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

Key Concepts in Literature and Culture

Understanding Core Communicative Elements

Context: This refers to the set of circumstances surrounding a communicative act.

Linguistic Registers: This describes the particular way in which speakers express themselves, influenced by their linguistic competence and especially by the situation occurring during the communicative act.

Traditional Literature: Oral Heritage and Evolution

Traditional literature represents one of the enduring activities of human societies, accompanying us throughout history. It has significantly helped us to live and shape our modern identity. Historically, the most important literary tradition has been the oral tradition. Songs or ballads, sung during games or while performing certain... Continue reading "Literary and Cultural Heritage: Key Concepts and Figures" »

Literary Devices: A Comprehensive List

Explore a variety of literary devices used to enhance writing and speech:

• Alliteration: Repetition of sounds in different words close together. Example: Aleve under the wing of the mild range.
• Anaphora: Repetition of a word or words at the beginning of successive sentences or verses. Example: Was longer... fattest...
• Anadiplosis: Repetition of the last part of a verse at the beginning of the following verse. Example: To get dressed in yellow... yellow...
• Antithesis: Juxtaposition of two words or ideas with opposite meanings. Example: Went out... I went on.
• Pun: A play on words using syllables that resemble each other. Example: Diamonds are a lover's best friend.
• Comparison (Simile): Union of two concepts through

Renaissance Instruments: A Detailed Look

The instruments described are as follows:

Wind Instruments

• Bugler: A curved wind instrument made of wood, with a cup-shaped mouthpiece.
• Crumhorn: A rod-shaped instrument consisting of a capsule timber in which is inserted a double reed. It produces a soft and sharp sound.
• Sackbut: A metal instrument that produces a rounded and less bright sound than current trombones.
• Trumpet: A blowing tool with metal coils, whose sounds are produced by the position of the lips.

String Instruments

• Viola: A bowed instrument with six and seven strings, of great importance in the Renaissance. Their sound was soft and veiled. It was held in front of the body and not under the chin. It had three sizes: soprano, alto, and tenor.

Neoclassicism: Art in an Age of Revolution

At the outbreak of the French Revolution, Neoclassicism was the dominant art style. It was maintained during the Revolution and the Napoleonic Empire, but it left its academic, customary, and courtly confines to become a witness to the historical events of the moment.

Key Figures and Manifestations

• In architecture, triumphal arches and commemorative columns were erected, such as the Vendôme Column, built to celebrate Napoleon's victory at the Battle of Austerlitz.
• Canova created portraits of Napoleon and his family, with the sculpture of Pauline Bonaparte being particularly emphasized.
• Jacques-Louis David was the official painter of the French Revolution, a role reflected in works such as The Oath of the

Technical Poetics

Metrics and Rhyme in Verses and Songs

The majority of Catalan poetry is based on metrics and syllabic stress (number of syllables and accent distribution).

• Syneresis: Pronouncing a single syllable of a vowel hiatus.
• Dieresis: Separating syllables in a different diphthong.
• Synalepha, Hiatus, Elisio: Members can delete contact (a, e unstressed).

Classes of Verses

• Art Major: Less than 9 syllables.
• Art Minor: 9 or more syllables.

Cesura is the break that divides the verse into two hemistiches. Hemistich: Each behaves as a verse. Verses of Art Minor do not have a caesura except for the octosyllable (4 + 4). The verses of Art Major that do not have a caesura are the eneasyllabic and Italian decasyllabic. The verses of Art Major that have... Continue reading "Catalan Poetry: Metrics, Rhyme, and Rhetorical Devices" »

Metric Concepts

• Prose: Always write forward.
• Verse: Writing with a certain measure, often structured in lines and stanzas.
• Narrative: Storytelling.
• Lyric: Expressing feelings.

How to Work with Verses

Analysis of the Form

Lines

• Measuring Lines
  • Separate Syllables: Each syllable has only one vowel sound.
  • License Application Metrics:
    • Sinalefa: Union of the last syllable of a word ending in a vowel with the first syllable of the next word beginning with a vowel.
    • Syneresis: Similar to sinalefa, but occurs within a word. A syllable with a vowel sound meets the following if it starts with a vowel to form a single syllable.
    • Umlauts: Two points are placed on top of an *i* or *u* to indicate that a diphthong should be counted as two syllables.
  • Rules for the implementation

Henry Purcell (1659-1695)

Incorporating elements of French and Italian styles, but with a personal stamp characterized by nobility, dignity, seriousness, delicacy, and sensitivity. He is considered the most important English Baroque composer, although he sometimes faced technical limitations. He served as organist of Westminster Abbey and harpsichordist of the royal chamber, serving monarchs like Charles II, James II, and William & Mary.

Purcell cultivated all genres, including:

• Hymns and religious choirs
• Theatre music (e.g., for plays)
• Chamber works
• Opera

His operas include Dido and Aeneas (composed for a girls' boarding school, noted for its relative simplicity), which brought him significant fame, as well as works like King Arthur and The Tempest.... Continue reading "Baroque Composers: Purcell, Rameau & Opera" »

Romanticism

1. Main Characteristics

• Chronology: 1805 (Beethoven's 3rd Symphony premiere) to 1905 (Debussy's La Mer premiere).
• Rise of Nationalism: From the latter half of the 19th century, nations sought independence from major political powers. Composers reflected this by incorporating folk elements into their work.

2. Instrumental Music

• Importance: Instrumental music was considered the most important art form due to its ability to express deep emotions without words.
• Orchestral Growth: The orchestra expanded, leading to the concept of the symphony orchestra and the construction of large concert halls to meet bourgeois demand.
• Rise of the Piano: A need for intimate music suitable for bourgeois homes led to the piano becoming the most important instrument

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... Continue reading "19th Century Cultural Shifts: Romanticism and Realism" »

Romanticism

Romanticism was a cultural movement that opposed the characteristic principles of the Enlightenment. It emerged as a result of the profound social and ideological crisis of the early decades of the 19th century. The origins of Romanticism can be found in the 18th century, especially in German philosophy and culture.

Key Characteristics of Romanticism

• Irrationalism: Romanticism refused to fully explain reality through reason.
• Subjectivism: If reason has its limits, other forms of knowledge are necessary. For the Romantics, these included intuition, imagination, and instinct.
• Idealism: Romantics had a predilection for the ideal, for the absolute.
• Individualism: Romantics had an acute and painful awareness of their own personality, distinct