Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Music

Baroque Architecture

• Bernini: Colonnade of St. Peter's Square; Canopy to the Basilica of St Peter's; Church of San Andrea del Quirinale.
• Borromini: The Oratory of St. Philip Neri; Church San Ivo; Church Santa Ines in Piazza Navona; San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane.

Baroque Sculpture

• Bernini: The Rape of Proserpina; Tomb of Urban VIII; The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa; Fountain of the Four Rivers; Tomb of Alexander VII; David; Apollo and Daphne.
• Gregorio Fernández: Pietà; Made numerous altarpieces; Christ Recumbent.
• Salzillo: Eight processional statues (The Fall, The Prayer in the Garden, San Juan, The Kiss of Judas, The Last Supper, The Painful, Jesus Bound to the Column, The Ordeal); The Belén Riquelme family; Holy Family; St. Jerome Penitent; Prayer

Classical Music

1. Construction of Classical Music

Classical music is built upon the principle of melody, emphasizing symmetrical structure. Melodies are typically divided into sections of 8 bars (periods and sub-periods of 2) or 6 bars (3+3). Harmony plays a crucial role, with a tonal hierarchy centered around the root (R), dominant (V), and subdominant (IV) chords. Harmonic tones emphasize scales and arpeggios. Alberti bass, a common accompaniment pattern, involves arpeggiating chords in a regular, repeated pattern.

2. New Instruments in the Orchestra

The harpsichord gradually disappeared from the orchestra. Two prominent instruments emerged: the horn and the clarinet. The piano also became a key instrument.

• Wind: Clarinet, Horn
• Keyboard: Piano

3.

A Brief History of Music Genres

Hard Rock: The power amplifiers, distortion of the guitars, the melodic content between screams, rhythm, and repetition are some traits of hard rock. (Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden).

Punk: Emerging from the economic crisis of the 70s, punk appeared as a reaction to social issues and disenchantment, characterized by the constant pursuit of controversy. (Sex Pistols, The Clash, Ramoncín).

Disco: Dance music that draws from soul, funk, and electronica. (Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Bee Gees).

Reggae: Originating from Jamaica, reggae marked a change for the subsequent evolution of music. In a non-industrialized country, a style appeared with Caribbean rhythms that influenced the entire planet. (Bob Marley)

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Music in the Middle Ages

Polyphony

Polyphony is a musical texture involving two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody. It emerged significantly from the mid-9th century onwards.

Ars Antiqua (c. Mid-9th - 13th Century)

The main musical style of the 13th century. Principal musicians associated with this era include Albertus Parisiensis, Leoninus, and Perotinus.

Musical Forms of Ars Antiqua

• Organum: A form where an additional invented melody is added to a pre-existing Gregorian chant melody.
• Motet: A form built on a Gregorian melody (tenor), with new voices added above it, often with different texts (polytextual).
• Conductus: A form where all melodies (voices) are newly composed (not based on chant) and sung in Latin, usually with the same text

Instrumental Music of the Baroque

The luster of Baroque instrumental music stems from the evolution of instruments and the emergence of all orchestral families. These families include string, woodwind, brass, and percussion. Baroque works are often based on improvisation, variation, imitative counterpoint, and dance forms. Key forms include:

The Suite

A complex instrumental piece composed of a succession of dances with different characters and a variable number, all in the same key and in binary form.

The Sonata

Meaning "music to be sounded," the sonata is played by instruments and divided into four contrasting movements (fast and slow) with different textures and rhythms. It is similar to the more widely diffused sonatina. There are also smaller,... Continue reading "Baroque Instrumental Music and Dance in Spain" »

Music Religiosa:

Gregorian Song: El repertori broad de música religiosa incluye el canto gregoriano y se ha convertido en la canción oficial de la Iglesia Católica. Características: monódico, ritmo libre, es modal (la música reconoce que cada voz tiene su propio carácter) y cultural, saludable, melismático, numático, silábico, homofónico, responsorial, antiphonal, y canto ambitus.

- Monódico: 1a voz. Polifónico: 2 o más voces.

- Numática: La notación que sirve para representar la música en la antigüedad consistía en signos gráficos que representaban una o más notas. Nota: La notación cuadrada se utiliza para el canto gregoriano (líneas de cuatro) con la primera línea como referencia (números-notas).

- Notación Mensural:

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The Intangible Art of Music

Music is an intangible art that is transmitted through the air and does not remain as other arts do. Little is known of the writing of music in ancient civilizations, with information gleaned from archaeological remains.

The Origins of Musical Notation

Musical notation has its origins in the monasteries of the Middle Ages, where the Greek theory of music was collected. Alphabetic writing can be represented as ABC, and diastematic notation as Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La. A score is a graphical representation of a musical composition.

The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is the historical period that begins with the fall of the Roman Empire and lasts until the fifteenth century.

Medieval Church Music

Church music consisted of... Continue reading "Medieval Music History: Origins to the Mystery of Elche" »

Musical Evolution: Impressionism & Expressionism

Impressionism and Expressionism can be seen as two distinct manifestations stemming from a similar post-Romantic position. Musically, both movements mark a shift away from the traditional laws of tonality and functional harmony.

Impressionism

Occurring in the late 19th century, Impressionism was a reaction against prevailing realistic and naturalistic currents. Musically, it is a typically French movement related to these artistic trends.

Characteristics:

• Blurred melody lines without clear cadences.
• Free harmony, with chords valued for their sound rather than tonal function.
• A new concept of timbre, using instruments individually.
• Creation of a sound atmosphere based on auditory impressions.

(Composers:

1950s: Social Poetry

Poets felt the need to provide critical testimony of the reality and adopt an attitude of commitment to the situation that existed in Spain. Cantos Iberians by Gabriel Celaya and I Ask for Peace and the Word by Blas de Otero, published in 1955, stand out.

As for the themes, we must highlight the issue of Spain, social injustice, and alienation. The language is clear, and the tone is colloquial.

1960s: Poetry of Knowledge

By the end of the 1950s, a group of poets emerged seeking further elaboration of poetic language and a shift from the collective to the personal. They defended the idea of the poem as an act of knowledge.

• Barcelona Group: Jose Agustin Goytisolo, Jaime Gil de Viedma, among others.
• Madrid Group: Claudio Rodriguez,