Italian classical music
Italy has long been a center for European classical music, and by the beginning of the 20th century, Italian classical music had forged a distinct national sound that was decidedly Romantic and melodic, "...exploiting the achievement
of Verdi without significant advancement..." in the opinions of some.
Italian classical music had resisted the "German harmonic juggernaut"—that is, the dense harmonies of Wagner, Mahler and R. Strauss.
Italian music also had little in common with the French reaction to that German music—the delicate impressionism of Debussy, for example.
European classical music changed greatly in the 20th century. The new music was characterized by the abandonment of historically and nationally developed schools of harmony and melody in favor of experimental music, atonality, Minimalism
and electronic music, all of which employ features that have become common to European music in general and not Italy specifically; these changes have also made classical music less accessible to many people.
Italy did retain, however, a Romantic musical tradition in the early 20th century, exemplified by composers whose music was anchored in the previous century, including Arrigo Boito, Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Pietro Mascagni, Francesco Cilea,
and Ottorino Respighi. Then, however, after World War 1 and the death of Puccini (1924), Italian music became more European and less distinctly Italian. Important modern composers of 20th-century Italian music are Luciano Berio, Luigi
Dallapiccola, Carlo Jachino, Gian Carlo Menotti, Jacopo Napoli, Goffredo Petrassi and Ildebrando Pizzetti.
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