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

The popular literature had great vitality in the modern age. The songbook includes popular legendary songs, love songs, songs of thieves and bandits, religious songs, etc. The religious drama has a didactic purpose (passion, lives of saints), and the theater is of a profane nature, humorous (hors d'oeuvres and saints).
Renaixement: Taking ideas from humanism, it began in Italy and spread throughout Europe during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The idea of rebirth expresses the desire to restore the ideals of classical civilization (Seraph Peter and Christopher Despuig).
Baroque: This movement predominated in Europe, especially Spain and England, during the seventeenth century. It uses parody, satire, and caricature, which is another... Continue reading "The Evolution of European Literary Movements" »

Romanticism in Catalan Literature

Romanticism, a significant movement originating in the nineteenth century, brought about major changes in culture and the aesthetic conceptions of the time. In Catalonia, Romantic ideals arrived through the Renaixença, a national and cultural revival movement. This movement successfully revitalized literature and art, pulling them out of a crisis that had persisted for the previous three centuries.

Key ideals of Catalan Romanticism included:

• Emphasis on imagination, fantasy, and even utopia over reason.
• Focus on national identity and the freedom of its people.
• Exploration of nostalgic and melancholic emotions.
• Emphasis on individualism and artistic subjectivity.
• Rejection of the rigid rules of Neoclassicism, the

How to Read a Musical Score: Basics

The Greeks invented the word "music." They believed these mythological creatures were wise men, and music was inspired by their thoughts. They said that music was the beginning of wisdom. Musical language is a graphical representation of sound. Letters are symbols that represent the pitch of the sound. Notes are placed on or under the staff lines. Additional ledger lines are added for notes too high or too low to be represented on the staff. A scale is a series of correlative sounds. Ascending is when the sound goes from low to high, and descending is the opposite. The staff is composed of five lines and four spaces, where the music is written. A clef is a symbol placed at the beginning of each staff... Continue reading "Understanding Musical Scores, Instruments, and Genres" »

Gregorian Chant: History, Characteristics, and Styles

Gregorian chant is a type of liturgical chant used in the Roman Catholic Church. While occasionally used broadly or synonymously with plainchant, its name specifically derives from the collection attributed to Pope St. Gregory the Great. It represents an evolution influenced by Greco-Roman and Gallican chants.

It should be clarified that Gregorian chant was not invented by Pope Gregory the Great; it already existed for some time. However, his guidance helped spread and develop this ancestral Catholic song, giving it his name.

Characteristics of Gregorian Chant

• Scores are written in tetragrams (four-line staves), a system developed from the work of Guido d'Arezzo.
• It is a sung prayer and an expression

The Orchestra Before 1700

The orchestra was not stable before 1700. During the early Baroque period (up to 1600), the composition and instrumentation of ensembles varied greatly.

Evolution of the Orchestra

The orchestras of Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725) and Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) began to resemble those of today. The mass of bowed string instruments characterizes the modern orchestra.

Six Musical Forms of the Baroque Period

The six forms of music from this period are:

• The Suite
• The Sonata
• The Concerto
• The Symphony
• Variations
• Fugue

Definitions of Baroque Musical Forms

Brief definitions of each form:

• Suite: A succession of dances for the harpsichord or small groups of instruments.
• Sonata: A resounding piece on instruments. A cantata, in contrast, is

Musical Keys (Clefs)

These are signs that indicate the location of musical notes on the staff. The keys are named after the notes G, F, and C, and are placed on staff lines.

• G clef on the 2nd line → Highest register.
• C clef on the 1st line → Acute register
• C clef on the 2nd line → Higher average register
• C clef on the 3rd line → Middle register
• C clef on the 4th line → Lower average register
• F clef on the 3rd line → Heavy medium register
• F clef on the 4th line → Lowest register.

The distance between the keys, starting with the highest, is a third down.

The G clef on the 2nd line indicates that the note G is on the 2nd line of the staff (and so on).

Alterations

These are signs that are placed before notes and modify their intonation. There... Continue reading "Music Notation Fundamentals" »

Musical Traditions of Oceania and Their Instruments

Maori Music in New Zealand

Maori music in New Zealand is primarily vocal. Besides war songs, love stories and lullabies are also sung. Instruments are crafted from natural materials such as wood, bone, stone, shell, or animal shells.

Aboriginal Music in Australia

Music plays a fundamental role in the social and sacred life of Aboriginal Australians. Songs serve as a vital link with the spirit realm. The instruments are few and rudimentary, reflecting the simplicity of their musical forms. The principal instrument is the didgeridoo, a wind instrument typically made from a eucalyptus branch hollowed out by termites.

Music in Indonesia and Malaysia

A characteristic instrumental ensemble of these cultures... Continue reading "Music Fundamentals: Cultures, Eras, and Forms" »

Literary Genres

Lyric

Lyric poetry imitates moods and emotions. It is characterized by subjective expression, often focusing on a single aspect and presented in brief verses. Common themes include love and religion, often expressed in a monologue. Vocabulary and syntax are simple, with varied meter and a predominance of shorter verses.

• Eclogue: Includes an introduction, closing, and dialogues between pastoralists on matters of love.
• Elegy: Expresses sadness, melancholy, sentimentality, and memorial themes with varied meter.
• Ode: Dedicated to great personages, using elevated language and varied meter.

Narrative

Narrative texts tell stories through a narrator within the fictional world. Prose is the predominant mode of discourse.

• Epic: Extensive narration

Understanding Color Theory and Visual Language

The Nature of Color

Color is a sensation transmitted by objects when illuminated and received by the eye.

Factors Influencing Color Perception

• Light
• Chemical properties of bodies capable of absorbing certain wavelengths
• The sense of sight

Types of Color

Light Color (Additive)

This arises from the refraction of light bulbs or color filters.

Pigment Color (Subtractive)

These are colored powders mixed with various substances that turn them into paint.

Primary Colors

Primary Light Colors

• Red
• Orange
• Blue
• Green

Primary Pigment Colors

• Cyan
• Magenta
• Yellow

Combinations:

• Cyan + Magenta = Blue-Violet
• Magenta + Yellow = Orange-Red
• Yellow + Cyan = Green

Color Relationships

Harmony

This occurs through a good combination of colors.

Contrast

This... Continue reading "Fundamentals of Color, Visual Communication, and Literary Genres" »