WOMEN IN MUSIC

Fall Semester 2003

MUS 220/320 WMST 220Ð01-J MWF 8:30 Ð 9:20 Burton Hall Rm 14 4 credits

Exam Schedule A = Tuesday December 16, 2:00 Ð 4:00 PM

Professor Kathleen Pierson, piersonk@denison.edu

Doane Dance Building Room 303, X6392, Office Hours MW 1:30 Ð 2:30

Required Course Materials:

1) Text: Bowers, Jane and Tick, Judith (ed.), Women Making Music, University of Illinois Press, 1986.

(paperback, a collection of scholarly essays on various topics about the history of women in music)

2) 2-CD Recorded Anthology: Briscoe, James (ed.), Historical Anthology of Music by Women, Indiana University Press, 1987.

(2 CDs in one case, with 33 recorded examples of representative works in various genres by women composers spanning roughly a millennium) (Note: Briscoe's same-title book of accompanying scores is on reserve in the library for those of you who read music)

3) CD: The Women's Philharmonic Koch International Classics 3-7169-2HI, 1992

(woman-conducted performances of woman-composed orchestral works spanning roughly a century)

There is also a folder of electronic reserve (eRes) materials online for you in Denison Library Reserves.

You will regularly receive handout pages in class from a "Professor Packet" which I am in the process of revising.

Course Objectives:

~ to discover and consider women's various roles and positions in music, currently and historically.

~ to hear and remember a variety of recorded examples of music composed or performed by women.

~ to integrate "musical" and "feminist" approaches into an articulate overview of this field.

Course Rationale:

In the standard canon of western art music, women are marginal at best. There are textbooks covering a thousand years of music history with hardly a whisper of any woman's name. Why? Are there no "great" women composers? What is "great" music? If women are capable of excellence in music, then what could be some of the other reasons we would not know about their work? Who cares if women's compositions are seldom programmed or recorded? Who cares if women are not included in the canon? Even as performers (rather than composers) of music, are women somehow inferior to men? Members of the internationally influential Vienna Philharmonic have openly stated that being forced to admit women would be the ruin of their orchestra. Is there any way for women who are successful in music to be seen as more than mere anomalies? So many successful women spring to mind in pop music, but in our culture the rift between pop music and art music is so complete that music historians generally dismiss the entire category of pop music as inconsequential. And even in pop music Ð is "success" gendered? Are visual image and persona more marketable than the music itself? If so, what images are we culturally "buying into?" What are the feminist positions on these issues? Is there a feminine "voice," and can it manifest musically? If there is a "feminine" in music, do you best support and celebrate it by isolation (separatism), or by mainstreaming (inclusion)? In the introduction to your (1986) text, Bowers and Tick write about "women's crippling internalization of their culturally determined marginality." Could this be real? Could this in any way parallel other (race, class, lifestyle) struggles? Why make such a big deal about "women in music" now anyway, when women and men have such equal opportunity... Right?

Focusing on a millennium of western music history, several decades of related feminist theory, and the current state of musical affairs, this class will grapple with these kinds of questions.

Grading:

Ongoing Activity and Commitment: Attendance, Classroom Participation, and Outside Assignments 20%

Two Unit Tests 20% each (a total of 40% of your final grade)

A Combination Paper/ Presentation 20%

Final Exam (cumulative, covering the entire semester) 20%

Being present, being on time, and being actively engaged in class are all expected. You are responsible for finding out what you missed if you are ever absent. Absences can only be excused if there are formal reasons (such as athletic event participation, documented illness, etc.) AND you show that you have a copy of the notes from the missed class and have completed any missed work. More than two UNexcused absences will lower your letter grade for the course, as a reflection of the "Attendance, Classroom Participation, and Outside Assignments" portion of your grade. Chronic lateness or leaving early also will be noted and could impact your grade, with three noticeable latenesses roughly equaling an absence.

There will be a succession of simple assignments, all due on Mondays, never accepted late (due your first day back if you are absent on a Monday), checked off simply as either "completed" or "excellent." If computers are involved, please print out at least a rough version BEFORE Monday morning, so that if power goes out or the network goes down you will still have something to turn in. The general success of your assignments, taken as a whole at semester's end, will affect your letter grade, particularly if you are "borderline" in which case any missing assignments will definitely tilt you lower, whereas successive "excellents" will assure you of the higher of the two borderline grade choices.

