Neoclassical Music in the USA

Inspired by the music of the 18th century, Neoclassical music brought about very talented composers and gave people a way to channel their emotions acquired from the Second World War.

Neoclassical music in the USA began right around the time of the Second World War. Neoclassical music was a 20th century development. It was inspired from the music of the 18th century as well as the Classical Period and the Baroque Period. For this reason, Neoclassical music can also be referred to as Neo-Baroque music.

Some of the heavy hitters in the Neoclassical music genre who also brought the popularity of Neoclassical Music in the USA were Bela Bartok, Leonard Bernstein, Nadia Boulanger, Benjamin Britten, Aaron Copland, Irving Fine, Paul Hindemith, Ernst Krenek, Carl Nielsen, Francis Poulenc, Dmitri Shostakovich, Erik Satie and Heitor Villa-Lobos. These were just a few of the many brilliant musicians involved in the Neoclassical Music movement. The five most important composers to the Neoclassical music movement are thought to be Sergei Prokofiev, Paul Hindemith, Francis Poulenc, Daruis Milhaud and Igor Stravinsky

Neoclassical Music in the USA was written by composers who were feeling emotionally wrought from the throws of the Second World War. Some believe Neoclassical Music was a response to the Second World War. It was a way of dealing with the war for some musicians and composer; a vent or channel of sorts for their feelings. Perhaps the most well-known composition of this era is Symphony No. 1 written by Sergei Prokofiev.This symphony is still well liked today.

Neoclassicism wasn’t just a genre of music. During and after the Second World War, the concept of Neoclassicism was fundamental around the world. There were Neoclassical philosophies, Neoclassical ballet and dance, and even Neoclassical economics. Neoclassicism wasn’t just music; it was a way of life.

Instrumentally, Neoclassical Music in the USA was emotional and began to use full orchestras. Neoclassical Music in the USA acquired advanced harmonies and is representative of the 20th century music. Neoclassical Music in the USA brought about new and advanced techniques which had not yet been seen in the musical world. Some of these techniques were Atonality, the Twelve-tone technique, Musical quotation, Phasing, use of the Whole Tone Scale, Polytonality, and Pandiatonic techniques. In fact, some of the raw emotion that was portrayed through Neoclassical Music in the USA was directly from atonality in the form of chords with no apparent coherence. This produced a tense, emotional sound which fit the signs of the times during the Second World War. In addition to atonality, another musical technique introduced and used widely around the time of Neoclassical Music in the USA was the twelve-tone technique. The twelve-tone technique was used by Neoclassical musicians such as Alexander Scriabin, Bela Bartok, Igor Stravinsky and Carl Ruggles. Twelve tone differs from atonal in that in the twelve tone technique, the pitches are ordered and used.