Home > Music > Mauricio Kagel > Discography

Mauricio Kagel Quodlibet Release Date: 1991 Label: Col Legno Composed between 1986 and 1988, this work is scored for female voices and orchestra. Introduced toward the middle of the 16th century, the "quodlibet" vocal music form was a collage or compression of melodies currently in fashion. Kagel recalls one example 58 measures long that contained fragments of 39 songs, "a kind of Reader's Digest for the listeners of the time" (Kagel). This was also related to the practices of "disputations of quodlibet," an exercise of rhetoric on subjects chosen at random at the Sorbonne during the Renaissance. By employing French song texts of the 15th century, Kagel is able to present a social overview and analysis of that time with all its contradictions, not so different from ours -- chastity is valued but matters of the heart and "virtuous sensuality" are equally praised, chivalry is highlighted but that is also used to excuse political wrangling and weapon making (arms development). Love and dream texts are interwoven with martial texts. The complex, dissonant yet melodic and highly entertaining Weill-like music exaggerates the sentimentality and the martiality into grotesque and humorous portraits. "Blue" Gene Tyranny, All Music Guide Releases: Year Type Label 1991 Col Legno

Similar Artists: Karlheinz Stockhausen John Zorn More >>

Influenced By: John Cage More >> Followers: Lars-Gunnar Bodin John Wall More >>

Browse More Music:
# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z