Music that has been written since the year 1900 is extremely varied in style and form. Each composer or artist has had their own ideas about how to compose music that they feel sounds good. As a result, many new genres of music have been created and musicians continue to explore new ways to make and create music. This period of music history can be summarized in three words: individuality, experimentation, and variety.
The website, everynoise.com, gives an example of the enormous number of different musical genres.
Although 20th and 21st century composers are influenced by music of the past, they have created their own unique sound. Composers and creators still using the basic elements of music (melody, harmony, rhythm, form, timbre, and dynamics), but are experimenting with them in new ways in order to create new sounds. From amplified electronic sounds, dissonant chord structures, complex time signatures, loops, samples, and vocal effects, music creators are challenging the previously accepted rules of music of earlier periods.
The ability to record and widely distribute music has been a major influence on music composers and creators. Starting with early gramophone records in the early 1900's right up to today’s music streaming services, recording technology has given musicians all over the world the ability to create music in new ways and share their sounds with a large audience.
Among others, we’ll be listening to the music of some of the following composers:
Aaron Copland
George Gershwin
Bela Bartok
Jean Sibelius
Les Paul