What are the major masterpieces of the Modern Classical era?

[Solitary Wanderer]

What are the major masterpieces of the Modern Classical era? circa 1900 - 2008 approx

Generally accepted masterpieces on a par with say Beethovens 9th symphony or Handels Messiah for example 

[andy]

This is a tough, tough question. It takes years for people to come to a consensus about what constitutes a masterpiece, and we don't have much perspective on the 20th century yet. Complicating this, so much more music was written during the 20th century than any previous century and with more stylistic variation.

Regardless, I'll throw a couple out:

Stravinsky: Rite of Spring
Dvorak: Cello Concerto
Berg: Violin concerto
Boulez: Le Marteau Sans Maître
Ligeti: Requiem, Piano Etudes and Piano Concerto
Messiaen: Vingt Regards
Stockhausen: Gruppen
Reich: Music for 18 Musicians

This is just a handful... and I'm sure many would disagree with some of these.

[some guy]

All would disagree about the Dvorak, which is not "modern" in any way, date or style.

Maybe you meant Lutoslawski, whose cello concerto is superb.

Anyway, Sol, there are a couple of problems with your question as stated. One is the term "masterpieces." Morton Feldman once famously said "Down with Masterpieces; up with art," which expresses one reality of the past century, that the concept of "masterpiece" had maybe outlived its usefulness.

The other thing is the "generally accepted" bit. "Generally," twentieth (and twenty-first) century music is not accepted. Still. Which is a great pity, as there was a lot of great music making going on then. Still is. Why, I just got back from a concert with Ulrich Krieger and Zbigniew Karkowski, among others. Wild and exciting music. All live electronics, though (which is improvisatory by nature), so not really filling the category of "masterpiece." Great music-making for sure, though.

So, if it's not too rowdy, I'd like to propose an emendation: what are the noteworthy pieces/musical events/concepts of the twentieth century. That will include all but Dvorak on Andy's list, I'd think, and will generate lists of what was really going on overall, not just what was going on in symphony halls or was written down with those black dots and such. ("Masterpieces" of the past hundred years will give you a very skewed picture of the century.)

[Grazioso]

Mahler: 9th symphony
Debussy: La Mer
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

Major works by key, canonical composers. And then there's Sibelius, Bartok, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Rachmaninoff, Puccini, Respighi, Copland, Hindemith, Webern, Berg, Schoenberg, and a bunch of others who are all mainstream, central figures with key works in the performance or recording repertory and who feature in just about any history of the matter. In terms of recognition, acceptance, influence, and popularity, it would be easy to ascribe "masterpieces" to any of them.

[MDL]

I've got a friend coming round to visit in a few minutes and I can't spend too long thinking about this, so in no particular order, picking at random, and almost certainly neglecting many masterpieces, I'd like to chuck in:


Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
Berg: Wozzeck
Stockhausen: Gruppen
Mahler: Symphony No.9
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Nielsen: Symphony No.5
Boulez: Pli selon Pli
Bartok: Bluebeard's Castle
Debussy: La Mer
Ligeti: Requiem
Schoenberg: Moses und Aron
Janacek: Glagolitic Mass

Ooh, I could sit here typing all day, but I can't. I'll get back to this. Nice thread, by the way. I hope we don't have too many fights... 

[BachQ]

The bulk of Prokofiev's output, including, without limitation:

Toccata in D minor, Op. 11
Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Flat Major, op. 10
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26
Piano Concerto No. 4 in B major, Op. 53
String Quartet No. 1 in B minor, Op. 50
Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19
Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63
Violin Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 80
Piano Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 14
Piano Sonata No. 6 in A major, Op. 82
Piano Sonata No. 7 in B-flat major, Op. 83
Piano Sonata No. 8 in B-flat major, Op. 84
Symphonic Song, Op. 57
Cinderella, Op. 87
War and Peace, Op. 91
Ivan the Terrible, Op. 116
Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64
Scythian Suite, Op. 20
Visions Fugitives, Op. 22
The Love for Three Oranges, Op. 33
The Fiery Angel, Op. 37
Lieutenant Kije, Op. 60
Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78
Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25
Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, Op. 100
Symphony No. 6 in E-flat minor, Op. 111
Symphony No. 7 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131
Symphony-Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in E minor, Op. 125

Also, arguably,

Symphony No. 2 in D minor, Op. 40
Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 44
Symphony No. 4

[Norbeone]

A similar principle that D Minor uses can also be applied to Stravinsky, who so far has only had his Le Sacre classed as a masterpiece.

