PRIMITIVISM

PRESENTED BY: GROUP 1

 BELA BARTOK
Was born in Nagyszentmiklos, hungary
(now romanian) on March 25, 1881 to
musical parents. He started piano
lessons with his mother and later entered
budapest royal academy of music in 1899.
Bartok was inspired by the performance
of Richard Strauss’s Also Sprach
Zarathustra to write his first
nationalistics poem, Kossuth, in 1903. He
also performed as a concert pianist as he
travelled exploring the music of
Hungarian peasants.
 history
PRIMITIVISM IN MUSIC IS A MOVEMENT THAT EMERGED IN THE EARLY
20TH CENTURY, INSPIRED BY THE IDEA OF RETURNING TO A SIMPLER, MORE
PRIMAL FORM OF MUSICAL EXPRESSION. COMPOSERS WERE DRAWN TO
THE MUSIC OF INDIGENOUS CULTURES, WHICH THEY SAW AS BEING MORE
DIRECT AND EMOTIONAL THAN THE COMPLEX, ARTIFICIAL MUSIC OF THEIR
OWN TIME. THE PRIMITIVISM MOVEMENT WAS ALSO INFLUENCED BY THE
VISUAL ARTS, WHERE ARTISTS SUCH AS PAUL GAUGUIN AND PABLO
PICASSO WERE EXPLORING NON-WESTERN ARTISTIC TRADITIONS. THESE
ARTISTS SOUGHT TO ESCAPE THE CONVENTIONS OF WESTERN ART AND
CREATE SOMETHING MORE RAW AND AUTHENTIC.
 BACKGROUND
The primitivism movement was a reaction to the
late Romantic style of music, which was
characterized by its complex harmonies, lush
orchestration, and emotional expressiveness.
Composers such as Igor Stravinsky and Béla Bartók
were drawn to the music of indigenous cultures,
which they saw as being more direct and energetic.
Primitivism was also a response to the rapid
industrialization and urbanization of the early 20th
century. Composers were seeking to find a more
authentic and meaningful form of musical
expression in a world that was becoming
increasingly impersonal and materialistic.
 CHARACTERISTICS
The music of primitivism is characterized by its use of simple
melodies, repetitive rhythms, and dissonant harmonies.
Composers often incorporated elements of folk music and
indigenous music into their compositions. They also
experimented with new instruments and sounds, such as
percussion instruments and microtones. Primitivism music is
often described as being raw, primal, and emotional. It is often
loud and energetic, and it can be quite dissonant to the ear.
However, it is also often deeply moving and expressive
Some of the most important pioneers of
primitivism in music include: Igor Stravinsky:
Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring (1913) is
one of the most famous examples of
primitivist music. The ballet's dissonant
harmonies, irregular rhythms, and percussive
timbres shocked audiences at its premiere,
but it is now considered to be one of the most
PIONE
important works of 20th-century music. Béla
Bartók: Bartók was a Hungarian composer
who was deeply influenced by Hungarian folk
ERS
music. He used folk melodies and rhythms in
his own compositions, which often have a
primitivist feel. Claude Debussy: Debussy
was a French composer who was also
influenced by non-Western music. His music
is often characterized by its exotic
soundscapes and its use of dissonant
harmonies.