There will be two Unit Tests, each worth 20%. Format may include some multiple choice, some fill in the blanks, some short answer, and choices among several possible brief essay questions. There will be actual Listening Questions, where recorded examples are played and you will identify them and be able to write about them. The other, Non-Listening, questions may be drawn from the text, from outside assignments, or from classroom material and discussions.

Make-up tests will only be granted under the most extreme and formally documented circumstances, and if a make-up test is given it may be in a different format than the original test had been (for example, all essay questions, or all listening questions).

The Paper/ Presentation will be brief but challenging, requiring you to articulate some comparison, analysis, or personal conclusion rather than just gathering and reporting straight facts. Some class time will be spent in preparation for this, and you will be given a handout describing the process and the specifics of the grading in great detail. You will also be given a list of possible topics, which you may use to develop and propose your own personal topic. Papers and Presentations given by students in this same course last year here may not be used this year, in the interest of discouraging "handing down" projects already done, and in the interest of encouraging this year's students to truly develop personal individual interests. First, you will work on gathering ideas and you will submit a proposal. Once your topic is approved, you will create the Presentation, and be scheduled to Present to the class. Finally (incorporating any insights gained from the process of Presenting), you will turn in your "matching" Paper (no specific length requirements).

The Final Exam is similar in format to the Unit Tests, and is also worth 20%. However - unlike Unit Tests Ð the Final is CUMULATIVE, that is, it covers all the material of this course from day one to the end.

Academic Dishonesty: I personally have zero tolerance for academic dishonesty, and you risk (at the very least) failing this course if you are found to be cheating or plagiarizing in any way at any time in this class. Please review the HandbookÕs crystal clear definitions of what constitutes Academic Dishonesty.

Students With Disabilities: If you desire accommodation based on the impact of a disability, let me know (privately) as soon as possible so that we can discuss your specific needs. (We rely on the Office of Academic Support in 104 Doane to verify the need for reasonable accommodations based on documentation on file in their office). In addition to these formally documented needs, I do encourage every student to be forthcoming about academic difficulties or fears, so that I have the chance to help if I can, or to help find other help (from the Office of Academic Support etc) if that seems appropriate.

****************************Important Dates****************************************

Sept 26: Last day to drop without any penalty.

UNIT TEST #1 tentatively scheduled for WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 8th

Oct 3: Last day to submit S/U grading petitions

Oct 13: Mid-semester grades (all freshmen/sophomores + other struggling students) turned in to Registrar.

UNIT TEST #2 tentatively scheduled for WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 12th

PRESENTATIONS tentatively scheduled November 14th through 21st and Dec 1st through 5th, with

PAPERS DUE MONDAY DEC 8th.

Nov 22 Ð 30 Thanksgiving Fall BREAK Week ...We DO have class Friday Nov 21 and Monday Dec 1.

FINAL EXAM is scheduled Grid A = TUESDAY DECEMBER 16th 2:00 Ð 4:00 PM

*************************************************************************************

PLANNED TOPICS, AND YOUR READING/ LISTENING SCHEDULE:

THIS COURSE IS **NOT** PRESENTED IN LINEAR "PAGE 1 TO THE END" FASHION!

OUR "TOPICAL" APPROACH PRESENTS READINGS/LISTENINGS "OUT OF ORDER"...

Week 1, Sept 1 Ð 5: Start of Unit 1, Introductory Explorations. Read/Listen: By Friday Sept 5, read Bowers & Tick Ch 10, 11, and 12 pp 249 Ð 324, and the Introduction Ch 1 pp 3 Ð 13. Listen to Briscoe CD #1 tracks 15 and 19, and CD #2 track 14, and Wm's Phil tracks 2, 3, and 4. Clara Schumann, Luise Adolpha Le Beau, and Dame Ethel Smyth. In class, we will also hear excerpts of the music of Amy Beach, Ellen Zwilich, and Linda Worsley. What's the significance of the Worsley/ Baer story? Laurie Anderson, Pauline Oliveros, and Meredith Monk. "mainstream" vs. "fringe" or "avant garde" in music.

