Reinterpretation of Ut Queant Laxis: A Dynamic Laboratory of Music History

Type: Short paper - Article nº 1325

Authors: Túlio Ayres¹; Cinthia Ruivo²; João José Félix Pereira (Awaju Poty)¹; Salete Maria Chiamulera Böhler¹

Presenter: Salete Maria Chiamulera Böhler

Institutions: ¹ UNESPAR/EMBAP; ² Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR)

Abstract

This text presents a reinterpretation of the medieval hymn Ut queant laxis as a dynamic laboratory of music history with direct application to music education. The hymn, source of Guido d’Arezzo’s solmization system, is reimagined as a sonic journey that synthesizes centuries of Western aesthetic evolution (Palisca, 2014). The composition articulates distinct stylistic blocks—from medieval monody, parallel and melismatic organum, Renaissance polyphony and modes, Classical-Romantic tonality, to an expanded exploration of the dominant seventh chord combined with contemporary dissonances, including polytonality and minimalism. The original motive (Ut-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La) serves as the unifying thread throughout the work.

The aim is to demonstrate how this composition becomes an innovative pedagogical tool. The work is ideal for guided listening sessions, stylistic recognition, theoretical analysis, modal and contrapuntal studies, harmony practice, and—most importantly—for creative activities that encourage students to compose their own sonic explorations. The piece is linked to the artistic trajectory of composer Awaju Poty (João José Félix Pereira), who integrates classical technique, cultural research—including Guarani Ñandewa culture—and pedagogy, proposing a continuous dialogue between tradition and innovation (Schafer, 2012).

The medieval hymn Ut queant laxis, a landmark in the history of musical notation, transcends its historical importance to become an aesthetic and pedagogical object of study within contemporary music education. The composition revisits its heritage and reinterprets it as a sonic trajectory traversing centuries of musical, linguistic, and stylistic evolution, articulating a progression of stylistic blocks corresponding to the chronology of Western music (Schoenberg, 2012).

Thus, the rereading of Ut queant laxis reveals itself not merely as a homage to tradition, but as a tool for teaching and creation, in which music history becomes alive, interactive, and transformative. By exploring vocal chant within the topography of the piano, the music not only cultivates historical and musical awareness but also develops the pianist’s technique in multiple facets: unison pentachords, contrary motion, chordal technique, polyrhythm, and expressivity guided by the line of the original scale.

References

Palisca, C. V. (2014). Music and Ideas in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. University of Illinois Press.

Schafer, R. M. (2012). O ouvido pensante. Editora UNESP.

Schoenberg, A. (2012). Harmonia. Editora UNESP.