Quote:
Originally posted by monk
1) Arnold Schoenberg - he again and again changed his cutting edge style until he reached his 12 tone system at an age of 47.
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And yet how much influence did he really have? Certainly on a generation or two of classical composers, most of whom are hardly listend to apart from in academic circles. His method was sometimes adopted by more tonal composers as a colouristic device - Britten, Stravinsky, Shostakovich come to mind - but not as central to their output. Perhaps as an influence on movie music.
Undoubtedly highly original and ground-breaking. But at the start of the 21st century hardly avant-garde as the direction of much classical music seems to have headed back towards tonality.
In fact you could put a fascinating argument together that the real 'avant-garde' of the early 20thC were the likes of Korngold who were sidelined by the serial orthodoxy of the mid-20thC but have come into their own in the last 20 years. They were the ones who prepared the way for what is actually happening today.