2. Listen again to The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky. Describe the elements of this piece that helped shape a new musical language for the twentieth century. The elements of this piece that helped shape a new musical language for the twentieth century consist of Stravinsky's experimentation with rhythm and new combinations of instruments. The way he uses dissonance in his pieces and polyphonic and polytonal textures. His ballets were highly nationalistic but contained rites from Russia in antiquity. On the opening night of the Rite of Spring, it caused a riot because it wasn't like a normal ballet, it was totally different. It did not consist of a dance at all, but more of a song, the different melodies and change in dissonance meant that the dance was seen by some as a frightening experience. Spring is something that is seen as beautiful, light, loving and this ballet showed none of that, from the perspective of those who were present that evening. The size of the orchestra expanded and consisted of greater use of brass and percussion. He liked to create a barbaric and primal sound that created a pizzicato. He wanted to create a loud, harsh sound; his use of melody and harmony creates a static quality. The use of limited ranges and extended repetitions, he also liked to use folk type repetitions within his pieces. His harmonies include whole notes and eight-note scales. The interplay he creates between rhythm and meter is the most influential part of The Right of Spring. It opened up a new avenue for Western music to explore outside of the normal traditional and metric usage within Western music. Describe Schönberg's music and how Pierrot Lunaire reflects Exp...... middle of paper ......rend in the music, citing composers and musical examples. The minimalist trend in music began in the downtown New York scene in the 1960s. It was seen as experimental music. Minimalist music includes consonant harmony, steady pulsation, and smaller musical phrases. It relies heavily on process techniques and follows strict rules. It is a limited work, pieces that work with minimal notes and only a few words or text. They also simplify rhythms, harmony and melody. Some minimalism music composers would be Philip Glass, Terry Riley, Steve Reich who created clapping music, and LaMonte Young. Such pieces of music by these composers include Cantate Domino, In C, Doctor Atomic, The Illusionist, The Hours and even a prophecy of Nostradamus. There are different styles of minimalism such as post-minimalism and even spiritual minimalism.