Exploring Twentieth-Century Music Tradition and Innovation [Paperback]

Explores the music of twentieth-century composers demonstrating the continuum between the progressive and the conservative.In this wide-ranging book, Arnold Whittall explores the music of a group of important composers of the twentieth century, including Debussy, Webern, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Bartók, Janácek, Britten, Carter, Birtwistle, Andriessen and Adams. He moves skilfully between the cultural and the musical to explore the contexts and critical perspectives which illuminate certain works by these composers. In particular he demonstrates the continuum between the progressive and the conservative which can be shown to underpin the huge variety of styles and musical genres found in twentieth-century composition.In this wide-ranging book, Arnold Whittall explores the music of a group of important composers of the twentieth century, including Debussy, Webern, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Bartók, Janácek, Britten, Carter, Birtwistle, Andriessen and Adams. He moves skilfully between the cultural and the musical to explore the contexts and critical perspectives which illuminate certain works by these composers. In particular he demonstrates the continuum between the progressive and the conservative which can be shown to underpin the huge variety of styles and musical genres found in twentieth-century composition.This study of the music of a group of important composers of the twentieth century includes Debussy, Webern, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Bartók, Janácek, Britten, Carter, Birtwistle, Andriessen and Adams. Arnold Whittall explores the cultural contexts and critical perspectives which shed light on certain works by these composers. In particular, he reveals the continuum between the progressive and the conservative underlying the great variety of styles and musical genres in twentieth-century composition.Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. The work in the world; 2. Reflections, reactions; 3. Rites of renewal and remembranlC±