Week 2, Sept 8 Ð 12: continuing in Unit 1. Read/Listen: By Monday Sept 29, read Bowers & Tick Ch 9, 13, and 15 pp 224 Ð 242, 325 Ð 345, and 370 Ð 384. Listen to Briscoe CD #1 tracks 13 and 18, and CD #2 tracks 4 and 5, and WmÕs Phil track 1. "Domestic" vs "Public" spheres.

Week 3, Sept 15 Ð 19: continuing in Unit 1. Readings will be assigned from the online eRes electronic reserves. Also Read: By Friday Sept 12, Bowers and Tick Ch 14 pp 349 Ð 365. "historiography" "canon" Basics of feminist theory as applied to music. compensatory history, crippling internalization, anxiety of authorship, separatism vs. inclusion. Vienna Phil, Aaron Copland, Abbie Conant, Kaija Saariaho.

Week 4, Sept 22 Ð 26: continuing Unit 1. How do we consume music, and who are some women involved in influencing our music-consumer tastes and habits? (no new assigned readings, you will be working on first drafts of paper/ presentation proposals)

Week 5, Sept 29 Ð Oct 3: finishing Unit 1. Is the situation for women in western (European/American) musical culture different from the situation for women in music in other parts of the world? Compared to the issue of gender, how do other fringe categorizations (race, class status, age, physical appearance, lifestyle) affect things for women in music? (no new assigned readings, you will be collecting pages to share from print and Internet resources)

Week 6, Oct 6 Ð 10: "The Game" (I will explain) as Review on Monday, Unit Test #1 on Wednesday Oct 8, return of test and start of Unit 2, An Historical Scan, on Friday.

Week 7, Oct 13 Ð 17: continuing in Unit 2. Read/Listen: by Oct 13, skim for main ideas and general overview Bowers & Tick Ch 2 through 6 pp 15 through 167 (but do not panic, much is notes charts and pictures). Listen to Briscoe CD #1 tracks 2, 4, 5, 6. Hildegard. Countess of Dia, Casulana. Concerto Delle Donne. Caccini. Leonarda.

Week 8, Oct 20 Ð 24: continuing in Unit 2. Read/Listen: by Oct 20, close reading of Bowers & Tick Ch 7 and 8 pp 168 Ð 216 (you have now read all of the text). Listen to Briscoe CD #1 tracks 7, 8, 9, 10. Strozzi. de la Guerre. Concert Spirituel, Italian orphanages, von Martinez, von Paradis (and Mozart!).

Week 9, Oct 27 Ð 31: continuing in Unit 2. Listen: by Oct 27, Listen to Briscoe CD #1 tracks 12, 16, 17 and CD #2 tracks 1 and 6, and Wm's Phil tracks 5 through 9 (you have now heard all of Wm's Phil). Szymanowska, the Mendelssohns and the Schumanns, Le Beau, Farrenc, Viardot-Garcia, Beach, the Boulangers, Tailleferre.

Week 10, Nov 3 Ð 7: finishing Unit 2. Listen: by Nov 3, Listen to Briscoe CD #2 tracks 3, 9, 12 (you have now heard all the tracks of Briscoe that we will be including in this class). Smyth, Clark, Crawford, Bacewicz, Archer, Zwilich. Saariaho. Alberta Hunter and Women in Jazz. WW II USO music.

Week 11, Nov 10 Ð 14: "The Game" as Review on Monday, Unit Test #2 on Wednesday Nov 12, return of test and start of student Presentations on Friday.

Week 12, Nov 17 Ð 21: Presentations

(Nov 22 Ð 30 we are off for Thanksgiving Fall Break Week, have a great week!)

Week 13, Dec 1 Ð 5: Presentations

Week 14, Dec 8 Ð 12: Papers due Monday Dec 8. Daily class material to be determined. Prep for Final.

Final Exam Tuesday Dec 16, 2 Ð 4 PM

RETAIN THIS SYLLABUS FOR REFERENCE.

WHEN THERE ARE HANDOUTS IN CLASS, RETAIN THEM ALSO, SINCE THE FINAL IS CUMULATIVE AND YOU WILL WANT TO BE ABLE TO REVIEW BOTH YOUR OWN NOTES AND ANY HANDOUTS FROM THE ENTIRE SEMESTER.

TO RETURN TO KATHLEEN PIERSON'S HOME PAGE, CLICK HERE