Symphony of Psalms, Renard, Concerto for Piano and Wind, Petrouchka, A Soldier's Tale, 'Dumbarton Oaks', Ragtime, Agon - can all be considered true masterpieces, as far as i'm concerned, and the list goes on....

[MDL]

A similar principle that D Minor uses can also be applied to Stravinsky, who so far has only had his Le Sacre classed as a masterpiece.

Symphony of Psalms, Renard, Concerto for Piano and Wind, Petrouchka, A Soldier's Tale, 'Dumbarton Oaks', Ragtime, Agon - can all be considered true masterpieces, as far as i'm concerned, and the list goes on....

Symphony of Psalms, Agon and Petrouchka are masterpieces. Not convinced by all of the others.

[Brian]

All would disagree about the Dvorak, which is not "modern" in any way, date or style.

Maybe you meant Lutoslawski, whose cello concerto is superb.

Well, it was written after 1900, as were Rachmaninov's Second Symphony and Third Piano Concerto.


However, I want to point out the original poster's qualification: on a level with Beethoven's Ninth and Handel's Messiah! Surely this means we should be a little pickier than listing everything good by Prokofiev and Stravinsky?? Do "Dumbarton Oaks", Reich's Music for 18 Musicians, and Berg's Violin Concerto really count as "generally accepted masterpieces on a par with say Beethovens 9th symphony"??

[Ephemerid]

These I think would be unquestionably *musts* (though there are certainly more-- but I am fairly certain on these pieces that really stand out):

Debussy: Preludes
Debussy: La Mer
Debussy The Afternoon of a Faun (OK, this was written before 1900, but...)
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe
Stravinsky: Petroushka
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms
Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8
Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem
Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time

[andy]

All would disagree about the Dvorak, which is not "modern" in any way, date or style.

Maybe you meant Lutoslawski, whose cello concerto is superb.

Yeah, on second thought you're right... I wouldn't consider Dvorak's cello concerto a masterpiece, just really good. Lutoslawski's cello concerto is definitely a masterpiece.

However, I want to point out the original poster's qualification: on a level with Beethoven's Ninth and Handel's Messiah! Surely this means we should be a little pickier than listing everything good by Prokofiev and Stravinsky?? Do "Dumbarton Oaks", Reich's Music for 18 Musicians, and Berg's Violin Concerto really count as "generally accepted masterpieces on a par with say Beethovens 9th symphony"??

I agree that calling Berg's VC a masterpiece is stretching a bit... but it certainly can qualify. I do think, however, that Music for 18 Musicians is most definitely a masterpiece. It's the pinnacle of minimalism, which I understand many do not enjoy, but as far as minimalism is concerned, it's the highlight.

And this thread brings up the oft debated point: what constitutes a "masterpeice"?

Maybe we could better address the question by breaking it down into categories. Masterpieces from, say, late romantics, neoclassicism, serialism, minimalism, polystylism, etc. Though even deciding these categories is up for debate.

[Brian]

Yeah, on second thought you're right... I wouldn't consider Dvorak's cello concerto a masterpiece, just really good. Lutoslawski's cello concerto is definitely a masterpiece.

'Scuse me while i clean the puke off my desk. 

[is an avid Dvorakian]

[some guy]

Well, [Dvorak's Cello concerto] was written after 1900....

Brian, 1895 is before 1900, not after.

[Brian]

Brian, 1895 is before 1900, not after.

Uh, oops  sorry about that, folks.

