¿Cómo y por qué se lee la música?

Abstract

Music has not always been written down. In Western culture, musical notes on a score discreetly appeared in the Middle Ages, by Guido de Arezzo. Why until this moment? What was the need for writing the music? How did such an abstract language -as the musical is-, become concrete in a system of signs, signals and symbols? In addition to answering these questions, the article speaks about the classical modal music (and its oral tradition), as well as modern languages ​​that are difficult to write down on a score (such as jazz swing or the aesthetic  Bartók and Penderecki proposals). Finally, the author reflects on self-learning and musical illiteracy as barriers to the development of musicians.