Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

The History and Theory of Music

The History and Theory of Music
3
13873
4
First semester
OB
Cultural analysis -identity and innovation-
Art, cultural heritage, and experience
Main language of instruction: Catalan

Other languages of instruction: English, Spanish,

Teaching staff


Ms. MATEO GARCÍA, Alejandro - amateo@uic.es

It will be arranged by email according to the students’ needs.

Introduction

The main objective of this course is to provide tools to identify, situate, and understand the main musical schools of Western European culture, some of their most emblematic figures, and their repertoires, always in relation to their social and cultural contexts, and from a contemporary and critical perspective.

The history of music will be approached as a complex and non-univocal narrative, open to multiple interpretations. Reflection will be encouraged on the role of periodizations and the musical canon: how they are constructed, what they exclude, and how they can be critically reinterpreted in a way that is respectful of other cultures and traditions.

The course will also address the challenge of constructing a history of music when the sound object is, by nature, ephemeral and volatile (especially before the recording systems of the 20th century). Starting from the idea that music manifests itself in three instances (creation, performance, and listening), the limitations this poses for reconstructing its history will be explored, as well as the neglect of agents and figures who, despite having contributed to the sound imagery of an era, have left no easily accessible material traces.

Pre-course requirements

Note: The primary language of the course is Catalan. Materials are provided in Catalan, Spanish, and English. A knowledge of all three languages, at least passive, is assumed.

Objectives

  • To become familiar with the main periodizations of Western culture and the associated musical movements, as well as their lines of thought, schools, centers, instruments, instrumental ensembles, key figures, and major works.
  • To relate Western musical styles, aesthetics, and thought to their cultural, social, and historical contexts.
  • To foster the habit of critically questioning the historical, aesthetic, and cultural condition of each musical manifestation.
  • To develop analytical skills and critical thinking in order to understand and respect diverse musical expressions, promoting debate and reflective thinking in relation to the cultural processes that shape music in our current, changing, and multicultural environment.

Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme

  • CN01 - Students will be able to analyse and interpret imaginary and iconic, symbolic and representational language in the context of humanistic disciplines.
  • CN03 - Students will be able to establish relationships between the concepts of heritage, territory and cultural identity.
  • CP02 - Students will be able to manage cultural projects focused on preserving and conserving heritage, through correct prior planning.
  • CP03 - Students will be able to design educational resources that encourage the understanding and appreciation of heritage and cultural identity, through the application of innovative and effective methodologies.
  • CP04 - Students will be able to encourage cultural visibility as a resource in institutions, markets, industries and companies.
  • CP05 - Students will be able to analyse socio-cultural, historical and artistic structures, from a respect for the fundamental rights of equality between men and women, using language that avoids androcentricity and stereotypes.
  • HB11 - Students will be able to critically analyse cultural and artistic representations, based on an understanding of their historical context, in order to develop an intercultural perspective and a deeper understanding of the contemporary world.
  • HB14 - Students will be able to critically evaluate cultural and humanistic production.
  • HB15 - Students will be able to analyse the elements that make up cultural heritage.
  • HB18 - Students will be able to present the results of their research in a narrative way, following the critical standards of each discipline.

Learning outcomes of the subject

  • Contextualizes cultural phenomena and relates them to their social and political dimensions.
  • Recognizes the presence of cultural experiences from the past or from origins different from one’s own in today’s society, and establishes connections and integrations.
  • Applies/transfers theoretical and/or abstract concepts to real situations.
  • Knows and selects specific documentation on cultural experiences.
  • Engages in teamwork experiences.
  • Participates in cultural and heritage debates.

Syllabus

  • Periods in the history of music and Western culture.
  • Tools for understanding music as an interdisciplinary art.
  • Relationships between music, culture, and society.
  • Authors, schools, and representative musical works from various periods, from Classical Antiquity to the present.

