Lets Delve into Modern Classical!

[Dr_Dissonance]

(I hope I've got the right forum for this)

So, I've recently been stuck with regards to my University music...I love writing Avant-Garde (read strange and creepy) stuff, but I just haven't had the right motivation to do so...

I'm roughly better now, but I wanted to start up a thread like this, where I post all the modern classical stuff I discover on my adventures for you guys to have a look at!
Modern Classical music is the best kind of classical (in my opinion) and it houses some of the most powerful emotions and sounds you'll ever find. But everyone I know that wants to listen doesn't know where to start, so here will be a good place!
Feel free to chat about them and post your own discoveries! (Modern can be 1950 onwards) (also, soundtracks do count as modern classical, but there are other threads for them!)

I will periodically update this as I go!

For now, I'll start with these two:



Ondrej Adamek - "Sinuous Words" (part 1) (2004-2009)

I'm in love with this piece. Seriously, the amount of colour and emotion in the smallest of gestures is amazingly well done!



Ernstalbrecht Stiebler - "TEXT" (1998)

This seems very hypnotic, it's for Bass Flute and an electronic delay, so it goes through octave intervals, with microtonal changes...crazy!

[PiercingSight]

From what I can see (hear), this is the music that is almost purely made up of the emotional texture's and accents that make music in other genres have emotion. It's as though someone took all of the motions and twists and off-timings from a classical piece and threw them onto one canvas.

It's an abstract art made of pure emotion, but the techniques held within will only find fullness of purpose when they find a melody to hug. In basic terms, these are good, but they cannot stand on their own, they need pillars of chord structure and tune to fully show their colors and bring chills to the spines of all who listen.

(I suck at speaking in simple terms when it comes to art)

But yeah, thanks for these. Very interesting to listen to. They sound like they should be used in the suspense parts of movies.

[PiercingSight]

Now about ALL modern classic. Ever listen to John Powell? Probably already have (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Powell)... here's some of his stuff. I think he deserves almost as much praise as John Williams.



Anyway, the best music written is music written with a purpose (this usually ends up being STs for movies, especially the good ones). I completely agree the modern classical is the best MODERN genre, but I have yet to hear an artist as inspired and as brilliant as artist such as Mozart, Stravinsky, and Debussy (He's mah fav composer) in modern times. You truly can't beat the classics.

[penguindf12]

Mann, I have enough trouble as it is with "modern" music from 1900-1950! My personal feeling is that "classical music" remained a truly innovative force up to about 1970/1980, after which "rock" music took the burden of experimentalism and the popular "avant-garde." Nonetheless, these were composed after 1950, and I dig them (you'll notice my tastes end at about 1970, once progressive rock kicks up, and "minimalism" gets big in the classical circles):

[Dr_Dissonance]

these are good, but they cannot stand on their own, they need pillars of chord structure and tune to fully show their colors and bring chills to the spines of all who listen.

Oh boy...
Now, if I sound hostile at all in these words, I apologise in advance as I'm not trying to be.

I think in the complete opposite to what you just said. Music does not need chords and melody to "stand on its own." Music is meant to express something and, to an extent, express the composer's intentions and emotions. Some of the most powerful music doesn't have a melody at all!



Chaya Czernowin - "Dam Sheon Hachol" (1992, rev. 1999) for String Sextet

Here is my favourite piece of all time. Have a listen to the first few minutes, but specifically from 3.00 to 4.00.
Now, the piece starts off with a melody, but the section I want to emphasize has no melody. Any note pattern used is used purely as a sound, rather than a melody. Yet, I find that that section is far more powerful and emotional compared to the previous section.
Why is that? Well, it can't be because of the melody or chord structure, because they're both non-existant; this section is purely noise based.



Chris Tonkin - "Vocalise" (2008) for Djembe and electronics

What about this? Again, no melody or chord structure, yet you must admit, it is a powerful sound!
(fun fact, Dr Tonkin is one of my composition lecturers)

My point here is that there is no aspect of music that dominates over the other. Your comment gave the impression that chord structure and melody dominate over the other compositional techniques, when that isn't true. A piece can consist of only one musical aspect, such as timbre and still be a riveting and powerful piece, THAT STANDS ON ITS OWN!!!

the best music written is music written with a purpose (this usually ends up being STs for movies, especially the good ones).

Okay, here's the little blurb in the score of "Dam Sheon Hachol"; the string sextet above. (I took this from the actual score, so it is there!)

"In the Hebrew title, both meanings of 'the bleeding of the hourglass' and 'the stillness of the hourglass' are present. In this string sextet, time is slowed down almost to a complete stop, while simultaneously trajectories of movement are intensified. The slow flow of time enables one to perceive the smallest details of a texture or a sound, but the contrasting trajectories and opposing processes do not allow one to become immersed in a singular temporality. A perceptual gap is awakened.
As if at the same time, one were to follow the opening of a flower and the movement of cars on a nearby highway, while not losing sight of a fly flying..."

If that isn't purposeful, then I don't know what is...

I will add more pieces regularly, so you can see what I mean!

P.S. You want someone who uses melody in the modern age? Try Carl Vine, I met him recently, really nice bloke!



Carl Vine - Piano Concerto, Movement II (1997, I think)

Oh and nice choices Penguin!

[Dr_Dissonance]

Okay, so I'm going to leave some "Spectralism" here before I head off to Uni, take a listen, think "what the hell is going on?" and then I'll explain it when I return later tonight!



Gerard Grisey - "Partiels" (1975)



Tristan Murail - "Désintégrations" (1982-83)

[Dr_Dissonance]

I was going to explain Spectralism now, but I already did ages ago on Tumblr, so I'll just link you the article!

http://dr-dissonance.tumblr.com/post/49 ... azy-chords

[Makkon]

Isn't the phrase 'Modern Classical' an oxymoron?

Anyway, modern classical music is a huge, massive, broad term that can't be summed up in just the handful of genres that have been introduced here.
I will say that, while I can appreciate dissonance on occasion, it is without a doubt an acquired taste. I just... can't appreciate everything that you've posted here, Doctor. But music is a matter of taste anyway, so no worries.

[Overkillius]

But music is a matter of taste anyway, so no worries.

Exactly

The bad thing about music... is that it is subjective.
The good thing about music... is that it is subjective!

That is all I'll say among other things I want to say in this thread...

[Dr_Dissonance]

Isn't the phrase 'Modern Classical' an oxymoron?

Anyway, modern classical music is a huge, massive, broad term that can't be summed up in just the handful of genres that have been introduced here.
I will say that, while I can appreciate dissonance on occasion, it is without a doubt an acquired taste. I just... can't appreciate everything that you've posted here, Doctor. But music is a matter of taste anyway, so no worries.

You'd think it's an oxymoron because people consider classical as old...but that's not the case at all! It's still a strong genre!
But as you said, it's a very vague genre, it account for a huge amount of styles, techniques and instrumentation...
Which is why I started this thread! It's a such a large genre that people rarely know where to start when they're looking. Some people, like me, love a bit of spice in the harmony. Whereas others, such as you, love the more down to earth, more friendly harmonies. The wide world of 'modern classical' has all of that, you just need to know where to look, so maybe if I keep posting stuff here, someone will find something they like.

Anyway, two new pieces:



Steve Reich - "Drumming" (1970-71)



Jonathan Harvey - "Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco" (1980)

[X-Trav]

Spectralism

Pedal... forever..



I listen to a lot of classical music, but all these pieces are so... different. That really piques my interest. This is all like i'm walking into a whole new world of music. All the modern classical music I listen to sounds a lot like Romantic Era Classical, this is completely new. I'm speechless and stupefied.

Just... Speechless and confused... and interested...

And...

...

[Dr_Dissonance]

Just... Speechless and confused... and interested...

Ha ha, that's great!

And good choice of piece! Piano pieces are always very interesting these days...



Sir Peter Maxwell Davies - "8 Songs for a Mad King" (1969)

This song is insane. It follows King George III's descent into madness...and the composer REALLY likes to emphasize that with the Baritone...makes weird noises and sings about cabbages, for example...
It goes back and forth between many genres too, which is called "Polystylism" for anyone interested!

[penguindf12]

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies - "8 Songs for a Mad King" (1969)

This song is insane. It follows King George III's descent into madness...and the composer REALLY likes to emphasize that with the Baritone...makes weird noises and sings about cabbages, for example...
It goes back and forth between many genres too, which is called "Polystylism" for anyone interested!

Dang, I was going to post this, but you beat me to it! I did a piece for voice & live electronics a little while back that was compared to this... Also, I LOVE polystylism!

[PiercingSight]

I am confus... I just don't know what to say anymore... These are very... different from what I've heard...

I'm not sure this is music as much as it is sound design... *shrug*

[Senator Myth]

I'm not sure this is music as much as it is sound design... *shrug*

Music is sound design.

[Dr_Dissonance]

What Senator said...

My favourite definition comes from John Blacking, who said music is "Humanly Organised Sound"

I like this definition, as it incorporates all styles of music, not just the ones he, I, or you deem worthy of being 'music'...



Krzysztof Penderecki - "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima" (1960)

I imagine most of you have heard this without even realising! CRAZY DISSONANCE EVERYWHERE!!!




Krzysztof Penderecki - "Concerto per violino e orchestra" (1974/1976)

Written by the same bloke as the piece above this one...quite a radical change!!!

[Makkon]

VERY

ACQUIRED

TASTE

SCREECHING FOR 3 FULL MINUTES
problem, ears?

But I enjoyed that last one a lot.

[Dr_Dissonance]

VERY

ACQUIRED

TASTE

SCREECHING FOR 3 FULL MINUTES
problem, ears?

But I enjoyed that last one a lot.

Bahaha, yes, Threnody is the piece that tends to send people running!
But as a tone poem representing Hiroshima as it was bombed, I think it's really powerful...(although fun fact: the idea to make it a tone poem for Hiroshima came AFTER writing it!)

