Aesthetics of Music I
Code: 100636 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Musicology | OB | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Sergio Gonzalez Gonzalez
- Email:
- sergio.gonzalez.gonzalez@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites.
Objectives and Contextualisation
This subject aims to give students a knowledge of the sources of musical thought in the Ancient World of Antiquity and the High Middle Ages, providing the methodological tools necessary for a cognitive approach that respects both the nature of these sources and their philosophical context.
- To reflect on the origins of music, its needs and its functions.
- To reflect on the universal phenomenon of inspiration
- To be familiar with the mythological foundations related to music
- To have access to the parameters of symbolic and mythological thought pertaining to the sources of the ancient world
- To be familiar with the basic philosophical and authorial sources of the ancient and medieval worlds.
Competences
- Make changes to methods and processes in the area of knowledge in order to provide innovative responses to society's needs and demands.
- Recognise trends in thinking, in all its orders, in relation to music.
- Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
Learning Outcomes
- Commenting on literary texts, applying the acquired tools and taking into account the historical and sociocultural context.
- Develop a critical capacity for interpreting musical texts of an aesthetic nature.
- Develop habits for transfer to the ambit of musical dissemination and information the musical training acquired.
- Evaluate the evolution of the aesthetics of music from a diachronic perspective.
- Identify situations in which a change or improvement is needed.
- Identifying normative, stylistic or argumentative errors in a text.
- Integrate knowledge acquired in the production of clear and concise appropriate to the academic and specialist communication.
- Make predictions and infrerences on the adscription of the content of a text to a certain aesthetic trend.
- Making predictions and inferences about the content of a text.
- Organise the content of an aesthetic musical text, identifying the main and secondary ideas .
- Produce correct, precise and clear argumental and terminological writing of knowledge acquired, both in the area of musical specialisation and dissemination.
- Propose new experience-based methods or alternative solutions.
- Relate msucical creation and reception to the aesthetic and literary foundation of each period.
- Structure ideas taking into account the different parts of an academic text.
- Use strategies which help to plan and develop ideas and to summarise and evaluate the written text.
Content
1. Awakening the Musical Mind: Why Does Aesthetics Matter?
2. The Secrets of the Sonic Cosmos: Pythagoras and the Music of the Universe
3. Philosophers of the Musical Soul: Plato vs. Aristotle – The Great Debate
4. From Myth to Reason: When Rome Conquered Greek Music
5. Divine Melodies: Augustine and Boethius Rewrite Music
6. Sound Cathedrals: From Sweetness to Medieval Light
7. Humanist Revolution: When Science Met the Passions
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Presentation of items 1 to 7 of the syllabus | 39 | 1.56 | 1, 11, 2, 14, 8, 10, 13, 15, 4 |
| Tutoring | 28 | 1.12 | |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Text commentary work | 18 | 0.72 | 1, 11, 3, 14 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Personal study | 25 | 1 | 2, 14, 9, 7, 10 |
| Read the bibliography | 25 | 1 | 3, 2, 9, 7, 10, 4 |
| Reading of short texts proposed in class | 10 | 0.4 | 1, 2, 9, 6 |
There will be three different types of sessions that will structure the subjects, and in all of them, techniques based on learning by doing will be considered. The first type will be called “Content Presentation”, where the teacher, encouraging debate and participation, will broadly explain the key concepts and main contents to be covered in each unit.
The second type of session will be called “Open Doors”, in which an activity will be proposed for students to carry out during the session. These activities may range from debates to comparative analysis of different texts, including the creation of concept maps and critical reviews.
The third type of session will be called “Reading in Action: Your Analysis and Our Debate”. In this format, students will work in groups on a text or a listening assignment at home and present their conclusions. The same text will be assigned to two or three groups, and the different approaches and conclusions they reach will be discussed collectively.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.- Three continuous evaluations. 2.- Attendance | 1.-90%. 2.-10% | 5 | 0.2 | 1, 11, 3, 2, 14, 9, 8, 6, 5, 7, 10, 12, 13, 15, 4 |
To pass the course, the final grade must be higher than 5/10.
The following assessable activities will be carried out:
- Active participation in class: 10%
- Written test on basic concepts: 30%
- Presentations of “Open Doors” activities: 30%
- Presentations of “Reading in Action: Your Analysis and Our Debate” activities: 30%
Requirements to be eligible for the resit exam on the date set by the Faculty:
- Having submitted the “Reading in Action: Your Analysis and Our Debate” activity and delivered the assignments according to the guidelines set by the instructor and within the stipulated deadlines.
- Having obtained a minimum average of 4/10 in all assessment elements.
The maximum grade that can be obtained in the resit activities is 5/10.
The fact that the student submits any of the assignments or sits for any of the written tests will be considered as a 'present' act in the course. Therefore, only those who have not completed any assessment during the course may be considered as “not assessable”.
In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.
The Single-assessment option:
- Written test on basic concepts: 30%
- Written test on readings: 40%
- Paper and presentation “Reading in Action: Your Analysis and Our Debate”: 30% (the reading must be agreed upon with the instructor via email)
In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted as an integral part of the development of coursework, provided that the final outcome demonstrates a significant contribution from the student in terms of analysis and personal reflection. Students are required to clearly identify which parts have been generated using such technologies, specify the tools employed, and include a critical reflection on how these tools have influenced both the process and the final result of the activity. Failure to transparently disclose the use of AI will be regarded as a breach of academic integrity and may result in a penalty to the grade for the activity, or, in more serious cases, further disciplinary action.
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Software
Without specific computer application.
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |