Academic Bulletin Music - Course Descriptions - 2009-10

Course Descriptions—Introductory Courses

Elements of music and the art of educated listening for students with little or no musical training. The class covers works from the major style periods of Western music, as well as some examples from non-Western traditions, both as examples of their genres and as expressions of the societies that produce them. Students attend and review Music Department concerts and also learn basic music reading skills. Open to all students. This course is offered in the fall and spring semester.

An introduction to the various world musical cultures and practices found outside the Western Classical Art tradition. The course gives an overview of music genres, instrumental types and resources, forms, and styles that originate from selected world music traditions in sub-Saharan Africa, Arabic Africa, Middle East, Near East, North America, South/Latin America, and the Caribbean region. Musical practices are studied in terms of structure, performance, aesthetic values, cross-cultural contacts, contextual function, and significance. Coursework includes weekly reading and listening assignments, musical demonstrations, and hands-on experience, as well as the acquisition and development of listening skills. Open to all students. This course is offered in the fall semester.

A class for all students, regardless of background. Previous topics have included the history of jazz, the symphony, music of Duke Ellington, music of J.S. Bach, music of Beethoven, and music and technology. A class for all students, regardless of background.

This course introduces students to the fundamental components of the language of music and how to read music. Topics include rhythm, pulse, pitch, meter, notation, the piano keyboard, major scales, major key signatures and intervals. The goals of this course are to provide the student with a sound understanding of written musical notation, along with basic skills that promote further music study, performance, and composition. Music 105 does not count toward the major or minor in music. Open to all students. This course is offered in the first half, fall semester.

This course is a continuation of Music 105 and is intended for students who have successfully completed Fundamentals of Music I, or those students who have already mastered the materials and skills covered in Music 105. Topics include minor scales, minor key signatures, other scales and modes, triads, tonality, cadences, chord progressions, melody harmonization, continued keyboard skills and elementary ear-training. Music 106 counts toward the minor, but not the major. This course is offered in the second half, fall semester.

Prerequisite: Music 105, or placement exam.

An introduction to world-music instrumental cultures with an emphasis on organology. A wide selection of traditional instruments will provide a basis for the study of cultural, scientific, and artistic aspects of instrumental music. Specific cultures are illuminated by the examination of aesthetic principles valued by each tradition, the role of musical instruments in culture, the theory of each tradition, and the visual representation of the instrument as both a sound and an art object. The course culminates in a final project. For this project, students may choose to write a term paper, give a class paper presentation, perform on a traditional instrument, or design and build an instrument by constructing a replica of an existing instrument, modifying a traditional instrument, or creating a totally new musical instrument design. This course is offered in the spring semester. 

This course introduces you to the technical and creative aspects of making music in the electronic medium and—through that introduction—provokes you to question, examine, and explore the nature of music and musical experience. We will learn what others have done in the electronic medium throughout its history, work in an electronic music studio to discover what’s possible now, and discuss both the benefits and potential pitfalls of working as musicians in this rich and flexible but easily abused medium. Topics include: music and the electronic medium; the science of sound; transducers; electrical signals and connections; tape recorders; multi-track recording techniques; mixing techniques; sound processing; digital recording and editing; digital sound processing; composition and the electronic medium. Since much of the discovery process in this course must take place “hands-on”, you are required to spend six hours in the Electronic Music Studios (EMS) in addition to two regular class meetings and reading assignments each week. This course is open to students of all academic interests; non-majors are encouraged to enroll. This course is offered in the fall semester.

Open only to sophomores and above or by permission of the instructor.

Course Descriptions—Ensembles and Music Lessons

Participation in performing ensembles may be taken in addition to the 34 course credits required for graduation. Students must participate in ensembles for a full year. Grades are assigned only on a credit/no credit basis and do not compute in the student's GPA; however, this information is listed on transcripts. These courses may be added to a student's normal load without special permission.

Does not count towards distribution.