*buys an abacus*

[paulb]

What are the major masterpieces of the Modern Classical era? circa 1900 - 2008 approx

Generally accepted masterpieces on a par with say Beethovens 9th symphony or Handels Messiah for example 

IMHO neither any of Beethoven nor handel even comes close to most 20th c great high art. Not even close. Add Mahler to that "relatively un-important as compared to true 20th C masterpieces"

I would include Wagner's 6 great operas as 20th C Classical masterpieces.  As they are timeless. Beethoven is not  contemporary. His music sounds too dated. Beethoven was NEW in his day, but now is OLD.. Wagner was MODERN in his day, and is CONTEMPORARY TODAY, 2008.
Handel, who is he? something about music for water or other....

The 3 greatest classical composers late 20th C are Schnittke, Pettersson, Elliott Carter, thats all you need to know. As to early/mid 20th c masterpieces, well everyone by now should know those by now. Unless you are asleep.
Nice day

The Iconoclast has spoken.
someone over at amazon told me I am iconoclastIC. I looked the word up  and i do seem to fit the shoe.

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861619915

dissenter, rebel, nonconformist, upstart, radical, REVOLUTIONARY

[Steve]

Oh, where to begin... 

Sibelius, Symphony 6
Shostakovich, Symphonies 7, 10
Shostakovich, Cello Concerti
Mahler, Symphonies 3, 5, 6, 9
Mahler, Das Lied von Der Erde
Prokokiev, Romeo and Juliet
Prokokiev, Classical Symphony
Petersson, Symphony 10
Rosenberg, Symphonies 3, 6
Webern Symphony 6
Stravinsky, Rite of Spring
Schoenberg, Verklarte Nacht
Schoenberg, Pierrot Lunaire
Nielsen: Symphony No.5
Legeti, Requiem

[val]

I think that there are so many masterpieces composed in the 20th century as in any other century. Just to mention ten:

Debussy:  Images for the piano / Preludes / La Mer

Schönberg:    Moses und Aaron

Stravinsky:    Petruchka / The Rite of Spring

Bartok:    5th Quartet / Violin Concerto

Berg:      Wozzeck

Falla:      El sombrero de tres picos

[MDL]

Schönberg:    Moses und Aaron

It's Moses und Aron, not Aaron.

I read somewhere that Schoenberg changed the name Aaron to Aron so that his magnum opus wouldn't have a 13-letter title. Not sure if that's true, but he did have an absolute terror of the number 13.

[Ephemerid]

It's Moses und Aron, not Aaron.

I read somewhere that Schoenberg changed the name Aaron to Aron so that his magnum opus wouldn't have a 13-letter title. Not sure if that's true, but he did have an absolute terror of the number 13.

Yeah, I forgot about that story-- yeah, he had triskaidekaphobia. 

"Schoenberg experienced triskaidekaphobia (the fear of the number 13), which possibly began in 1908 with the composition of op. 15, no. 13 (Stuckenschmidt 1977, 96). Moses und Aron was originally spelled Moses und Aaron, but when he realised this contained 13 letters, he changed it. His superstitious nature may have triggered his death. According to friend Katia Mann, he feared he would die during a year that was a multiple of 13 (quoted in Lebrecht 1985, 294). He so dreaded his sixty-fifth birthday in 1939 that a friend asked the composer and astrologer Dane Rudhyar to prepare Schoenberg's horoscope. Rudhyar did this and told Schoenberg that the year was dangerous, but not fatal. But in 1950, on his seventy-sixth birthday, an astrologer wrote Schoenberg a note warning him that the year was a critical one: 7 + 6 = 13 (Nuria Schoenberg-Nono, quoted in Lebrecht 1985, 295). This stunned and depressed the composer, for up to that point he had only been wary of multiples of 13 and never considered adding the digits of his age. On Friday, July 13, 1951, Schoenberg stayed in bed—sick, anxious and depressed. In a letter to Schoenberg's sister Ottilie, dated 4 August 1951, his wife, Gertrud, reported "About a quarter to twelve I looked at the clock and said to myself: another quarter of an hour and then the worst is over. Then the doctor called me. Arnold's throat rattled twice, his heart gave a powerful beat and that was the end" (Stuckenschmidt 1977, 521). Gertrud Schoenberg reported the next day in a telegram to her sister-in-law Ottilie that Arnold died at 11:45pm (Stuckenschmidt 1977, 520)." from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Schoenberg

Good thing the chromatic scale has only 12 tones, not 13, huh?