Here is the listening list for the 20th century listening exam that will take place during our May studio class. As our music history progresses, you’ll notice that more complex harmonies arise. Composers begin breaking more and more “rules” in the search for a new sound. If you listen to the recordings from this list and compare them to the pieces from the Baroque era, it’s astonishing to hear the differences between them. These are just a sampling of my favorite pieces from this era. There are many more. Please remember that the student needs to know the name of the piece AND its composer.

1. Excursions – Samuel Barber

2. Miroirs No. 1 “Night Moths” – Maurice Ravel

3. “Cinderella Waltz” from Cinderella Suite – Sergei Prokofiev

4. Suite for Piano – Francis Poulenc

5. Arabesque No. 1 – Claude Debussy