  1. The Musical Canon
  2. Periodizations
  3. Epistemological Problems
  4. Sources for the History of Music

  1. Prehistoric Music: Orality, Memory, and Musical Notation
  2. Music in Classical Greece and Rome

  1. First Notations
  2. Monody and Polyphony
  3. Liturgical Music: Gregorian Chant and Organum
  4. Troubadours and Trobairitz: Songs and Tenzons
  5. Ars Antiqua, Ars Nova, Ars Subtilior

  1. Mass as a Musical Form
  2. Francoflemish School
  3. Counterpoint
  4. Reformation and Counter-Reformation

  1. Court Music
  2. Madrigal and Opera
  3. Musical Printing
  4. Basso Continuo
  5. Musical Instruments and New Instrumental Genres
  6. Domestic Music, Public Music, and the New Musical Businesses

  1. "Mixt" and Galant Style
  2. Music and literature: Empfindsamer Still i Sturm und Drang
  3. Sonata and Chamber Music
  4. Symphonic Music and the Mannheim School

  1. French Revolution and Music
  2. New Aesthetics: Individuality and Nationalisms
  3. Birth of the Conservatoires
  4. Birth of "Classical" Music
  5. A new symphonic language
  6. Lied and Salon Music
  7. “Genius” and Virtuosity: The Solo Concerto
  8. Romantic Opera: Bel canto and Gesamtkunstwerk

  1. Music and Painting: Musical Impressionism
  2. “Exoticism” and the 1889 Paris World’s Fair
  3. Breaking Traditional Forms: Post-Tonal Languages

  1. Interwar Period and Post-World War II
  2. Dodecaphony
  3. Fluxus and sonic experimentation
  4. Minimalism
  5. Postmodernism: Imitation and Revival of Ancient Languages

  1. Recording Technologies and their Aesthetic Influence
  2. Stylistic Eclecticism
  3. Popular Music and Audiovisual Music

Teaching and learning activities

In person



  • Master classes for content delivery.
  • Musical listening sessions followed by analysis and contextualization.
  • Individual critical reflection tasks in class to be presented and discussed with classmates.
  • Debate sessions.

Evaluation systems and criteria

In person



Attendance and participation in class: 10%

  • No more than 3 unjustified absences are allowed.
  • Up to 3 justified absences may be made up with an assignment on each missed session, to be agreed with the professor (amateo@uic.es).

Assignment: 20%

  • To be completed in class on the date set by the professor; it will consist of a listening practice.

Midterm exam: 30%

Final exam: 40%

According to Faculty regulations, at least 0.10 points will be deducted for each spelling mistake in exams and assignments.

If the faculty detects a plagiarized paper or a student cheating during an exam, it will be reported to the Faculty Board, which will take the appropriate measures. These will include the automatic award of a grade of 0.0 for that subject, with the student moving directly to the next exam session.

Bibliography and resources

  • BEER, Anna. Sounds and Sweet Airs: The Forgotten Women of Classical Music (London: Oneworld Publications, 2016).
  • BURKHOLDER, J. Peter; Donald Jay GROUT; Claude V. PALISCA. A History of Western Music (10th Edition), (New York and London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2019).
  • CAZURRA, Anna. Introducció a la Música: De l'Antiguitat als nostres dies (Barcelona: Quaderns Crema, 2001).
  • COOK, Nicholas. Music: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998).
  • CHIANTORE, Luca. Malditas Palabras (Barcelona: Musikeon Books, 2021).
  • FUBINI, Enrico. Estética de la música, Spanish translation by Francisco Capmillo (Madrid: A.Machado Libros, 2001 [1995]).
  • GOEHR, Lydia. The Imaginary Museum of Musical Works: An Essay in the Philosophy of Music (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992).
  • GRIFFITHS, Paul. A Concise History of Western Music (Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore São Paulo: Cambridge University Press, 2006).
  • MORLEY, Iain. The Prehistory of Music: Human Evolution, Archaeology, and the Origins of Musicality (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013).
  • SADIE, Julie Anne; & Rhian SAMUEL (eds.), The Norton/Grove Dictionary of Women Composers (London, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1995).
  • TARUSKIN, Richard. The Oxford History of Music (5 volumes), (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011).
Other articles and specific bibliography will be recommended and provided to students throughout the different topics covered in class.
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