Great works of the 1920s

Started by vers la flamme, October 23, 2020, 12:55:11 PM

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vers la flamme

Given that we're living in the '20s, my interest has been piqued regarding musical works of the decade a century prior. I wanted to make a thread to discuss major works written between 1920 and 1930, to discuss trends and themes shared by composers of this decade, and good performances of said works.

Currently listening to the 1921 original version of Varèse's Ameriques. What a piece! For me it seems both ahead of its time (calling to mind the symphonies of Witold Lutoslawski of 50+ years later) and very of its time, not out of place among composers like Schoenberg or Stravinsky.

What are some of your favorite works from the 1920s? A few others that come to mind are Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, Berg's Wozzeck, Lyric Suite, and Kammerkonzert, Stravinsky's Les Noces, Sibelius's Symphony No.7, etc.

Cato

One of the best operas of any era: Cardillac, by Paul Hindemith.


https://www.youtube.com/v/9Y79Z5ehKmc
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The new erato

Anotjer lover of Cardillac here!

Karl Henning

Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Karl Henning

Quote from: vers la flamme on October 23, 2020, 12:55:11 PM
Given that we're living in the '20s, my interest has been piqued regarding musical works of the decade a century prior. I wanted to make a thread to discuss major works written between 1920 and 1930, to discuss trends and themes shared by composers of this decade, and good performances of said works.

Currently listening to the 1921 original version of Varèse's Ameriques. What a piece! For me it seems both ahead of its time (calling to mind the symphonies of Witold Lutoslawski of 50+ years later) and very of its time, not out of place among composers like Schoenberg or Stravinsky.

What are some of your favorite works from the 1920s? A few others that come to mind are Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, Berg's Wozzeck, Lyric Suite, and Kammerkonzert, Stravinsky's Les Noces, Sibelius's Symphony No.7, etc.

Pierrot was actually 1912. Just saying.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Symphonic Addict

Carl Nielsen has 4 important works composed in this decade, being his Symphony No. 5 the most outstanding one (1921–22). Also his Symphony No. 6 (1924-25), Flute Concerto (1926) and Clarinet Concerto (1928).

Leos Janacek also composed his best works in these years: Sinfonietta (1926), The Cunning Little Vixen (1921-23), The Makropulos Affair (1923-25), From the House of the Dead (1927-28), String Quartet No. 1 (1923), String Quartet No. 2 (1928) and Glagolitic Mass (1926-27).

Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 3 (1927) and String Quartet No. 4 (1928).
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Noam Chomsky

Karl Henning

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on October 23, 2020, 02:29:26 PM
Carl Nielsen has 4 important works composed in this decade, being his Symphony No. 5 the most outstanding one (1921–22). Also his Symphony No. 6 (1924-25), Flute Concerto (1926) and Clarinet Concerto (1928).

Leos Janacek also composed his best works in these years: Sinfonietta (1926), The Cunning Little Vixen (1921-23), The Makropulos Affair (1923-25), From the House of the Dead (1927-28), String Quartet No. 1 (1923), String Quartet No. 2 (1928) and Glagolitic Mass (1926-27).

Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 3 (1927) and String Quartet No. 4 (1928).

Excellent.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

vers la flamme

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on October 23, 2020, 02:20:14 PM
Pierrot was actually 1912. Just saying.

Thanks for the correction; I was thinking it was one of those Schoenberg works whose opus number corresponded to the year in which it premiered, like the 5 Piano Pieces op.23 of 1923. So I change my Schoenberg nominations to the Serenade op.24 (1923) and the Variations op.31 (1926).

Sergeant Rock

Quote from: vers la flamme on October 23, 2020, 12:55:11 PM
What are some of your favorite works from the 1920s?

FHavergal Brian's Symphony No.1 in D minor (The Gothic)

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

Karl Henning

Quote from: vers la flamme on October 23, 2020, 03:19:19 PM
Thanks for the correction; I was thinking it was one of those Schoenberg works whose opus number corresponded to the year in which it premiered, like the 5 Piano Pieces op.23 of 1923. So I change my Schoenberg nominations to the Serenade op.24 (1923) and the Variations op.31 (1926).

Excellent! Love the Serenade!
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Karl Henning

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on October 23, 2020, 03:40:59 PM
FHavergal Brian's Symphony No.1 in D minor (The Gothic)

Sarge

Cheers, Sarge!
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

SonicMan46

#11
Just to add something different than a classic composer, consider:

George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue from 1924 - performed by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra w/ George on the piano; of course, orchestrated by Ferde Grofé - Dave

Scion7

Bela Bartok - while all six string quartets are major works, critically, the two most important have always been:

String Quartet No.3, Sz. 85, BB 93 (1927)
String Quartet No.4, Sz. 91, BB 95 (1928)

. . . the 'most important string quartets since Beethoven' epithet for these six pieces is well-deserved.
When, a few months before his death, Rachmaninov lamented that he no longer had the "strength and fire" to compose, friends reminded him of the Symphonic Dances, so charged with fire and strength. "Yes," he admitted. "I don't know how that happened. That was probably my last flicker."

vers la flamme

Quote from: SonicMan46 on October 23, 2020, 04:33:55 PM
Just to add something different than a classic composer, consider:

George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue from 1924 - performed by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra w/ George of the piano; of course, orchestrated by Ferde Grofé - Dave

Good choice. You've inspired me to put this on:


Karl Henning

Quote from: SonicMan46 on October 23, 2020, 04:33:55 PM
Just to add something different than a classic composer, consider:

George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue from 1924 - performed by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra w/ George of the piano; of course, orchestrated by Ferde Grofé - Dave

Fun piece!
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

The new erato

I was actually plan ing to mention Lady, be Good by Gershwin. And Irving Berlin wrote some wonderful tunes that decade.

T. D.

In the "something different" vein, Kurt Weill's Die Dreigroschenoper.

Daverz

Hindemith: Kammermusik.  Sorry to mention Hindemith again, but it was a good decade for him.

pjme

#18
The roaring twenties!
A great mix of jazz, singing machines, locomotives , football games, religious ecstasy, sex,
the invention/presentation of the ondes Martenot, Art Déco, drugs and alcohol!

Darius Milhaud: La création du monde (1922-1923)
Alexander Mosolov: Iron foundry, Honegger: Pacific 231, Knudage Riisager: T DOXC, Poeme mécanique, Op. 13 (1926),
Martinu: Half time, Le jazz
Prokofiev: Le pas d'acier, Stravinsky : Les noces
Carl Ruggles: Men and mountains, Suntreader, Angels, Portals, Copland : Organ symphony
Honegger's Judith and Le roi David, Roussel's Psaume LXXX
Poulenc: Les biches

Puccini: Turandot
Janacek: Symphonietta and Glagolitic mass

And from the Low Countries:

Willem Pijper's 2nd and 3rd symphonies
Matthijs Vermeulen: 2nd and 3rd symphonies


ritter

Some that come to mind:

Manuel de Falla: El retablo de Maese Pedro (1923)
Alfredo Casella: La giara (1924)
Ernst Krenek: Jonny spielt auf (1927)
Georges Enesco: Sonata No. 3 for violin and piano in A minor "dans le caractère populaire roumain", op. 25 (1937)
Igor Stravinsky: Pulcinella (1920)