Name
Reinterpretation of Ut Queant Laxis: A Dynamic Laboratory of Music History.
Date & Time
Monday, July 27, 2026, 5:05 PM - 5:20 PM
Description
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—ranging 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 the dissonances of contemporary sonorities, 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, thus rendering music history alive, interactive, and transformative within the teaching-learning environment (Schafer, 2012). The medieval hymn Ut queant laxis, a landmark in the history of musical notation for having provided the syllables of Guido d’Arezzo’s solmization system, transcends its historical importance to become an aesthetic and pedagogical object of study within contemporary music education. The proposal to reinterpret it through a new composition presents itself as a genuine dynamic laboratory of music history, capable of transforming the acquisition of historical knowledge into an integrated musical experience. The composition under analysis revisits the heritage of Ut queant laxis and reinterprets it as a sonic trajectory traversing centuries of musical, linguistic, and stylistic evolution. It is a piece that articulates 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.
Location Name
515B
Full Address
Palais des Congres - Montréal Convention Centre
1001, Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle
Montreal QC H2Z 1H2
Canada
Session Type
Short Paper Presentation
Presenting Author(s)
Salete Maria Chiamulera Böhler