Musical Styles and Composers: From Caribbean to Avant-Garde
Musical Articulation
Staccato: Can be translated as “prominent,” and is also indicated by the word of articulation *picado*. It is a term that applies to certain notes upon which a short *punto* is placed. These notes should be played, reducing their real duration. To achieve staccato articulation, reduce the value of the notes by about half.
Accent: The sign is placed by the note you want to be interpreted with greater force or intent, i.e., *accentuated*. It is indicated by a small angle above the
Read MoreThe Blues: Origins and Influence on American Music
The blues is the most independent type of Black music in the African-American tradition. The musical style wasn’t really developed until after slavery had been abolished in 1865, but the blues is deeply rooted in the slaves’ work songs, gospel, and Negro spirituals. Some say that the blues was born in the cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta, where cotton choppers and pickers sang to make the work go easier. These songs were influenced by African tribal songs, work chants, and “hollers”. But even
Read MoreCatalan Popular Literature: History, Genres, and Key Figures
Significance of the People in Catalan Literature
This 16th-century literature emerged in the early days of the Catalan language. Originating in the 16th century, it has a traditional and popular dimension, passed down through generations, often set to music. During the 19th-century revival, there was an urgent need to recover this literature. Manuel Milà i Fontanals collected and published romances and songs.
Genres of Popular Literature
Romance
A poetic composition with verses of seven syllables,
Read More20th-Century Music: Styles, Composers, and Influences
Impressionism
Composers: Debussy, Delius, Ravel
Impressionism is characterized by a blurring of classical forms, exaggerated attention to musical color, and a focus on modal and chromatic progressions rather than tonal ones. Interestingly, symbolist poets had a greater influence on these composers than impressionistic art did.
Expressionism
Composers: Schoenberg, Webern, Hindemith, Ives
Expressionism features a high level of dissonance, extreme contrasts of dynamics, constant changing of textures, “distorted”
Read MoreBaroque and Classical Music: A Detailed Comparison
Baroque Period
Context
- Composers and performers used elaborate musical ornamentation.
- Patronage system: Most composers were servants to wealthy patrons or the church, leading to problems with finances and creativity.
- Man is at the center of a complicated but wonderful universe.
Melody
- Unnatural, complex, and ornate melodies.
- Tonality was developed, and major and minor scales became the most popular.
Rhythm
- Mechanical, with strong and repeated beats.
- Dance influence.
Texture
- Polyphonic. Sometimes homophonic
Evolution of Music: From Prehistoric Sounds to Romantic Nationalism
The Origins of Music
Prehistoric humans discovered the sonic possibilities of nature, striking materials like wood and cane. Ancient cultures in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Rome used instruments with magical and religious significance. The first bands emerged after the Middle Ages, around the 16th century, when voices were assigned to instruments for dances, parties, hunts, and even war. During the 17th century, compositions were primarily for string instruments. In the 18th century, other instruments
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