Echoes of Melancoly
Original title: Ecos de la melancolía
A delightful journey in search of the traces that melancholy has left in classical music.
The author explores the relationship between a musical form and the emotional reactions it evokes, specifically melancholy. Organised into three the- matic axes from the 16th century to the present day: the artist’s expression of melancholy, its representation, and the reaction it causes in the listener. The essay analyses the pieces with explicit references to melancholy in titles, letters, or other written documents or those described as melan- cholic in their time. He argues that the understan- ding of melancholy remains constant but is expres- sed differently over time. His approach departs from purist musicological orthodoxy, using extra- musical descriptions and broadening the reader’s scope.
A delightful journey in search of the traces that melancholy has left in classical music.
The author explores the relationship between a musical form and the emotional reactions it evokes, specifically melancholy. Organised into three the- matic axes from the 16th century to the present day: the artist’s expression of melancholy, its representation, and the reaction it causes in the listener. The essay analyses the pieces with explicit references to melancholy in titles, letters, or other written documents or those described as melan- cholic in their time. He argues that the understan- ding of melancholy remains constant but is expres- sed differently over time. His approach departs from purist musicological orthodoxy, using extra- musical descriptions and broadening the reader’s scope.
