MUSC 101 Section 001 Introduction to Music of the Western Heritage

Spring 1999 January 29th Ð May 19th MWF 9:00-9:50 FA 244

Professor Kathleen Pierson

Office: FA 455 x3646 (410-830-3646)

Office hours: MW 11:00-11:50 (I can also always be found in The Lab FA 387A T/Th 5:00-7:00 if you have a quick question) Other times by appointment.

Textbook: Kamien, Roger. Music: An Appreciation, Third Brief Edition (McGraw-Hill, 1997) (paperback, packaged with a set of three tapes or CDs) (note that glossary and chronology are included, pages 397-429.)

Course requirements:

1. Regular class attendance is a requirement. The final grade may be reduced (at the instructorÕs discretion) in the case of more than two absences, or in the case of habitual lateness to class. If you arrive late to class, it is your responsibility that day to see that you are not marked absent. In order to have an excused absence, you must Ðby your second class after returning from absence - bring notes (doctorÕs note, etc., or handwritten explanation in your own words if formal documentation is not available) explaining the absence AND show that you have photocopied or hand-copied a classmateÕs notes from that day: You will show the copied notes, and give the explanatory note marked MUSC 101, with the date of absence, and your signature.

2. Exam and quizzes: There will be six small quizzes scattered throughout the semester (only the best four will be averaged, the two worst will be forgotten and dropped), and a large cumulative final on Wednesday May 19th at 10:15. The quizzes and the exam will cover material taken both from classroom lecture/listening and from the text and its tapes. Familiarity with the textbookÕs listening examples is expected, and there will be audio sections (music is played, you answer questions about what you hear). Format will be primarily multiple choice, with short answer types of questions also possible. "Make-up exams" are not generally offered, but if you feel that you have an exceptional situation for which a make-up exam should be granted, contact the instructor promptly. If a make-up is granted, it may be in the form of an essay test.

3. One brief typed "concert report" paper will be due Wednesday May 12th. You will need to attend two LIVE musical performances in order to write this paper, and certain restrictions apply to one of the two performances you will be attending. Some additional detail is offered on the attached "ABOUT THE PAPERS" page, and complete explanation will be offered in class. If you would like, you may bring in rough drafts for feedback, anytime prior to May 12th.

GRADING: 1/3 quizzes, 1/3 final exam, 1/3 paper (A90-100, B80-89, C70-79, D60-69, F<60)

I tried plus/minus last semester, and am returning to NO plus/minus grading: if you barely make an A, 90 will be an A, and if you average 89, it is just a B... Remember, attendance can affect final grade: more than two unexcused absences or habitual lateness can lower your grade. Remember, cheating or plagiarism will result (at the very least) in an F in this course.

Objectives of this course:

- to improve listening skills and develop a vocabulary for describing what is heard in terms of elements, form, style period, cultural context.

- to trace the development of musical styles in western culture from medieval to modern times surveying representative works and considering the lives and influence of selected composers.

- to encourage a sense of personal involvement in music, reflecting on personal musical experiences.

General Calendar:

(Note: always STUDY THE LISTENINGS that correspond to the assigned readings!)

Weeks 1-3: How to use the textbookÕs Listening Guides. Western/non-western (just skim pp. 384-396: the specific details on the non-western listening examples will not be on the quizzes or final). Introducing Elements (read pp. 2-59, details will unfold in class over the next few weeks), using Music in the Middle Ages and Music in the Renaissance (read pp. 62-88) to illustrate elements of pitch, rhythm, monophonic/polyphonic textures, and the development of notation. Anonymous, Hildegard, Machaut, Josquin Desprez, Weelkes. A quick overview of the style periods (memorize p. 59).

Weeks 4-5: Baroque composers and developments including rise of orchestra, importance of harpsichord/organ, opera/oratorio/cantata, concerto/sonata/suite (read pp. 92-142), and further explanation of Elements including homophonic texture, instrumental tone colors, tonality, and formal structures. Monteverdi, Bach, Vivaldi, Handel.

