The concise and efficient first total synthesis of 6-O-methyl anciscochine, employing a tandem C–C/C–N formation approach via a rhodium-catalyzed C–H activation/alkenylation/annulation strategy, is reported. This heterocycle was isolated from the liana Ancystrocladus tectorius and features a unique 3-hydroxymethylisoquinoline core that is found in a few other natural products and in some bioactive synthetic compounds. The synthesis, which was executed in four high-yielding steps and a global yield of 43%, involved the oximation of commercial 2,4-dimethoxyacetophenone under CeCl3·7H2O-promotion, followed by pivaloylation of the oxime. A one-pot pivaloxime-directed alkenyl­ation/annulation stage with methyl acrylate, furthered by a NaBH4/ CaCl2­-mediated reduction of the resulting isoquinoline 3-carboxylate ester completed the sequence.

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Recent studies on musical signification have been characterized by an apparently insurmountable gap between disciplines that focus on the musical text as sound (music theory, musicology), those that focus on the hearing subject (cognitive sciences, psychology of music), and those that focus on social discourses about music (ethnomusicology, anthropology, sociology). This article argues that the most recent theoretical advances in music semiotics provide means to overcome this gap. After a brief examination of some key concepts in music semiotics, the author identifies three approaches to this problem: the semiotic-hermeneutic approach, the cognitive-embodied approach, and the social-political approach. This classification allows him to introduce a brief methodological proposal for the study of musical signification from different academic perspectives.Originally published in Spanish in Cuadernos de Música, Artes Visuales, y Artes Escénicas 7, no. 1 (January 2011):39-77.