Editing Music of the 20th Century (section)

== <span style="color: #FFFFFF;">Understanding</span> ==
20th-century music is understood through '''Breaking the Rules''' and '''Technology'''.

'''1. The Death of the Key''':
For 300 years, every piece of music had a "Home Key" (like C-Major).
* In 1908, Arnold Schoenberg "Deleted" the home key.
* He invented the '''12-Tone System''', where you must use all 12 notes of the piano before you can repeat one.
* This made music sound "Alien" and "Strange," which perfectly matched the anxiety of the World Wars.

'''2. The Power of Rhythm''':
Before the 1900s, rhythm was usually a steady "1-2-3-4."
* Stravinsky and others started using "Polyrhythms" (two rhythms at once) and "Changing Meters" (switching from 3 to 5 to 7 beats every second).
* This made the music feel "Primal" and "Mechanical," like a modern factory.

'''3. The Invention of Recording''':
This is the biggest change in human history.
* Before 1900, if you wanted to hear a symphony, you had to hire 80 people.
* After 1900, music became "Frozen" in time on records and tapes.
* This allowed composers to "Cut and Paste" sounds (Musique Concrète)—using the sound of a train or a bird as a musical instrument.

'''The '4'33' Logic''': John Cage's most famous piece has the performer sit at a piano for 4 minutes and 33 seconds and play **nothing**. The "Music" is the sound of the audience coughing, the wind outside, and the hum of the lights. It forced people to ask: "What is music?"
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