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From: chb@vaxine.UUCP (Kool Klezmer)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: 20th Century Music
Message-ID: <186@vaxine.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 9-Feb-84 12:50:03 EST
Article-I.D.: vaxine.186
Posted: Thu Feb  9 12:50:03 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 10-Feb-84 07:41:16 EST
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The recent flurry of interesting, well-informed articles on 20th century
music have been so much fun that I decided I have to add my own 2 cents.


Vaughn-Williams
	Although usually too pastoral for my tastes, one should check out his
(I believe) his Fifth Symphony.  This piece was wriiten in the late thirties
and is considered V-W's statement on which particular abyss he thought the
world was headed for (how right he was!).  For V-W, this piece is
particularly violent and dissonant.  Also a lot of fun to play.  Our
conductor related the story that while in the rehearsals for the premier of
the piece, V-W (who was conducting) purportedly laid down his baton at one
point and said to the orchestra: "Ladies and gentlemen, if this is modern
music, you may have it".

Ives
	I also like his Second Symphony most of all.  It's a little subtler
than the later ones.  But there is little doubt that he is one of the greats
in modern-music: he independently invented serialism and polyphony
without ever having heard what was going on in Europe at the time!  His father
was also probably andother great "outside" composer - the idea of the 2 bands
approaching each other from opposite ends of the street was actually done by
Ives Sr.  For a little "light" reading check out Ives' book "On the Sonata".


No one has mentioned one of my favorite 20th century composers - Geo.
Rochberg.  His Quartets are great neo-classical works, like hearing Beethoven
as if he had played with the Art Ensemble of Chicago.


And finally, (no flames, please) I would like to nominate Edward Kennedy
Ellington as one of the great American 20th century composers.  My treatise on
him is forthcoming...


				It don't mean a thing,
				If it aint got that swing...
				Charlie Berg