Course Unit Form
Course unit title:
Thematic History of Music in Portugal
Code of the scientific area:
Mus
Duration (annual, semester or term):
Annual
Total student workload (total hours):
130.0
Contact hours:
In-person (P) - TP-15.0; PL-15.0
% of distance-learning contact hours:
0.00%
ECTS credits:
5.0
Responsible lecturer and corresponding teaching load in the course unit:
Eugénio Amorim - 9.0h
Other lecturers and their teaching load in the course unit:
Learning outcomes and their compatibility with the teaching method (knowledge, skills and competences to be developed by students):
1. Understand the evolution of music in Portugal through a thematic approach, rather than a linear chronology.
2. Explore the cultural, social, stylistic and technical dimensions of Portuguese music, highlighting distinctive aspects of different periods and contexts.
3. Analyse the trajectory of music in Portugal, from its medieval roots to contemporary practices, identifying genres, composers and influences across the centuries.
4. Investigate the role of music in shaping Portuguese cultural identity, assessing its historical and social relevance.
5. Integrate artistic practice as an essential tool for researching and understanding the musical legacy, promoting critical reflection and creation.
6. Strengthen the dialogue between practice and theory, encouraging interpretation, performance and research as complementary elements in the study of music in Portugal.
Syllabus:
1. Medieval Music and Polyphony Study of the role of monasteries and cathedrals in the development of sacred music (e.g. the Évora School; Santa Cruz de Coimbra), within the context of the formation of Portuguese cultural identity. 2. Music of the Age of Discovery How the Age of Discovery influenced musical practice and composition, including exchanges with cultures from Africa, Asia and the Americas. 3. Fado and National Identity Investigation of fado as a central genre of Portuguese popular music and as intangible cultural heritage of humanity. 4. Opera in Portugal: a still-unexplored universe Portugal has a still little-known history in the field of opera, which deserves to be researched, valued and widely disseminated. 5. Modernism and the Avant-Garde Twentieth-century composers, some of whom connected with European musical trends. 6. The postmodernist movement: composers today Twentieth- and twenty-first-century composers who engage with the contemporary practices set out in the objectives.
Demonstration of the coherence between the syllabus and the course unit's learning outcomes:
The syllabus is aligned with the learning outcomes, integrating research, critical reflection and artistic practice.
1. Medieval Music and Polyphony - Analyses stylistic features and the role of religious institutions in Portuguese musical identity.
2. Music of the Age of Discovery - Explores musical exchanges between Portugal, Africa, Asia and the Americas.
3. Fado and National Identity - Investigates fado as a central genre of popular music and a cultural symbol.
4. Opera in Portugal - Studies the Portuguese operatic tradition and its critical appraisal.
5. Modernism and the Avant-Garde - Examines the relationship of Portuguese composers with twentieth-century European trends.
6. Postmodernism and Contemporaneity - Contextualises recent musical output and its practices.
Artistic practice runs throughout and is deepened in the performance laboratories, ensuring the application of the knowledge acquired.
Teaching and learning methodologies specific to the course unit, articulated with the pedagogical model:
The course unit Thematic History of Music in Portugal is structured in accordance with the DocMus.pt pedagogical model, integrating theory, practice and critical reflection to ensure comprehensive and contextualised learning. Taught in theoretical-practical sessions and laboratory practice sessions, this approach ensures an effective articulation between musicological research and interpretive practice, promoting student autonomy and the development of competences essential to artistic research through practice.
The theoretical-practical sessions provide an in-depth historical framework, analysing documentary sources, scores and sound recordings to understand the aesthetic, cultural and social transformations of Portuguese music. Each session highlights musical circulation and external influences, allowing students to situate repertoires and practices within the context of European and global cultural dynamics. The critical study of musicological texts and historical documents fosters an informed understanding of the evolution of the national repertoire, in line with the analytical dimension of the programme's pedagogical model.
The performance laboratories create a space for practical experimentation, where students can explore repertoires studied in the theoretical sessions. Musical recreation is grounded in the analysis of primary sources and critical editions, promoting historically informed practices. Collaborative work in these laboratories fosters critical thinking and creative experimentation, in line with the centrality of artistic research through practice at DocMus.pt.
The methodology adopted encourages active learning, favouring interaction between historical analysis and performance. Guided listening sessions encourage critical listening and expressive interpretation of repertoires, while direct contact with facsimiles and transcriptions reinforces the historical grounding of interpretive practice. In addition, interdisciplinarity establishes connections between music history, literature, the visual arts and cultural studies, broadening the perception of music's impact on Portuguese cultural identity and consolidating interaction with other artistic and scientific fields, as set out in the pedagogical model.
This approach ensures that students develop solid knowledge of the history of music in Portugal, acquiring technical and analytical competences fundamental to research and musical practice. The balance between theory and practice, research and experimentation, is consistent with the logic of DocMus.pt, preparing doctoral students to articulate historical knowledge, artistic creation and the communication of research results.
