What are the conventions of art music since 1910, and how do you analyse it in the appraising exam?
Area of Study 7 (optional): art music since 1910, covering the breakdown of tonality, atonality and serialism, modernist rhythm and timbre, minimalism and the named composers Shostakovich, Messiaen, Reich and MacMillan.
A focused answer to AQA A-Level Music Area of Study 7, art music since 1910, covering the breakdown of tonality, atonality and serialism, modernist rhythm and orchestration, minimalism and the named composers Shostakovich, Messiaen, Reich and MacMillan, with guidance on analysing twentieth and twenty-first century extracts in the appraising exam.
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What this dot point is asking
Art music since 1910 is Area of Study 7, one of the six optional areas; you study Area of Study 1 plus two options. AQA wants you to know how Western art music changed after 1910: the loosening and breakdown of common-practice tonality, new approaches to rhythm, timbre and structure, and movements such as modernism, serialism and minimalism. You study published works by AQA's named composers (Shostakovich, Messiaen, Reich and MacMillan) chosen with your teacher, but Section A can play any extract from this repertoire, so own the conventions and the composers' traits.
The breakdown of tonality
Not all art music since 1910 is atonal. Many composers keep an audible tonal centre but make the harmony non-functional, or build on modes, whole-tone or octatonic scales, or stack dissonant chords for colour. The point for analysis is to describe how the extract relates to (or breaks from) tonality, precisely.
Rhythm, timbre and texture
Modernism and minimalism
The named composers
Recognising the style by ear
In an unfamiliar extract, first decide how it treats tonality (atonal, serial, modal, bitonal, or a non-functional centre), then describe its rhythm (irregular, additive, ostinato-driven) and timbre (orchestration, extended technique, percussion colour). A layered, slowly changing pattern over a steady pulse points to minimalism (Reich); modes, birdsong and static colour chords point to Messiaen; driving, ironic, expanded-tonal orchestral writing points to Shostakovich; dramatic contrasts with folk or sacred flavour point to MacMillan.
Try this
Q1. Name three ways art music since 1910 departs from common-practice tonality. [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Any three of: atonality (no key centre), serialism, bitonality, modal harmony, whole-tone or octatonic scales, a strong but non-functional tonal centre.
Q2. Describe one minimalist technique and name a composer associated with it. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Phasing (identical patterns drifting out of and back into alignment) or additive rhythm, with repeated cells over steady harmony; associated with Steve Reich.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 2019 (style)8 marksSection A, listening. Describe the features of this extract that identify it as art music since 1910. (8 marks)Show worked answer →
Up to eight marks for located features across the elements, roughly one mark per clear point.
Harmony and tonality. Identify how the extract departs from common-practice tonality: atonality (no key centre), dissonance treated as stable, bitonality, modes, whole-tone or octatonic colour, or a strong but non-functional tonal centre.
Rhythm and metre. Point to irregular or changing time signatures, complex or additive rhythms, ostinato, or layered cross-rhythms.
Timbre and texture. Note novel orchestration and timbral effects, extended instrumental techniques, percussion colour, or a layered, process-driven texture (as in minimalism).
Structure and style. Place the extract in a twentieth or twenty-first century idiom (modernist, serial, minimalist) and, if possible, link it to a named composer. Markers reward correct modern-music vocabulary tied to the extract and penalise vague "it sounds modern" with no located evidence.
AQA 2021 (style)6 marksSection A, listening. Explain how this extract uses minimalist techniques. (6 marks)Show worked answer →
About six marks, roughly two per developed point on minimalist technique.
Repetition and process. Explain the use of short, repeated cells (ostinato or pattern) gradually transformed by a process such as phasing, additive rhythm or note addition, so change is slow and audible.
Texture and harmony. Describe a layered texture of interlocking patterns over a static or slowly shifting, often diatonic or modal harmony, with a steady pulse.
Effect. Note the hypnotic, gradually evolving result, and link it to a named composer such as Steve Reich if the style fits. Anchor each point to the heard music rather than defining minimalism in the abstract.
Related dot points
- Area of Study 1 (compulsory): the Western classical tradition 1650 to 1910, covering Baroque, Classical and Romantic style features, the development of tonal harmony, form and the orchestra, and the named set works.
A focused answer to AQA A-Level Music Area of Study 1, the compulsory Western classical tradition 1650 to 1910, covering Baroque, Classical and Romantic style features, the growth of tonal harmony, form and the orchestra, and how to analyse set works in the appraising exam.
- Area of Study 3 (optional): music for media, covering film, television and video-game music, leitmotif, mood and atmosphere, synchronisation with action and the named composers and styles.
A focused answer to AQA A-Level Music Area of Study 3, music for media, covering film, television and video-game music, leitmotif, mood, synchronisation with on-screen action and the named composers, with guidance on analysing media extracts in the appraising exam.
- Area of Study 5 (optional): jazz, covering styles from early jazz to bebop and beyond, improvisation, swing, blues harmony, instrumentation and the named performers.
A focused answer to AQA A-Level Music Area of Study 5, jazz, covering styles from early jazz to bebop and beyond, improvisation, swing, blues harmony, instrumentation and the named performers, with guidance on analysing jazz extracts in the appraising exam.
- Harmony and tonality: chords, cadences, functional harmony, diatonic and chromatic harmony, modulation, keys and modes, and dissonance and consonance.
A focused answer to the harmony and tonality element of AQA A-Level Music, covering chords, cadences, functional harmony, diatonic and chromatic harmony, modulation, keys and modes, and consonance and dissonance, with the precise vocabulary the appraising exam rewards.
- Rhythm, metre and tempo: note values, simple and compound time, syncopation, dotted and triplet rhythms, cross-rhythm and polyrhythm, ostinato, rubato and tempo markings.
A focused answer to the rhythm, metre and tempo element of AQA A-Level Music, covering note values, simple and compound time, syncopation, dotted and triplet rhythms, cross-rhythm, ostinato, rubato and tempo markings, with the vocabulary the appraising exam rewards.
- Sonority and instrumentation: timbre and tone colour, the families of the orchestra, playing techniques, voice types, electronic and amplified sounds, and how instrumentation creates colour and effect.
A focused answer to the sonority and instrumentation element of AQA A-Level Music, covering timbre and tone colour, the orchestral families, playing techniques, voice types, electronic and amplified sounds, and how instrumentation creates colour and effect.
Sources & how we know this
- AQA A-level Music (7272) specification: Appraising music — AQA (2016)