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🎸Music History – 1850 to Present

🎸music history – 1850 to present review

4.3 Futurism, Dadaism, and Surrealism in Music

3 min readLast Updated on August 13, 2024

The early 20th century saw a radical shift in music. Avant-garde movements like Futurism, Dadaism, and Surrealism challenged traditional forms, embracing noise, chance, and the subconscious. These rebellious artists expanded musical boundaries and paved the way for new genres.

These movements reflected the era's rapid changes and cultural zeitgeist. They incorporated technology, absurdity, and dream-like states into music, mirroring developments in other art forms. This international exchange of ideas fostered a more interconnected artistic community.

Characteristics of Avant-Garde Music

Futurism

Top images from around the web for Futurism
Top images from around the web for Futurism
  • Sought to break from traditional forms and embrace the sounds of modern technology and urban life
  • Key characteristics include the use of noise, unconventional instruments, and fragmented or abstract structures
  • Incorporated noise and unconventional instruments into compositions (Luigi Russolo, Francesco Balilla Pratella)
  • Favored fragmented and abstract musical forms

Dadaism

  • Rejected conventional musical aesthetics and logic, emphasizing chance, absurdity, and anti-art sentiments
  • Compositions often incorporated elements of randomness, found objects, and provocative performances
  • Used found objects and chance operations in compositions (Kurt Schwitters, Marcel Duchamp)
  • Tended to be more confrontational and provocative, challenging audience expectations and social norms

Surrealism

  • Explored the subconscious mind and dream-like states, featuring unexpected juxtapositions, irrational associations, and a blurring of boundaries between reality and fantasy
  • Techniques such as automatism and free association were employed in the compositional process
  • Employed techniques like automatism and juxtaposition to create dream-like and irrational musical structures (Erik Satie, George Antheil)
  • Sought to evoke introspective and psychological states in listeners

Impact on 20th Century Music

Expanding Musical Boundaries

  • Challenged traditional notions of musical composition, performance, and aesthetics, paving the way for greater experimentation and innovation
  • Encouraged the incorporation of non-musical elements into compositions (noise, spoken word, visual arts)
  • Expanded the boundaries of what constitutes music

Influencing New Techniques and Genres

  • Emphasis on chance, improvisation, and the subconscious influenced the development of aleatoric music, indeterminacy, and other experimental techniques in the latter half of the 20th century
  • Radical approaches to sound and structure contributed to the emergence of new musical genres and styles (musique concrète, electronic music, multimedia performances)

Aesthetics of Futurism, Dadaism, and Surrealism

Rejection of Tradition

  • All three movements rejected traditional musical conventions
  • Futurism focused on embracing modernity and technology
  • Dadaism emphasized absurdity and anti-art
  • Surrealism explored the subconscious and dream-like states

Compositional Techniques

  • Futurist composers incorporated noise and unconventional instruments (Luigi Russolo, Francesco Balilla Pratella)
  • Dadaist composers used found objects and chance operations (Kurt Schwitters, Marcel Duchamp)
  • Surrealist composers employed automatism and juxtaposition to create dream-like structures (Erik Satie, George Antheil)

Provocative Nature

  • Futurist and Dadaist music tended to be more confrontational, challenging audience expectations and social norms
  • Surrealist music often sought to evoke introspective and psychological states in listeners

Avant-Garde Music vs Early 20th Century Culture

Reflecting Societal Changes

  • Emerged in response to rapid technological, social, and political changes of the early 20th century
  • Reflected a desire to break from traditional artistic forms and embrace new modes of expression
  • Connected to developments in visual arts, literature, and theater, with artists often working across multiple disciplines

Zeitgeist of the Era

  • Reflected the broader cultural zeitgeist characterized by questioning established norms, fascination with the subconscious mind, and desire to shock and provoke audiences
  • Impact of World War I and subsequent disillusionment influenced Dadaism and Surrealism
  • Futurism's embrace of technology and modernity rooted in pre-war optimism and faith in progress

International Exchange

  • International nature of these movements facilitated the exchange of ideas and techniques among artists and composers from different countries
  • Contributed to the development of a more globalized and interconnected artistic community in the early 20th century


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© 2025 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.