During the 20th century many changes took place quickly, one after another, and sometimes
simultaneously.
New and important developments had a huge impact on music: the new recording systems and the invention of the radio made it possible to spread a variety of trends worldwide. Music from different parts of the world influenced composers, who initiated a search for new languages.
The musical movements of the 20th century were rooted in the last years of the 19th century, with the nationalist movements and other new trends such as Impressionism and Expressionism.
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| Impressionist painting by Vincent Van Gogh |
In the early 20th century new movements appeared, like Futurism, Dadaism, and Dodecaphonism; all these trends broke with the traditional language and conception of music. Around 1920 Neoclassicism looked back to the classical forms and aesthetics. All these movements were closely related to the new society of the 20th century: a society where speed increased, machines became more and more important, and the human being had to look for new ways to understand their place in a world that was changing faster than ever before.
Finally, after World War II, new movements appeared like Serialism, musique concrete, electronic music, and aleatoric music.
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| Futuristic painting by Umberto Boccioni |
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