After the Second World War, there emerged a new generation of composers, who sought to stretch the boundaries of music history, and find new and exciting styles and forms. Browse our sheet music and scores, take a look at our Modern Classical Music, and explore the wide world of contemporary music with Stretta Music today!
Dodecaphony or Serialism is the use of the twelve semi-tones as the harmonic and structural basis, rather than the traditional harmonic key structure which governed classical music until the turn of the twentieth century. Arnold Schoenberg was the father of twelve-tone composition in the 1930s. Moving into the post-war era, all dodecaphonic or serial musical parameters, including note lengths, dynamics and even timbres were set in rows. After 1948, the Darmstadt “holiday courses” became the centre of Dodecaphony or Serialism for almost a decade. Despite the mathematical and logical basis, twelve-tone composition still produced many highly emotional works such as Luigi Nono’s Il Canto sospeso.
As the technical and electronic possibilities continued to grow and thrive after the war, the first studio solely dedicated to electronic music was founded in Cologne in 1951 by Herbert Eimert. Important electronic music composers were Edgar Varese, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Ernst Krenek, Maurice Kagel, Luciano Berio and Iannis Xenakis, who was also an assistant to the architect Le Corbusier.
Aleatoric comes from the Latin “alea”, meaning dice. Aleatoric composition leaves elements of the music to chance. The American composer John Cage was the first to experiment with aleatoric music, and many others followed, in particular K. Stockhausen, P. Boulez, W. Lutosławski.
Soundscape composition plays with sense and emotion, it uses long drawn musical landscapes to give the listener time to recognise and experience the music in a whole new way. The most important compositions include Atmosphères and Lontano by György Ligeti. Other works of this type were created by Luigi Nono, Krzysztof Penderecki, Iannis Xenakis.
Minimalism also came to Europe from the USA. Minimalism uses repetitive, wide blocks of sound, without strong contrasts or dramatic changes. It is in the repetition, with gradual, small changes, that the minimalist effect is achieved. The pioneers of minimalism in the 1960s were American composers Philip Glass, John Adams, Le Monte Young, Terry Riley and Steve Reich. They were followed in Europe by Henryk Górecki and Arvo Pärt.
Item no.: 1660575
Ein Programmbuch zur gleichnamigen Konzertreihe im Wiener Konzerthaus 2017
Book
Item no.: 1672187
for: Narrator, Voice (mezzo-soprano), Saxophone, Piano
Score, ensemble scores
Item no.: 1561078
for piano
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1557164
Playback Sammlung
Music score, Playback-CD
Item no.: 1665222
for: für Orchester in 8 Gruppen
Study score
Item no.: 1678340
for: Violin, orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 1557758
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1558055
for percussion quintet
for: Percussion ensemble
Set of parts
Item no.: 678942
for: Flute
Music score
Item no.: 763154
Klassik
for: Flute [Oboe] and Piano
Book
Item no.: 1194910
for: Percussion ensemble
Score, Parts
Item no.: 766405
for: Flute, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 1041617
per flauto in sol o flauto basso (1999)
for: Flute
Music score
Item no.: 1022527
2 clarinettes en sib, clarinette en la et clarinette basse
for: 4 clarinets
Music score
Item no.: 834102
Air Loops
(3 identical playing scores)
for: Trumpet, horn, trombone
3 Performance scores
Item no.: 1560071
(1-1-1-1-1)
for: String orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 665230
for: Violin
Item no.: 1592634
Cycle "Souvenir de Pierre"
for: Piano 4 hands
2 Performance scores
Item no.: 773967
from the Gadfly
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1198541
pour piano
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1659315
Chaconne for Piano
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 683158
Solo Spectrum
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1211193
for: Clarinet, violin, viola, cello
Set of parts
Item no.: 1677111
for: Piano 4 hands
Ensemble score
Item no.: 778929
for: Violin, cello
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1341311
for Violin, Violoncello and Piano
for: Violin, cello, piano (piano trio)
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1652135
for 2 treble recorders and live electronics
for: 2 treble recorders (duet)
2 Performance scores
Item no.: 642622
Klassik
for: Countertenor and Chamber Ensemble
Book
Item no.: 1111314
per flauto, clavicembalo e quartetto d'archi (2001)
for: Flute, strings, harpsichord
Music score
Item no.: 1022523
Variations for Piano solo
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1664560
for: Violin, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 1557663
for: Piano 4 hands
Ensemble score
Item no.: 1681137
for: Klavier zu 4 Händen
Item no.: 1671120
Free combinable miniatures
for 2 violins
for: 2 violins
Ensemble score
Item no.: 1660023
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1021199
Gegenwartsmusik
for: 2 violins, viola, cello (string quartet)
Buch
Item no.: 921859
for: Clarinet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 668436
Gegenwartsmusik
for: Harp
Music score
Item no.: 923045
Studienpartitur
for: BUEHNENWERKE + SZENISCHE WERKE OPER
Study score
Item no.: 1345215
für 2 Altblockflöten und 2 Traversflöten
Edition Flautando
for: 4 flutes (quartet)
Score, Parts
Item no.: 693622
for: Flute, oboe, piano
Piano score, parts
Item no.: 775271
for: 2 horns (F), piano
Piano score, parts
Item no.: 775275
Alte Tänze und Weisen
Fassung für zwei Klaviere
for: 2 pianos
Ensemble score
Item no.: 682704
Flautando Edition
for: 5 recorders (AATBG), basso continuo
Score, Parts
Item no.: 693920
für Kammerorchester (1935/37)
for: Chamber orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 661777
Short Version
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1194001
Die Schöpfungsgeschichte, verdeutscht von Martin Buber für Echo-Gruppe (solistisch oder chorisch) und Chor, ohne oder mit Orchester. A-cappella-Version
for: Mixed choir a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 1664578