Final answer:
Composers after 1900 explored new kinds of musical scales such as atonal scales with the twelve-tone technique by Arnold Schoenberg, whole tone scales used by Claude Debussy to achieve impressionism, and pentatonic scales revived by Béla Bartók for folk characteristics.
Step-by-step explanation:
Composers after 1900 began exploring new musical scales that diverged significantly from the traditional scales used since the Renaissance. They sought to create novel sounds and challenge the musical expectations established by hundreds of years of Western music tradition. Three notable kinds of scales used by these composers are:
- Atonal scales: Used by composers like Arnold Schoenberg, atonal music does not revolve around a central key, defying the norm of traditional harmony. Schoenberg is particularly known for his twelve-tone technique, which treats all notes of the chromatic scale equally, preventing the dominance of any one key.
- Whole tone scales: This scale is composed entirely of whole steps, creating a dreamy and ambiguous sound. It lacks any sense of a traditional tonal center, which was used to create different moods and textures in compositions. Composers like Claude Debussy utilized whole tone scales to achieve an impressionistic musical style.
- Pentatonic scales: While not entirely new, the use of pentatonic scales saw a resurgence in modern composition. Consisting of five notes, these scales are found in many cultural musical traditions and were employed by composers such as Béla Bartók to evoke certain folk characteristics in their music.
These innovative scales played a significant role in the development of modernist music, influencing a variety of avant-garde and experimental genres that followed.