Modernism and Postmodernism

The turn of the 20th century marked a major revolution in classical composition—an embrace of experimentation and stretching of conventional tonality (or sometimes just an outright rejection of it) that shook up the vocabulary of music for good. Even as postmodernism reabsorbed tradition (through the folk-influenced sounds of composers like Barber and Shostakovich, for example), it was as a reference or footnote—the sound that was left behind. What follows is a cross-section of classical composition's development, from the 20th century to the present day. Our editors regularly update this playlist. If you like a piece, add it to your library.