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"To study music, we must learn the rules. To create music, we must break them." —NADIA BOULANGER

Key Points

  • Early-twentieth-century composers revitalized rhythm by increasing its complexity—using, for example, polyrhythm, polymeter, changing meters, or irregular meters.
  • Melody was no longer the focus of a composition; the style was often more "instrumental" in character.
  • New concepts of harmony (polychords, polytonality, atonality) pressed music beyond the traditional systems of tonality.
  • The twelve-tone method (or serialism) devised by Arnold Schoenberg was an important and influential compositional technique.
  • Linear movement replaced vertical, chordal conceptions, and extreme dissonance became part of the sound palette.
  • The early-twentieth-century orchestra grew smaller and focused on winds, percussion, and piano rather than on strings.
  • Composers absorbed influences from ragtime, jazz, and other popular styles, which invigorated their works.

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