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Music in Contemporary Society

Code: 103564
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Humanities OP 3
Humanities OP 4

Contact lecturer

Name :
Francesc D Assi Cortes Mir
Email :
francesc.cortes@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Eduard Morell Purdonés

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

It is not necessary to be in possession of any kind of technical knowledges about musical language or practical skills in music to sign up for this course although having elementary basic notions on music would be of aid. More important are the students’ knowledges and interests for social and cultural European history from French Revolution up to now. It is primarily important, however, to show critical capacity to connect different artistic, cultural and historical events in logical, coherent and reasoned arguments,

Objectives

The main goal of this subject is to provide students with enough conceptual, methodological, and procedural tools to understand the use of music in contemporary societies. It also focuses on the main transformation lines of occidental music and its contextualization inside contemporary society and culture.


Moreover, it aims to understand the complexity of some connections between particular musical masterpieces and others belonging to different fields of art, literature, and philosophy so that the students are able –once the course has finished– to establish, for themselves, new relationships and to express opinions in speech and writing and by all other means of expression.

Learning outcomes

  1. Analysing the influence of the media in the transmission and dissemination of musical works.
  2. Applying the conceptual innovations of human sciences to musical management.
  3. Understanding the complexity of the music reception processes and using this knowledge in the analysis of the contemporary debates about music.
  4. Knowing and analysing several possible uses of music, both in our big cities and in other societies far away from the Western model when it comes to customs, language y traditions.
  5. Assessing the musical consumption in the contemporary society.
  6. Analysing the relationships between contemporary musical creation within the historic tradition, and other musical manifestations during the period of study.
  7. Integrating the role of music in the schedule and marketing of the musical activity.
  8. Locating and assessing the role of music in the various areas of contemporary societies.

Contents

  1. Placing music in human life: notion of music, relationship with society.
  2. The diversity of the cultural ear.
  3. Music and gender.
  4. Music and power.
  5. Music and counterpower.
  6. Folk music, today.
  7. The musical construction of the feeling.
  8. Music and performance (opera and concert).
  9. Music and technology.
  10. Music and audiovisual media.
  11. Music and literature.
  12. Music and religious rituals.
  13. Music as social distinction.

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Reading of book chapters and articles. 45 1.8 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Listening of suggested musical auditions 20 0.8 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Theoretical and practical classes 48 1.92 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Preparation and study of the contents of the programme 33 1.32 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

The course has got a profile which combines theoretical and practical character. So, it alternates demonstrative general theoretical sessions with others in which proactive participation of students will be required through commentary of texts, images and musical auditions, as well as by means of debates those commentaries could have provoked.

To sum up, there will be:

1/ master-classes: exhibition and synthesis of subjects, always accompanied with audio and visual recordings.

2/ practical sessions organised by analysis of some philosophical or literary texts, art masterworks, or great pieces of music.

3/ Monitoring of the music auditions.

4/ Tutorials addressed to supervise students’ work and questions.

 

 

 

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

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
An essay combining the ideas from the texts with the student's own. 30% 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Written midterm theoretical and practical test 30% 2 0.08 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Written endterm theoretical and practical test. 30% 2 0.08 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Proactive participation of students at the master-classes 10% 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

There will be three assessable activities that will be scheduled and announced in class and on Moodle:

  1. Theoretical-practical written exam at the middle of the subject (30%)
  2. Theoretical-practical written exam at the end of the subject (30%)
  3. An essay combining the ideas from the texts with the student's own (1,500 - 2,500 words). (30%)
  4. Active participation in classes and written exercises related to the subject covered (10%)


UNIQUE ASSESSMENT

  1. Theoretical-practical written exam. (50%)
  2. An essay combining the ideas from the texts with the student's own (3,000 words minimum). (50%)


The subject offers the possibility of extra assessment (recuperació). To be able to access extra assessment, students must have previously been assessed in a set of activities whose weight is equivalent to a minimum of 2/3 parts of the total qualification. To be able to access extra assessment, you must have obtained a minimum average rating of 3.5. To pass the subject, each of the two written partial tests must be passed. The same recovery system will be applied as for the continuous assessment.


Students will obtain a Not assessed/Not submitted course grade when he has not submitted at least one third of the assessment items.


The teacher will inform the students of the procedure and the date of review of the qualifications.


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.


This subject entirely prohibits the use of AI technologies in all of its activities. Any submitted work that contains content generated using AI will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade will be awarded a zero, without the possibility of reassessment. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.

Bibliography

MUSICKING IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETIES

Alcalde, Pedro (ed.); Hervás, Marina (ed.), 2020: Terremotos musicales: Denarraciones de la música en el siglo XXI. Barcelona: Antoni Bosch Editor.

Ayats, Jaume, 2025: Els cants tradicionals als Països Catalans. Prats de Lluçanès: Caramella

Chiantore, Luca, 2021: Malditas palabras. Barcelona: Musikeon Books.

Cook, Nicholas, 2001: De Madonna al canto gregoriano. Una muy breve introducción a la música. Madrid: Alianza.

Gorostizu, Ana, 2024: El arte sin órganos: manifiesto de la música electrónica. València: La caja books.

Mendívil, Julio, 2020: En contra de la música. Herramientas para pensar, comprender y vivir las músicas. Buenos Aires: Gourmet Musical Ediciones.


CONTEMPORARY CULTURE

Benjamin, Walter, 1983: L'obra d'art a l'època de la seva reproductibilitat tècnica. Barcelona: Edicions 62.

Fisher, Mark, 2017: Realismo capitalista: ¿no hay alternativa? Buenos Aires: Caja Negra.


CONTEMPORARY MUSIC HISTORY

Benedetto, Renato di, 1987: Historia de la Música, 8. El siglo XIX. Primera parte. Madrid: Turner Música.

Casini, Claudio, 1987: Historia de la Música, 9. El siglo XIX. Segunda parte. Madrid: Turner Música.

Griffiths, Paul (2009): Breve historia de la música occidental. Madrid, Akal.

Grout, Donald Jay; & Claude V. Palisca, 2001: Historia de la música occidental. 2 vols. Madrid: Alianza Música.

Michels, Ulrich, 1996: Atlas de música. Madrid: Alianza editorial (col. Alianza Atlas).

Morgan, Robert P., 1994: La música del siglo XX. Madrid: Akal.

Palisca, Claude, 2001: Northon anthology of Western Music 2 vol. London: WW. Norton and Company.

Sadie, Stanley (2000): Guía Akal de la Música. Una introducción. Madrid: Akal.

Salvetti, Guido, 1987: Historia de la Música, 10. El siglo XX. Primera parte. Madrid: Turner Música.

Taruskin, Richard, 2005: The Oxford history of western music. New York: Oxford University Press.

Software

Any specific required software.

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed