Welcome to the course "Post-War Musical Modernism"
The traumatic events of the Second World War had a massive effect on music. In its wake, composers sought to break from the past in order to start afresh, seemingly reinventing music from first principles and creating new and complex works. For this reason, the music of this period sometimes seems inaccessible. However, beyond this infamous and, in certain ways, misguided understanding of post-war modernist music lies a music of incredible variety and expressive force. By understanding the principles and motivation behind it, and the issues to which it provides a response, we gain a greater insight into the rich diversity of these works and also the wider issues of culture and society. This module explores the trends and stylistic developments in music and the works and oeuvres of central composers since 1945 up to the present day.
Students will learn about various trends, fro...