Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Music for Baccalaureate

Toledo School of Translators

Founded in the twelfth century, the School of Translators used the vernacular as a channel of communication between languages. Thanks to King Alfonso X, this institution gave Castilian the status of a cultural language.

Early Theatrical Forms

Momos

From the Latin MOMUS, a momo was a theatrical piece within a larger play. It emphasized the text to amuse the nobility in a hall setting and is considered a forerunner of pantomime.

Tropes

Tropes were short texts sung in Latin by priests, interpolated as dialogue in religious celebrations. They eventually transitioned from Latin into Castilian.

Juan del Encina and His Work

Juan del Encina, considered the father of Spanish theater, wrote an eclogue in which he used the Sayagués...

Francesc Vicenç Garcia and Baroque Poetry

Francesc Vicenç Garcia mastered morality in his poetry with a marked ironic slant. His poem regarding the lady who left an imprint is particularly representative of Baroque poetry, although it follows a long tradition. The fact that Francesc Vicenç Garcia’s lady is a discordant feature regarding the canons of female beauty in the classical descriptio puellae—where the lady was traditionally blonde—is significant. Chromatic elements are in play: the jarring black contrasts with canonical white metaphors. The hair is jet, the skin is ivory, and the neck is like snow. This pure play of contrasts is a metaphor for the passion of love that overcomes the lover, who observes the scene amazed (v. 9)...

Prose in Romanticism

Pictures of manners: These are small accounts that reflect the lifestyles, habits, and customs of environments and popular types of society according to the author. This was a great success. A prominent author was Ramón de Mesonero Romanos.

Historical Novel: It is inspired by the legends of the past history or, preferably, from the Middle Ages. The writers of this type of story were modeled on the works of French authors like Victor Hugo.

Legend or fantastic story: They tell stories that abound with foreign, mysterious, supernatural, and inexplicable elements in a rational manner. In Spain, the Leyendas of Bécquer are highlights.

Romantic Theater

• Rejection of the three units: It despises the rule of three units (one action,

The 19th Century: Romanticism and Realism

In the first half-century, liberal revolutions occurred against the former regime. In the second half, the bourgeoisie took hold as the dominant class in society. Romanticism corresponds to the period in which society was immersed in the liberal revolutionary process. Realism coincides with the stage where revolutions had succeeded. Romanticism contrasts the ideal and the real, i.e., it seeks to transform a reality with which it feels dissatisfied. Realism, conversely, tries to describe society as it is. The romantic writer uses subjectivity, while the realist writer describes with objectivity.

1. Society of the Romantic Era

The Romantic Era began with the defeat of Napoleon and the restoration of absolute...

Musical Analysis of La Verbena de la Paloma

Rhythm

The piece is in a binary 2/4 time signature, with the quarter note as the unit. The tempo indication specifies a slow Habanera. Indeed, most of the orchestral accompaniment is a constant repetition of the Habanera rhythm, shared among different instruments. The perceived accent pattern can be schematized as follows:

• An eighth note
• Two sixteenth notes
• Two accented eighth notes

Melody

The melody is a regular eight-bar phrase, divided into two four-bar periods. The singers alternate in a simple question-and-answer format. The key is D Major. The first period (the 'question') is sung by the tenor and has a cadence on the dominant. In turn, the soprano's response provides the expected closing cadence on...

Characteristics of Spanish Romanticism

The Romantic movement in Spain was late, brief, and superficial, and did not bring about a significant change in mentality or political structures. The first half of the 19th century, when Romanticism emerged, was characterized by clashes between absolutism and liberalism.

Romanticism championed feelings and creative freedom. The Romantics expressed several core tenets:

• Deep Individualism: A focus on the personal self, where works express the artist's intimacy and offer a subjective view of reality.
• Dissatisfaction with the Environment: A denial of reality that led to reactions like evasion (taking refuge in fantasy worlds) and rebellion (defending marginalized groups and political causes).
• Love of Freedom:

Fundamentals of Music and Orchestral Knowledge

Symphony and Instrumental Basics

What Are Musical Instruments?

Objects constructed specifically for the purpose of producing musical sound.

Who Directs a Symphony Orchestra?

The person coordinating all the performers of the orchestra (the conductor).

Who is the Concertmaster?

The Concertmaster is the first violin of the orchestra.

Who Was Benjamin Britten?

He was an English composer.

Who Commissioned This Work?

The BBC in 1946.

What is the Title of This Work?

The work is titled Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell.

What Defines a Symphony Orchestra?

A large ensemble normally heard in closed halls and auditoriums during concerts.

Where Was the First Concert Hall Established?

In London, around 1700.

Instruments

Opera Seria

Opera seria is a sung dramatic form, based on a harmonious language and a rich variety of musical resources. Its star-class characters, often criticized by the aristocracy, stand out naturally. The music is designed to highlight the voice, using a low economy of means. Its study sites are numerous, the aria is the great protagonist, the work has three acts, and the orchestra has no dramatic role.

Opera Buffa

Opera buffa is the comic counterpart of opera seria, with a popular character. Its language is harmonic, its stars are closer to everyday life, and it also criticizes the aristocratic class. Voices are highlighted naturally with an economical approach, and it frequently features short musical repetitions. The genre gave rise to...

Baroque

Designates the irregular, complicated, or messy. Opposed to idealism, the Renaissance conception of nature, and the Aristotelian aesthetics of mimesis (imitation). A satirical attitude reported the most degraded aspects of reality. Reality and nature are seen as misleading images, contrasting with the artificial beauty of classical culture.

Culteranismo: Luis de Góngora

Aims to move away from common language by embellishing poetic expression through the accumulation of rhetorical devices.

Conceptismo: Francisco de Quevedo

Focuses on hiding multiple meanings (concepts) within words to stimulate thinking, humor, or mockery.

Romanticism: José de Espronceda and Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer

Prioritizes subjectivity and the writer's freedom against...