Undeniably, in the 20th century, art music had undergone a complete transformation, and so it had done its targeted listeners. While Shostakovitch or Prokofiev employed dissonance to add an intriguing and ironic dimension to their pieces, and Debussy or Ravel used it as a counterpoint, diluted by old melodious harmonies so much so as to sound dreamy and smooth, composers like Schoenberg or Alban Berg substituted it in full for tonality, melody and harmony. As Oliver Knussen or Thomas Ades later, they seemed to abide by John Cage's precept that any noise can be music.
But the actually worthwhile revolution happened in popular music, with the advance of technology, in the form of new instruments - the electric guitar, synthesizers, the theremin and computers - and, as such, new music types, like rock and roll, heavy metal or electronic music. On the other hand, unlimited broadcasting, innovative recording and distribution methods and the internet, plus the unlimited possibilities of transportation have globalized music, making it thoroughly accessible, irrespective of class, financial means or education.
So, thanks to technological 'freedom', rock, for example, was able to become by the end of 20th century the most popular type of music in the world. Its predominance started as far back as the 1950s, with Elvis, whose voice, dancing and performance were nothing short of magnetizing, continued in the 1960s, with The Beatles, who sweetened its underlying sexuality with innocence and freshness, or, on the contrary, with Genesis, Yes or Pink Floyd, who elaborated its classicism and poetry, and in the 1970s and 1980s, with tough bands such as Deep Purple, AC/DC, Black Sabbath or Guns N' Roses, who made the most of its dissonance and sexuality, using them overtly and freely, and ending as expected in heavy metal. From all the points of view - instrument performance, voices, lyrics and scene presence, this was undeniably the rock century.
Of course, a lot of other popular music forms had appeared or thrived, such as jazz, folk, country, soul, funk and hip hop, the latter at least as popular lately, but rock had definitely reigned, with its various sub-genres and the uniqueness of its representatives. And, naturally, art music had also survived, if we think only of the melodious piano pieces of Eric Satie, but the examples are rather scarce.
Still, if you fancy playing one, now it's the right time, with the creation of a quick and easy method to learn piano in one day, not requiring any specialist knowledge or capacity for reading notes. After all, this shows the magnitude of the changes our technological era has made possible.
But the actually worthwhile revolution happened in popular music, with the advance of technology, in the form of new instruments - the electric guitar, synthesizers, the theremin and computers - and, as such, new music types, like rock and roll, heavy metal or electronic music. On the other hand, unlimited broadcasting, innovative recording and distribution methods and the internet, plus the unlimited possibilities of transportation have globalized music, making it thoroughly accessible, irrespective of class, financial means or education.
So, thanks to technological 'freedom', rock, for example, was able to become by the end of 20th century the most popular type of music in the world. Its predominance started as far back as the 1950s, with Elvis, whose voice, dancing and performance were nothing short of magnetizing, continued in the 1960s, with The Beatles, who sweetened its underlying sexuality with innocence and freshness, or, on the contrary, with Genesis, Yes or Pink Floyd, who elaborated its classicism and poetry, and in the 1970s and 1980s, with tough bands such as Deep Purple, AC/DC, Black Sabbath or Guns N' Roses, who made the most of its dissonance and sexuality, using them overtly and freely, and ending as expected in heavy metal. From all the points of view - instrument performance, voices, lyrics and scene presence, this was undeniably the rock century.
Of course, a lot of other popular music forms had appeared or thrived, such as jazz, folk, country, soul, funk and hip hop, the latter at least as popular lately, but rock had definitely reigned, with its various sub-genres and the uniqueness of its representatives. And, naturally, art music had also survived, if we think only of the melodious piano pieces of Eric Satie, but the examples are rather scarce.
Still, if you fancy playing one, now it's the right time, with the creation of a quick and easy method to learn piano in one day, not requiring any specialist knowledge or capacity for reading notes. After all, this shows the magnitude of the changes our technological era has made possible.
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How frequently have you been at a party or a concert, loved the music performed and planned to begin to learn piano?
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