Ah yes, Neo-Romanticism, a movement that basically brought back Romantic ideals and fused them with more modern ideals...probably one of the strongest styles still going today!

So, Neo-Romantic special!



Henryk Górecki - "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" or "Symphony No.3" 1st Movement (1976)

Everyone has probably heard the 2nd Movement before, so here's the 1st Movement!




Alfred Schnittke - "Requiem" (1974-75)

All of Schnittke's work is absolutely amazing, but I figured I'd continue with the vocal theme I'm getting!



Krzysztof Penderecki - "Symphony No.7 'Seven Gates of Jerusalem'" (1996)

This guy again!!!

[Versilaryan]

Yeah, it's somewhat of an acquired taste, but I know I've loved listening to crazy shit for the longest time. My poor, poor fellow middle school students. xD There was a point where I'd get into fights with people who adore hardcore classical classical and pop all the time because I found it all boring.



And, of course:
Country Band March

I LOVE CHARLES IVES. Even if his stuff is older than Stravinsky's, IMO, it far outdoes the anything Stravinsky has done. His Symphony No. 4 is a perfect example of how to fuse tonality and atonality together to create a massively emotional work (it calls for a theramin, along with a piano tuned a quarter-step sharp)

And Country Band March is just fun to listen to. =3




I don't think there's a single perfect recording of this song anywhere, let alone on Youtube. I've got three separate recordings, and all three of them have mistakes. =/
It's a really great piece, though. It's a great example of staying tonally atonal, where everything sounds tonal but it shifts tonal centers so much that it might as well not be.

[PiercingSight]

VERY

ACQUIRED

TASTE

SCREECHING FOR 3 FULL MINUTES
problem, ears?

But I enjoyed that last one a lot.

Bahaha, yes, Threnody is the piece that tends to send people running!
But as a tone poem representing Hiroshima as it was bombed, I think it's really powerful...(although fun fact: the idea to make it a tone poem for Hiroshima came AFTER writing it!)

Ah yes, Neo-Romanticism, a movement that basically brought back Romantic ideals and fused them with more modern ideals...probably one of the strongest styles still going today!

So, Neo-Romantic special!


Henryk Górecki - "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" or "Symphony No.3" 1st Movement (1976)

Everyone has probably heard the 2nd Movement before, so here's the 1st Movement!



Alfred Schnittke - "Requiem" (1974-75)

All of Schnittke's work is absolutely amazing, but I figured I'd continue with the vocal theme I'm getting!

Krzysztof Penderecki - "Symphony No.7 'Seven Gates of Jerusalem'" (1996)

This guy again!!!

What Senator said...

My favourite definition comes from John Blacking, who said music is "Humanly Organised Sound"

I like this definition, as it incorporates all styles of music, not just the ones he, I, or you deem worthy of being 'music'...

Krzysztof Penderecki - "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima" (1960)

I imagine most of you have heard this without even realising! CRAZY DISSONANCE EVERYWHERE!!!



Krzysztof Penderecki - "Concerto per violino e orchestra" (1974/1976)

Written by the same bloke as the piece above this one...quite a radical change!!!

These are BEAUTIFUL! Brilliant, and awe inspiring.

Sorry if I've been coming off a little negatively. I do enjoy myself some artistic dissonance when it calls for it (my Diane song). I've just never classified some of these as music before. And also, dissonance is the strongest at portraying negative emotions (Do you have any strong positive emotion soundtracks in this style?), and I'm not one for listening to really negative emotions, it doesn't feel good (which means the artist probably did a good job). I prefer the positive emotions because they are MUCH stronger.

Anyway, thanks for these amazing songs. I might give some of them a relisten or two.

[Whitetail]

You know you don't have to write music as part of a soundtrack, it can exist in it's own right

[Makkon]

I know I know, coming to terms with that. I just don't like it that much yet is all, give me some time.

[Dr_Dissonance]

(Do you have any strong positive emotion soundtracks in this style?

Ignoring the fact you said soundtracks and ignoring the fact that this isn't really modern:



Bela Bartok: "Two Romanian Dances" (1910)

This is pretty happy for the most part, but the harmony is more based on the tritone than the 5th!


Now to completely ruin your idea of music with some electronic experimentation and soundscapes!



James Tenney - "For Ann (Rising)" (1969)
And then your brain turns to MUSH!!!



Brian Eno - "Music for Airports" (1978 I think)
Fun fact: you know that jingle Windows does everytime you start it up? Brian Eno wrote that!



Karlheinz Stockhausen - "Kontakte" (1959-60)

Crazy electronics!!!

[PiercingSight]

Ignoring the fact you said soundtracks...

Whatever... it's a track and it makes sound...

[Dr_Dissonance]

I've had no internet for 24 hours...it burned...

Anyway, here's my favourite symphony!



Per Nørgård - "Sinfonia no.3" (1972/1975)

I love Nørgård's stuff, so expect more in the future!