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

The Renewal of Spanish Theater: Post-War to the 1970s

During the war, the dictatorship imposed its control on Spanish theater. However, during the 1950s and 1960s, Franco's regime began to authorize certain works in local languages that had previously suffered from censorship and restrictions on press and radio advertising.

Regional Theatrical Revival: Barcelona and Valencia

In Barcelona, works like Salvador Espriu's First Story of Esther and those by other contemporary authors were recovered and performed. In Valencia, a bilingual theatrical scene emerged, featuring both Spanish-language theater and popular, humorous drama in Valencian, where comedy sketches were particularly prominent.

Emergence of Independent and Avant-Garde Theater

During the... Continue reading "Spanish Theater Renewal: Post-War to 1970s and Manuel de Pedrolo's Influence" »

Medieval Theater: Liturgical Origins

The liturgy was the engine of dramatic activity during the Middle Ages. The earliest preserved dramatic text is the Auto de los Reyes Magos (Play of the Magi Kings), which dates from the twelfth century. It preserves 147 polymetric lines.

The characters who dialogue are Melchior, Gaspar, Balthazar, King Herod, and a group of scholars. The work is divided into five scenes:

1. Scene I: The Kings monologue about the potential significance of the star.
2. Scene II: They agree on the star's meaning and decide to manifest their purpose.
3. Scene III: The Kings inform Herod that a new king has been born and proceed to offer their gifts.
4. Scene IV: Herod gathers his court of wise men to determine if his reign is in danger.
5. Scene

Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was a German composer and organist, and an important member of a family of musicians. He began his musical training with the help of his father and his brother. At 18, he began his professional life. At 38, he was appointed music director of a Leipzig church and remained there until his death.

Secular Vocal Music

The secular vocal music component still includes madrigals. Opera was born, which has sung parts in theatrical productions. At the end of the Baroque period, operas buffa appeared, with comic arguments, and were very popular in France. The opéra-ballet also appeared.

Claudio Monteverdi

Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) was a composer from Cremona, Italy, chronologically located in the... Continue reading "Baroque Composers and Musical Forms: 17th-18th Centuries" »

Charlemagne

Charlemagne, son of Pepin and Bertrada, continued his father's policy to consolidate power. He actively promoted Christianity, believing himself called by God to spread the Christian faith worldwide.

The Eastern Schism

The year 1054 marks the separation between the Eastern and Western Churches. In reality, the root causes of this separation were long-standing tensions between the Patriarchs of the East and the Bishop of Rome.

The Western Schism

In the year 1377, Pope Gregory XI returned to Rome and died there shortly after. The cardinals elected Pope Urban VI, but a group of French cardinals then elected Clement VII. Mutually, both popes excommunicated each other. Western Christianity was divided, with obedience split between one pope... Continue reading "Medieval & Renaissance Europe: Key Figures, Art, and Cultural Shifts" »

The Power of Music

There's a song that seems made expressly for us.

Human Responses to Music

People cannot stay indifferent while listening to music. Before the sound stimulus, we always react in one way or another.

Types of Responses:

• Emotional Response: An emotion is an intense mental state that arises spontaneously in the nervous system, causing a positive or negative reaction. It is involuntary.
• The Body's Response: Often, while listening to music, we make small movements without being conscious of them, and we follow the beats. But what makes us dance is the rhythm, which also marks the style of dancing.
• Intellectual Response: Many times when we hear a song, we look at any aspect that draws our attention: the timbre of a singer's voice, the

Fundamentals of Sound Art

Fundamentals of Music

The fundamentals of music are:

• Rhythm: The combination of sounds and silences. It serves as the skeleton of a melody.
• Melody: The most visible element of a musical piece, i.e., that of which we are most aware when listening. It is usually the starting point of a composition consisting of a free combination of musical notes.
• Harmony: The musical part that regulates the relationship between melody and the instruments that accompany it.

Towards the end of the 19th century, composers became interested in the traditional music of their countries and cultures, which enriched their music through the use of new rhythms and instruments.

Musical Forms

The starting point of a composition is usually one or more melodies,... Continue reading "Sound Art Fundamentals: Rhythm, Melody, Harmony" »

Historical Context: Ars Nova and Musical Shifts

Philippe de Vitry and Johannes de Muris

Philippe de Vitry and Johannes de Muris, professors of music at the University of Paris, were pivotal figures in the development of music theory. Vitry's students compiled his notes into a treatise called Ars Nova, which explained his perspective on the new music and contrasted it with the older Ars Vetus, detailing the art of early music.

Innovations in Time and Harmony

Vitry considered creating a system to change from the triple time prevalent before, introducing binary time. In France, the melodic line became the basis for harmonization, with voices and instruments supporting it from above and below, leaving the melody in the middle. Until the fifteenth century,... Continue reading "Ars Nova and 15th Century Music: Vitry, Muris, and Ockeghem Innovations" »

Melody: Expressive and Emotional

The melody is the predominant element in Romantic music. Composers explore all expressive possibilities, conveying personal feelings and emotions to the listener.

Rhythm: Tempo Rubato

Tempo rubato consists of momentarily changing the speed of the heartbeat for expressive purposes.

Texture: Melody Accompanied

The most commonly used texture is melody accompanied, which can be more or less complex depending on the instrumentation.

Genres of Romantic Music

Religious Vocal Music

Composers used similar methods as before but with a more operatic approach.

Secular Vocal Music

Triumph and growth in operatic realism. Wagner introduced a new concept of opera, integrating all arts and engaging the spectator. The lied, where music... Continue reading "Romantic Music: Melody, Rhythm, Texture, and Genres" »

The Voice in Musical Text: Lied, Opera, and Zarzuela

The human voice has always been central to musical expression, giving rise to diverse forms that blend poetic text with intricate compositions. This document explores three significant vocal music forms: the Lied, Opera, and Zarzuela, tracing their evolution and impact.

The Lied: Intimate Poetic Song

The Lied is a small, intimate composition based on a poetic text, usually a poem by a writer of the time, such as J.W. Goethe. It features a male or female voice, accompanied by a piano. Composers often grouped their Lieder into collections or cycles. Robert Schumann's Dichterliebe (A Poet's Love) and Frauenliebe und -leben (A Woman's Love and Life) are among the best-known cycles.

The Opera: Grand

Modernism is a literary movement of aesthetic renovation that has its origin in Latin America in the 1880s with the publication of the works of Cuban writer José Martí. Modernist writers were inspired by:

1. Some Spanish Romantic writers, primarily in Bécquer.
2. Also remarkable is the influence of French literature of the second half of the nineteenth century, particularly Parnassianism and, above all, the Symbolists.

Parnassianism features:

1. Defends the ideal of "art for art" and that art and beauty are the only comforts in life.
2. Desires perfection in form.
3. Exhibits a taste for topics such as Greek mythology, the exotic East, and ancient civilizations.

Symbolism accused Parnassianism of coldness and scholarship. It is characterized by:

1. Providing poetry