a style of music that emerged in the 1960s in the USA, defined by its repetition of minimal musical ideas

where chords don’t have their traditional roles (e.g. chord V resolving to I, using mostly primary chords)

music that radically challenges what we think of as 'normal' music

a short, repeating musical idea (plural: ostinati)

Start by creating an ostinato - a short, repeating musical idea

British English CC

Repeat it over and over, then introduce another ostinato over the top

Develop the texture by adding more parts

Create variety by changing the octave, dynamics and timbre of the ostinati

Consider shifting one of the ostinati rhythmically

We can easily create an effective composition based on minimal musical ideas

It starts in one part

Then joins in in another part, but starting a quaver later

Then it could move another quaver later, and so on

Classical music in the 20th century

Music

The Baroque period

The Classical period

The Romantic period

Texture and harmony across the eras

This unit builds on the Introduction to the WCT unit, exploring the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods in greater depth, assessing the development of key musical trends, and finishing with a look at developments in the 20th century.

The Western Classical Tradition: extended

repetition of short ideas with gradual changes

Music that has no key or tonic note is called {{}} music.

radical challenges to normal music (chance, silence)

uses notes smaller than Western semitones

Which composer mixed Hungarian folk music with non-functional harmony?

A short musical idea that repeats is an __________. In minimalist music, several of these are layered together.

Which of these is an example of experimental music?

Which period came directly before the 20th century in Western classical music?

A short, repeating musical idea is called an {{}}.

challenging what we think of as “normal” music

What does the word experimental suggest in music?

In minimalist music, ideas change {{}} over time.

Starter Quiz

Which period came directly before the 20th century in Western classical music?