20th and 21st Century

The idea that a composition's meaning comes directly from its form rather than the feelings it evokes.

• Atonality

• Dissonance

• Minimalist

• Formalist

Music that lacks a specific key or tonal center.

• Atonality

• Aleatoric Music

• Impressionism

• Minimalism

Tension created by two or more musical notes, creating an inharmonious sound

• Serial Music

• Minimalism

• Dissonance

• Neoclassicism

Compositions in which one or more elements are left to chance.

• Atonality

• Aleatoric Music

• Minimalism

• Impressionism

Compositions which employ simple rhythm and tonal patterns, often featuring repetition.

• Aleatoric Music

• Impressionism

• Dissonance

• Minimalism

There are no rules for music in the 20th and 21st century like there were during the Baroque and Classical Period.

• True

• False

Thanks to the development of radio and gramophone records, audiences were able to listen to music via recordings. Before this, they listened to music through live performances in their home or in a public theater.

• True

• False

Composers such as Gershwin, Ellington, Bernstein, and Copland combined elements of baroque with art music. A well-known example of this is Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

• True

• False

Composers often experiment with music, such as composing music without a recognizable melody or using non-traditional instruments like a typewriter, vacuum cleaner, or music stand.

• True

• False

John Cage's experimentation with music led to his composition titled The Symphony in E Minor, a piece which consists of four minutes and 33 seconds of silence.

• True

• False