Students earn one-half course credit for two contiguous semesters of individual instruction in voice, piano, guitar, or one of the standard instruments of the orchestra. The student receives twelve half-hour lessons in each semester, and thus the full course consists of 24 half-hour lessons. The course may be repeated once, for a total of one credit (four semesters of study). Students may continue beyond a fourth semester, but additional semesters cannot be taken for credit. Students taking lessons for credit are tested and graded at the end of each semester; the final grade is assigned after the completion of two semesters of study. Music 261 and 361 are not given on a credit/no credit basis. Students who opt to take one-hour lessons will receive no additional credit, and must pay in full for the additional half-hour. For any student who signs up for one-hour lessons, there will be an increased expectation both in preparation and in testing. In Music 261 and 361, students will go beyond the purely technical aspects of singing or playing an instrument. They will be expected to master a variety of repertoire, and to understand historical, cultural, analytic, and stylistic aspects of works studied in applied instruction. Students enrolled in Music 261/361 are expected to perform in at least one student recital during the academic year. Music majors are required to take individual instruction for two years. The two-year course counts as one of the nine credits toward the major. Music minors are required to take individual instruction for one year. The one-year course counts as one-half credit toward the minor. All students who wish to receive individual instruction for credit, including majors, minors, and non-majors, must show minimal proficiency, both in reading music and in playing the instrument of choice (or in matching pitch if voice lessons are desired) before beginning instruction for credit. Eligibility for credit will be determined by the Music Department through an entrance audition and a music theory exam offered during the first week of each semester. The usual semester sequence is Fall-Spring, but under unusual circumstances and with the permission of the Music Department, a student may begin lessons in the spring semester and complete them in the fall.

Students earn one-half course credit for the completion of two contiguous semesters of individual instruction in voice, piano, guitar, or one of the standard instruments of the orchestra. The student receives twelve half-hour lessons in each semester. Each ½ credit course consists of 24 half-hour lessons. Students may take only one 2 semester section of MUS 261, and only one 2 semester section of MUS 361, for a total of one credit (four semesters of study). Students may continue beyond a fourth semester, but additional semesters cannot be taken for credit. Students taking lessons for credit are tested and graded at the end of each semester; the final grade is assigned after the completion of two semesters of study. Music 261 and 361 are not given on a credit/no credit basis. Students who opt to take one-hour lessons will receive no additional credit, and must pay in full for the additional half-hour. For any student who signs up for one-hour lessons, there will be an increased expectation both in preparation and in testing. In Music 261 and 361, students will go beyond the purely technical aspects of singing or playing an instrument. They will be expected to master a variety of repertoire, and to understand historical, cultural, analytic, and stylistic aspects of works studied in applied instruction. Students enrolled in Music 261/361 are expected to perform in at least one student recital during the academic year. Music majors are required to take individual instruction for two years. The two-year course (MUS 261/361) counts as one of the nine credits toward the major. Music minors are required to take individual instruction for one year. The one-year course counts as one-half credit toward the minor. All students who wish to receive individual instruction for credit, including majors, minors, and non-majors, must show minimal proficiency, both in reading music and in playing the instrument of choice (or in matching pitch if voice lessons are desired) before beginning instruction for credit. Eligibility for credit will be determined by the Music Department through an entrance audition and a music theory exam offered during the first week of each semester. The usual semester sequence is Fall-Spring, but under unusual circumstances and with the permission of the Music Department, a student may begin lessons in the spring semester and complete them in the fall.

Course Descriptions—Music History

The rise of Western art music from religious and folk traditions; Gregorian chant and early polyphonic genres; the growth of polyphony in mass, motet, and madrigal; early instrumental music; European genres of the 17th and 18th centuries: opera, oratorio, cantata, concerto, suite, sonata, keyboard music. Some emphasis on the music of J.S. Bach.

A study of the evolution of styles and genres from the mid 18th to the early 19th centuries, with a special focus on the music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. The course will consider these composers' transformations of musical language in the sonata symphony, concerto, opera, chamber music, and sacred music. This course is offered in the fall semester.

A study of Romanticism and its relation to music, as expressed in absolute music, program music, music drama, and other forms. The course covers major works and significant styles ranging from Schubert to Mahler. This course is offered in the spring semester.

A survey of developments in Western art music from 1900 to the present, with emphasis on increasingly diverse cultural/aesthetic concerns and compositional techniques in the first half of the 20th century, and on experimental departures from European tradition after 1945. Topics include impressionism, expressionism, futurism, atonality, the twelve-tone system, neoclassicism, the influence of European folk musics on classical composition, integral serialism, indeterminacy, textural music, pluralism, minimalism, music and language, and electronic music.

Prerequisite: Music 101 or its equivalent.

Course Descriptions—Music Theory Sequence

The Music Theory sequence is designed to develop your understanding of the rich grammar and syntax of common-practice functional tonality. This objective is approached through listening, analysis, and writing. Aural skills (the ability to perceive and reconstruct/represent musical events) and basic musicianship skills (sight-singing and basic keyboard performance) will be stressed throughout the course alongside analysis and conception, as any real understanding of music is inconceivable without such abilities. Each theory course requires weekly musicianship meetings and related work in the Computer-Assisted Music Exploration Lab in addition to the three weekly class sessions.

The three-semester sequence is required of, but not limited to, music majors. All students wishing to enroll in Theory I must either successfully complete Music 106 (Fundamentals of Music II) or pass an exam/audition to place them out of Music 106. Since the theory sequence is offered in a rotating schedule, starting over every fourth semester, interested students are encouraged to take the exam/audition (and, if deemed necessary, Music 105-106) early in their academic careers in order to be prepared when Theory I comes around in the rotation.

This course begins with a review of intervals and triads, followed by an examination of higher-order pitch-related and rhythmic structural aspects of tonal music (consonance and dissonance; functional tonality; meter and tonal rhythm). From this study of functional tonal harmony in both its vertical and broader horizontal aspects, we move on to examine the notion of form in music, including: general melodic characteristics; tonality and harmonic implication in melody; tendency tones; melodic cadences; motives; phrases and periods; structure and embellishment in melody.

Prerequisite: Music 106 or exam.

This course further examines musical structure through the rigorous compositional study of simple and compound melodic lines, species counterpoint, and three- and four-part chorale textures. The tonal palette is generally constrained to diatonic triads, seventh chords, and non-chord tones. This course is offered inthe fall semester.

Prerequisite: Music 201.

This course is a continuation of elements of music theory acquired in MUS 301. Students will finish study of chromatic harmony; learn tonal harmony of the late nineteenth century; 20^th century music theory; and classical sonata form. This is the third course of the three-course music theory sequence. This course is offered in the spring semester.

Prerequisite: Music 301.

Course Descriptions—Advanced Courses

Permission for independent work must be granted before registering. Appropriate forms are available in the department chair’s office. This course is offered in the fall and spring semesters.

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

Permission for independent work must be granted before registering. Appropriate forms are available in the department chair’s office. This course is offered in the fall and spring semesters.

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

This is an advanced topics course, which changes from year to year. Previous topics have included American Music, Choral Literature, and Major Figures of Jazz. This course may be repeated for credit when a different topic is offered. This course is offered in the spring semester.

Prerequisite: Music 201 or permission of the instructor.

This course gives advanced students an opportunity to engage in deep analysis and compositional exploration. Students enrolling for a full-course credit will be given listening assignments and will be asked to analyze music related to their analysis or composition projects. This course is offered in the fall and spring semesters.

Prerequisites: Music 302 and permission of the instructor.

This course gives advanced students an opportunity to engage in deep analysis and compositional exploration. Students enrolling for a full-course credit will be given listening assignments and will be asked to analyze music related to their analysis or composition projects. This course is offered in the fall and spring semesters.

Prerequisites: Music 302 and permission of the instructor.

A capstone course for music majors emphasizing connections between theory, history, and practice. Through an in-depth study of three seminal masterpieces (e.g., Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony or Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire), this seminar considers the interrelations of analysis, historical and stylistic awareness, and performance practice. The course is offered every fall and is required of all music majors.

Open only to music majors.