XX century - the era of bold experiments in art. Composers, artists, poets and writers were looking for new means that could help reflect modernity in all its contradictions and contrasts, reflect in their work the turbulent events of their time. In their creative search, they went in different directions, gaining like-minded people and followers. Thus, new avant-garde trends in art were formed.
Avant-garde Innovation
Classical music has many new trends. Such composers as A. Schoenberg, V. Shcherbachev, A. Mosolov and others experimented with tonality, which led to its destruction. Other composers turned their attention to the approach to musical sound, striving to create new forms of sound and new musical instruments, as well as using sounds of instruments far from music in their compositions (for example, a typewriter).
Composers of the “Novo-Viennese school” created new techniques and principles of composition (dodecafony, serial music). The dominant place of the melody in the work is being questioned. The rhythm comes to the fore. The avant-garde in classical music sweeps away all foundations and rules, setting new ones.
For example, composers F. Glass, S. Reich and T. Riley used the technique of primitivism - imitation of the sounds of nature, the desire for naturalness and simplicity.
The avant-garde in the music of the American composer J. Cage is manifested in the fact that the process of composing a work is built on the principle of "dice": sounds are unforeseen accidents, uncertainty.
Thus, the avant-garde in music is represented by specific genres: musical expressionism, sonoristics, serial music, aleatorics and many other directions.
Specific music
“Concrete” refers to the flow, the style of avant-garde music, which replaces musical sounds with various noises (acoustic and natural effects). For the first time, the French composer Pierre Schaeffer began to use the technique of specific music in his work. One of his most famous works is “Symphony for One Person”, which presents a certain sequence of sounds resembling a phonogram for a theatrical performance.
The vanguard in Sheffer's music was manifested in the fact that he strove to free himself from the instrument and performer. It was his work that served as the beginning of the creation and development of electronic, and later computer music.
Expressionism
The avant-garde in 20th century music is also represented by expressionism. This trend in the music sphere was most developed in Germany and Austria. The largest representative in this area is Arnold Schoenberg. His music is filled with deep psychologism. Despair, powerlessness, horror, affect state find a way out in the works of Schoenberg.
Expressionists opposed contemplative and passive art, leading a person into an illusory world, urging not to try to escape from the problems of real life. The melodies of their works are intermittent and broken. Dissonance harmony predominates.
The innovation of the expressionist composers is a serial approach: 12 sounds sound in any order, but do not repeat until the others sound. A similar approach is also referred to as "dodecafonia." Expressionist music is characterized by atonality.
Expressionism is close to romanticism in that it also strives for spiritual sensuality and the expression of human experiences. Expressionism includes works by A. Schoenberg, A. Webern, A. Berg, G. Mahler, I. Stravinsky, B. Bartok, and later works by R. Wagner.
Pointillism
Anton Webern, one of the founders of the New Vienna School, began to apply the technique of pointillism (spot writing) in his writings. It paid great attention to separately sounding sounds. The technique of pointillism was used in his work by composers K. Stockhausen, L. Nono, P. Boulez.
Sonoristics
In the avant-garde music, sonoristics occupies a significant place. The sound basis of this current is the timbre complexes, sound masses (“sonors”), not divided in time. Sonor is a special coloring of the sound, which has a certain aesthetic effect. When perceived, the pitch of an individual sound loses its expressive power. The clearest examples of sonor harmony are considered to be separate works by K. Penderetsky, V. Lutoslavsky, S. Gubaidulina, A. Eshpay, K. Stockhausen.
Aleatoric
Aleatorics (“dice”) is a special compositional technique that involves random connection of sounds. For example, instead of composing music, the composer-aleatoric throws dice, translating the numbers obtained into notes. Or spray paint on sheet music. Such composers were V. Lutoslavsky and P. Boulez.
Russian avant-garde music
Alexander Scriabin with his original harmony and technique, Nikolai Myaskovsky and Vladimir Rebikov, as well as other innovative composers who embodied the aesthetic ideals of symbolism in their work, became Russian avant-garde artists of the early XX century.
Some composers abandoned the major-minor system, the familiar form and structure of the musical work. They began to look for new harmonies, tones, rhythms. The theoretical basis for the original high-altitude systems was given by composers N. Obukhov, L. Sabaneev, I. Vyshnegradsky and others.
New Age Music
Some composers of the young Soviet state developed in their work the idea of replacing the melody with noise. Noise music is a trend that was conceived as as close as possible to the needs and life of the proletariat. A remarkable example in this area is the “Symphony of beeps” by composer Avraamov, which is based on a combination of various sounds of the industry: these are machine beeps, steam locomotives, pistol shots.
The line between high art and "art of the lower classes" was almost destroyed by the avant-garde. Composers counted on a wide audience, bringing music closer to workers' lives, often depriving music of its highest goal: to raise their minds beautifully.
Some works of the avant-garde era have already lost their aesthetic value and topicality, remaining interesting only to musicologists. But there are many works that have entered the treasury of world classics and have earned recognition as contemporaries of the composers who created them, and their descendants.