"20th-century music is defined by new, innovative approaches to tone and instrumentation, as much as it is by composers and musicians seeking the most melodious, comforting music possible to try to express human emotion and meaning in a fast-changing and increasingly mechanized world.
The 20th century saw the establishment of Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis, two world wars, huge social change, the invention of nuclear power, political upheaval, the birth of space exploration, and the inauguration and proliferation of early digital technology. Music could do nothing but respond to all of this – whether consciously, or otherwise."
