After the revolution of musical languages that movements like Impressionism, Expressionism, Futurism or Dadaism brought, some composers wanted to recover the importance of features such as formal clarity, balance, economy of elements and emotional restraint. The result was a new movement known as Neoclassicism, that began around 1920.
The search for simplicity brought back forms and genres from the Classical and Baroque periods, rooted in tonality.
Some of the most important representatives of this movement are:
The following audio is a short fragment from Pulcinella:
The search for simplicity brought back forms and genres from the Classical and Baroque periods, rooted in tonality.
Some of the most important representatives of this movement are:
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| Igor Stravinsky |
- Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971): Stravinsky was a Russian composer who became one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century. During his life, he cultivated a wide stylistic diversity. We could name three big aesthetical periods in his works: the Russian period (1907-1919), a Neoclassical period (1920-1954), and a serial period (1954-1968). Some of his most celebrated works are The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring (all from his Russian period). One of his most important neoclassical pieces is the ballet Pulcinella).
The following audio is a short fragment from Pulcinella:
- Paul Hindemith (1895-1963): this German composer was inspired by the musical forms from the Baroque and the counterpoint of composers like Bach. His chamber works (Kammermusik) are a clear example of his neoclassical compositive style.
- Manuel de Falla (1876-1946): Falla is one of the most important Spanish composers in creating a National style based upon folkloric themes that inspire his own creations. He was also a great representative of the neoclassical approach due to the formal clarity of his music, the structure of his works, and the instrumentation and ensembles he wrote for. He was very influenced by the music form Spanish composers from the Renaissance and the 17th century. Among his most well-known works are El Sombrero de Tres Picos, El Amor Brujo. Examples of his neoclassical works are the Concerto for Harpsichord, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Violin and Cello, or the puppet-theatre piece El retablo de maese Pedro.
Below you can enjoy a promo video for El Retablo de Maese Pedro in El Teatro Real in Madrid.
- Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999). Was a Spanish composer that situated the guitar on the same level of importance as the piano, thanks to his famous concert for guitar Concierto de Aranjuez. His music was inspired by Spanish forms and melodies taken from popular (folk) music. He used classical forms (concerto, sonata) and instrumentations.
In the following audio, you can listen to the second movement (Adagio) of the Concierto de Aranjuez:
