis: Architect and Composer

Before he became a composer, Iannis Xenakis was an architect; he used architectural tools and designs to plan his pieces and create his scores.

What is Microtonality?

Microtonality refers to scales that divide the octave beyond the standard 12 notes, as heard in the music of Harry Partch.

Significance of Terry Riley's In C

The piece In C is an early work of musical minimalism. It is entirely in C and can be played by any number of instruments and musicians. The beat remains constant.

Why is Minimalism So Tonal?

Minimalist composers were reacting against the prevailing atonal styles of the time.

Phasing Techniques in Minimalism

In minimalism, phasing is the technique by which two melodies are played simultaneously by different instruments, and one of them plays slightly faster so that the lines become offset.

What is Process Music?

Process music is another term for music that is specifically built around a process working out over time, such as phasing.

Milton Babbitt: The Composer as Specialist

The main message of Milton Babbitt's essay, "The Composer as Specialist," is that composition is a specialized community whose audience consists largely of other composers. Hard sciences are afforded the benefit of funding for research because research in sciences tends to have very visible practical technological applications, even if at some point much later in the future. Music and other humanities need the same support from universities and other sources since innovation in music cannot happen if composers are being held to the expectations of the general public. There is a distinct difference between the realm of "popular" music and "advanced" or "serious" music, and they each have their purposes. Composers need time and support to experiment in order to create new ideas.

Venues for Contemporary Classical Music

The main venues for the performance of contemporary classical music include:

• Universities
• Churches
• Festivals and conferences

Career Paths for 21st-Century Composers

The three main jobs that composers perform in the 21st century are:

• Teaching
• Film composition
• Freelancing