Assessment:
Students may choose one of the following formats:
1. Written assignment (approx. 1500 words), in which they develop in-depth research on a topic of their choice within the field of Portuguese Musical Heritage (PMP), grounding their approach in historical sources, musicological analysis and critical framing. 2. Performance project (10–20 minutes), individual or collective, exploring a work or set of works from the PMP. The project may involve undergraduate and master's students from ESMAE, promoting collaboration between different levels of training. 3. Original composition (5–10 minutes), based on repertoires from the PMP, encouraging contemporary creation informed by historical practices and specific stylistic contexts. 4. Audio or audiovisual production (5–10 minutes), centred on a work or set of works from the PMP, exploring new interpretive, documentary or creative approaches.
By 31 May, doctoral students will present their work, followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer session. Assessment will be divided into two moments:
Qualitative assessment, carried out by peers in the course unit, encouraging the exchange of ideas, the development of critical thinking and the capacity to give and receive constructive feedback. Quantitative assessment, carried out by three doctoral programme lecturers, based on the following criteria: - Academic rigour and theoretical grounding (for written and investigative work) - Technical and artistic quality (for performances, compositions and audiovisual productions) - Methodological coherence and creativity - Capacity for critical reflection and contextualisation - Clarity and organisation of the presentation
This process aims to simulate the peer-review model, preparing doctoral students for the defence of their final doctoral work. At the end of the year, each student will receive detailed feedback from lecturers, highlighting strengths and identifying areas for improvement, reinforcing the formative and reflective nature of this assessment.
Students who do not pass the assessment may submit a revised version of the assignment by 30 June.
Demonstration of the coherence between the teaching and assessment methodologies and the course unit's learning outcomes:
The teaching and assessment methodologies of the course unit Thematic History of Music in Portugal are aligned with its learning outcomes, articulating research, artistic practice and critical reflection. Taught in theoretical-practical sessions and laboratory practice sessions, it ensures a balance between historical contextualisation and interpretive application, promoting student autonomy and the development of competences essential to artistic research.
By focusing on thematic content, the course unit allows for an in-depth and critical approach to music in Portugal, avoiding a merely chronological perspective and encouraging cross-cutting analysis of periods, genres and musical practices. Case study and problem-solving favour reflection on musical circulation, external influences and cultural impact. The analysis of documentary sources, scores and sound recordings is complemented by guided listening sessions and contact with facsimiles and transcriptions, reinforcing the historical grounding of musical interpretation.
The performance laboratories enable the application of historically informed interpretation methodologies. The recreation of repertoires is based on the analysis of primary sources and critical editions, encouraging interaction between research and performance. This dynamic fosters interdisciplinarity, establishing connections between music, literature, the visual arts and cultural studies.
Assessment reinforces students' autonomy and critical capacity. The diversity of formats — written assignments, performance projects, compositions and audiovisual productions — allows research to be adapted to each doctoral student's profile, in line with the valuing of artistic practice as a research tool.
By 31 May, doctoral students present their work, followed by a question-and-answer session, simulating the peer-review process and preparing them for the final defence. Qualitative assessment, carried out by peers, encourages feedback and critical reflection, while quantitative assessment, conducted by three lecturers, ensures rigour and methodological coherence.
The alignment between teaching methodologies, assessment and learning outcomes ensures an in-depth understanding of music in Portugal, benefiting from the course unit's thematic structure. This organisation allows for detailed research into specific repertoires and practices, promoting an interconnected view of musical phenomena. The DocMus.pt pedagogical model is grounded in the interaction between research, experimentation and the communication of results, ensuring that doctoral students consolidate the articulation between historical knowledge, interpretive practice and artistic production.
Bibliography (recommended/compulsory reading):
Alvarenga, J. P., & Ferreira, M. P. (Eds.). (2003). New Music, 1400–1600: Papers from an International Colloquium on the Theory, Authorship and Transmission of Music in the Age of the Renaissance. Casa do Sul. Brito, M. C. de. (1989). Opera in Portugal in the eighteenth century. Cambridge University Press. Castelo-Branco, S. e.-S. (Ed.). (2012). Enciclopédia da música em Portugal no século XX. Temas e Debates. Cymbron, L., & Brito, M. C. (1992). História da música portuguesa. Universidade Aberta. Ferreira, M. P. (Coord.). (2009). Antologia de música em Portugal na Idade Média e no Renascimento. Artes das Musas. Ferreira, M. P. (Ed.). (2016). Musical exchanges, 1100–1650: Iberian connections. Reichenberger/Centro de Estudos de Sociologia e Estética Musical. Nery, R. V. (2004). Para uma história do fado. Público / Corda Seca. Vieira de Carvalho, M. (2017). Lopes-Graça e a modernidade musical. Guerra & Paz.
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