Discussing the history of music would, in principle, mean highlighting hundreds of works by great authors and specialists who have sometimes dedicated their entire lives to the subject. This short article approaches the topic from the ethnic perspective of the corpus pensante—the intellectual body that at times absorbs divergent cultures and at other times supplants, erases, or relegates them to the category of exotic music.
Among the probable reasons that have contributed over the centuries to establishing an unquestionable state of consciousness and legitimacy for this music—which has since been exported to other continents—one could cite the following:
- Organology: The technological mastery of instrument making, supported by mechanical, acoustic, and physical sciences.
- Form and Notation: The influence of Hellenic rhythms and Roman poetry in structuring musical forms. From a stylistic perspective, the Europeanization of the instrumental suite through popular and court dances (from the 17th and 18th centuries)—such as the allemande, courante, sarabande, and gigue—led to its transformation into the sonata. The sonata form itself is based on the structure of discourse (exposition, development, recapitulation), which directly correlates with rhetorical principles (Expositio, Elaboratio, Peroratio).
- Ideas and Aesthetics: Closely linked to the visual arts, including paintings and altarpieces in churches, as well as European philosophical systems, poetry (Lieder and songs), and literature (librettos for operas and epic themes for program music).
- Patrons, Institutions, and Multidisciplinary Discussion Groups: Organizations such as the Camerata Bardi fostered debates on artistic themes.
This provides a strong basis for discussion to further examine this phenomenon:
- After addressing the four previous points, the fifth element to highlight is the exportation of this music, facilitated by Eurocentrism, with the support of both royal courts and the Church.
- The absorption or dilution of other musical thought systems under the banner of the Christian cross, through choral models, masses, and religious processions (for example, the bandoneon, an instrument originally invented to imitate the organ during Protestant processions).
- The concept of universal music as opposed to the diversity of musical theories and their symbolic significance (ethnomethodology).