Three Most Important Composers of the Twentieth Centruy

Music underwent a plethora of changes throughout the twentieth century, including a complete transformation from the large symphonic works of the late 1800s to the short, electronic ditties of the late 1900s. With all that change, choosing only three composers to represent the entire twentieth century would be impossible. For example, the innovation of electronic music added an entirely new genre to the world of classical music; however, the three composers discussed here did not write in that style and instead influenced other aspects of the music world. Arnold Schoenberg, Aaron Copland, and Igor Stravinsky each greatly impacted the musical world around them. Schoenberg’s journey away from tonality to serialism changed the way that composers wrote for the rest of the century, while Copland’s music emancipated American sound from the European styles. Stravinsky brought many musical styles to the height of what could be accomplished in each one, and his excellence influe nced many composers during and after his time. Schoenberg, Copland, and Stravinsky represent three of the most important composers of the twentieth century. The founder of the â€Å"second Viennese School,† Arnold Schoenberg, was known as a prominent composer and a comprehensive theorist who addressed both aesthetic and philosophical issues. Schoenberg’s early works served to sum up Romantic ideas. Written in 1903 and orchestrated in 1910, Gurrelieder was a pinnacle of the Romantic style. Schoenberg composed