20th century classical
what it is
At the turn of the 20th century classical music was characteristically late Romantic in style, while at the same time the Impressionist movement, spearheaded by Claude Debussy was taking form. America began forming its own vernacular style of classical music, notably in the works of Charles Ives, John Alden Carpenter, and (later) George Gershwin, while in Vienna, Arnold Schoenberg conceived atonality, and later developed the twelve-tone technique. Classical music in the 20th century varied greatly, from the expressionism of early Schoenberg, Neoclassical music of Igor Stravinsky, the futurism (bruitisme and "machine music") of Luigi Russolo, Alexander Mossolov, early Prokofiev and Antheil, to the microtonal music of Julián Carrillo, Alois Hába, Harry Partch, and Ben Johnston, to the socialist realism of late Prokofiev and Glière, Kabalevsky, and other Russian composers, as well as the simple harmonies and rhythms of minimalist composers such as Steve Reich, and Philip Glass, to the musique concrète of Pierre Schaeffer and the intuitive music of Karlheinz Stockhausen; from the total serialism of Pierre Boulez and the political commitment of Luigi Nono to the aleatoric music of John Cage.
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art pop, hyperpop, and the underground
level 5 · all the way
deep experimental
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questions
What is 20th century classical?
At the turn of the 20th century classical music was characteristically late Romantic in style, while at the same time the Impressionist movement, spearheaded by Claude Debussy was taking form. America began forming its own vernacular style of classical music, notably in the works of Charles Ives, John Alden Carpenter, and (later) George Gershwin, while in Vienna, Arnold Schoenberg conceived atonality, and later developed the twelve-tone technique. Classical music in the 20th century varied greatly, from the expressionism of early Schoenberg, Neoclassical music of Igor Stravinsky, the futurism (bruitisme and "machine music") of Luigi Russolo, Alexander Mossolov, early Prokofiev and Antheil, to the microtonal music of Julián Carrillo, Alois Hába, Harry Partch, and Ben Johnston, to the socialist realism of late Prokofiev and Glière, Kabalevsky, and other Russian composers, as well as the simple harmonies and rhythms of minimalist composers such as Steve Reich, and Philip Glass, to the musique concrète of Pierre Schaeffer and the intuitive music of Karlheinz Stockhausen; from the total serialism of Pierre Boulez and the political commitment of Luigi Nono to the aleatoric music of John Cage.
What are good 20th century classical albums to start with?
Try Symphony No.3 (Musica Nova Bohemica) by Miloslav Kabeláč, Chamber Music (The Dartington Ensemble) by Bohuslav Martinů, Complete Chamber & Orchestral Works I by Leoš Janáček, and Job for Organ by Petr Eben.
Who are some women making 20th century classical?
musicisforgirls.com/genres/20th-century-classical/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making 20th century classical, from mainstream to underground.
genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-20