Abstracts of issue 17 (2003)

Music at the Dawn of the 21st Century. Tendencies and Perspectives

The article tries to show that the main features of 20th century music are:

1. the break with the past,
2. the multitude of the expressive ways and means,
3. the prompt change of styles, none of which is self-sufficient, and
4. the return to more “conservative” and classic forms of expression, especially after the ’80s.

All these features are interrelated and have their origin in the dissolution of the classic music genres and, in general, the dissolution of all the institutional imaginary music meanings, i.e. the tonality, the sense of the theme, the sense of harmony and classic forms. It is argued that, after the destruction of the traditional forms of the baroque and the classic era, 20th century music (with the exception of neo-classicism, which maintained these forms) was not able to create the conditions for the construction of new forms corresponding to new contents.

Also stressed is the need for adopting a more genuine attitude towards music, which will follow after a vivid and creative dialogue with the past.

© Musicology