This course introduces students to the history of Music from Antiquity to the present day. By the end of the course, students should be able to situate and recognize the principal musical forms and the major styles. They should also be familiar with the key works in the history of Music and be able to establish links between the development of Music, the Plastic Arts, Literature and the main currents of thought.
Main themes
This course examines the main stages in the history of Music and illustrates them through the study of key works from each period, highlighting how the stylistic and aesthetic content of these works has transformed and developed over time. Particular attention will be paid to the contextualisation of the works studied.
Content and teaching methods
Musical history is divided up along traditional lines: Music from Antiquity (particularly Greek antiquity); the medieval period; the transmission of ancient musical knowledge; the formation of the Gregorian repertoire; courtly lyricism; polyphony (ars antiqua, ars nova, ars subtilior); the Renaissance and the Franco-Flemish school; the Golden Age of Polyphony; basso continuo and the beginnings of the Baroque Age; Preclassicism; Classicism; Romanticism; the national schools; Post-Romanticism; Impressionism; the key musical movements of the 20th century; modern music (evaluation and prospects).