Weeks 6-7: Haydn/Mozart/early Beethoven, sonata form, symphony. (read pp. 146-189)

Weeks 8-10: late Beethoven, the Romantic Period (read pp. 189-279) Schubert, the Schumanns and Mendelssohns, Berlioz, Chopin, Liszt, Smetana, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Wagner, Verdi, Puccini.

Weeks 11-14, (last class = May 14th): Turn of the Century and 20th Century (read pp. 282-380), Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg/Berg/Webern, Bartok, Copland, Gershwin, musical theater, electronic music, pop recording industry, living composers, etc. Summary and closure. (PAPERS DUE Wednesday May 12th)

Wednesday MAY 19th 10:15 FINAL. The Final is cumulative. 24 of the 46 listenings from the CD/tape set will be included, to be specified in class during the week of May 10th.

ABOUT THE PAPERS.....

1) Attend two musical events:

One will feature works from the western art music tradition that directly correspond to the concert music, jazz, or musical theater examples on your tape set. Academic (for instance, recitals here in the Fine Arts Concert Hall in this building, or the student opera production in Stephens Hall) or professional (such as performances at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall downtown, or musical theater productions at the Mechanic Theater downtown) are expected: church choirs, pre-college youth recitals, etc. will not be accepted for this part of the paper.

The second can be virtually anything of your choosing, including rock bands, religious musical productions, non-western music, ANYTHING of substance professionally presented. It can also, of course, be another Òconcert setting featuring works from the western art music traditionÓ event.

You are not writing two papers: you are writing about BOTH concerts in a single paper.

SAVE THE TICKET STUB AND PROGRAM AND ANY ADDITIONAL PROGRAM NOTES ETC. TO ATTACH TO YOUR PAPER. If your event had no tickets or no printed program, STATE THAT in the body of your paper. If the event had tickets and printed program, THEY ARE EXPECTED TO BE ATTACHED.

2) Write a paper in keeping with the following guidelines:

Describe the music of each concert. In the case of the western art music concert, PLACE EACH OF THE WORKS IN ITS STYLE PERIOD, DESCRIBE IT IN TERMS OF THE SIGNIFICANT ELEMENTS (like a simplified version of your textÕs Listening Guides), AND CHOOSE AT LEAST ONE EXAMPLE FROM YOUR TAPESET THAT YOU CONSIDER CLOSELY RELATED AND EXPLAIN IN WHAT WAY YOU CONSIDER IT RELATED.In the case of the ÒotherÓ performance, describe the music in terms of the elements. Feel free to also relate it to the tapeset, though that is not a requirement. Your description of the music of each concert (THE MUSIC, not what they were wearing or how you got there late because of car trouble! THE MUSIC!) should be so vivid and specific that if I were to see videos of ALL the concerts described by ALL the students in this class I could pick out "which were yours" by the clarity of your descriptions. You are welcome to add a personal remark (I loved/hated itÓ etc.) IN ADDITION TO - BUT NOT IN PLACE OF - your solid descriptions. It is not necessary to treat the two concerts equally, nor to treat pieces within each concert with equal detail, HOWEVER nothing should be completely left out. Use your common sense: if you attend a rock weekend with 20 bands then you absolutely will not name every piece or even every band, but if you go to a student opera production of two one-acts, you do need to write about both.

THIS IS NOT (I REPEAT: NOT) A "RESEARCH" PAPER, I DO NOT WANT QUOTES FROM TEXT OR OTHER RESEARCH MATERIALS, THIS IS YOUR OWN DESCRIPTION OF YOUR OWN HEARING OF THE MUSIC. THIS IS "DESCRIPTION" AND NOT "RESEARCH" !!!

3) The paper needs to be nicely presented:

*Aim for about 3 or 4 pages (more or less: there are no exact page requirements or limits).

*Write eloquently, with the same style and care you would devote to a paper for an English class.

*Check spelling and punctuation. SPELL COMPOSERS' NAMES CORRECTLY.

*Read your paper out loud to someone before you turn it in, to be sure that its organization and structure are AT LEAST on the level of intelligent conversation.

4) Attach ticket stubs/program, and turn the paper in by the deadline.

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