Neoclassical Music is a style of composition that emerged in the early 20th century as a reaction against the perceived excesses of late Romanticism and the emotional intensity of Expressionism. Its composers sought a return to clarity, balance and formal discipline, drawing inspiration from the music of the Baroque and Classical eras.

The movement’s early development is closely linked with Igor Stravinsky, whose works such as Pulcinella (1920) reinterpreted 18th-century music with modern harmonies and orchestration. Other pioneers included Paul Hindemith in Germany, who favored contrapuntal writing and structural rigor, and Sergei Prokofiev, whose Classical Symphony (1917) was an early and influential example.

Neoclassicism became one of the dominant currents in European music between the two World Wars, influencing composers across countries. Its hallmarks were transparency of texture, smaller ensembles compared with late-Romantic orchestras, and a focus on absolute music rather than programmatic narrative.

In the late 20th and 21st centuries, the term has broadened to encompass a wide range of contemporary composers writing tonal, melodic, and often minimalist works for piano, chamber ensemble, or orchestra. Figures such as Philip Glass and Steve Reich, while pioneers of minimalism, are frequently associated with the neoclassical aesthetic for their use of repetition and structural clarity. Max Richter, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Ólafur Arnalds and Ludovico Einaudi have brought the style to a wider audience, blending classical instrumentation with electronic textures and cinematic atmospheres.

Today, neoclassical music occupies a prominent place in concert halls, film scores and streaming platforms, admired for its ability to merge the timeless qualities of classical form with a distinctly modern sensibility.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoclassicism_(music) / License: CC BY-SA 4.0