MUSC - Music

A study of the basic concepts and skills of diatonic music: chords in major and minor keys, voice-leading, part-writing, harmonic progressions, introductory analysis, non-chord tones. Musicianship portion to include recognition of scales, intervals, triads, seventh chords, and rhythms, plus executing rhythms and sight-singing with solmization.

A survey of western art music from a listener’s point of view, the styles and composers of the various periods, and the relationship of music to the other arts and to its social and historical background.

This class is a survey of “country & western” music (or, more familiarly, “country music”). We will discuss the history of the genre, starting with its origins in cowboy music, folk music, blues, and other genres in the American south and Midwest; progressing through to radio and screen in the 1930s, thanks to shows like Grand Ole Opry; continuing to its assimilation into rock n’ roll with the advent of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and others; and into the present day and the many genres (alternative country, crossover country, neocountry) into which it has splintered. Along the way, we will see—and hear—how the genre of country music has responded to, reflected, and influenced major historical and cultural milestones in American history, including the “Golden Age” of Hollywood; the building of the Interstate Highway System and the birth of “trucker culture”; the Cold War; the Middle East Wars and 9/11; and the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements.

This course will survey selected stage works of American musical theater and Broadway, from the early twentieth century to the approximate present. We will study these works alongside the historical circumstances during which they were written to see how the latter influenced the writing and reception of the former. Among the musicals to be studied are Show Boat, Oklahoma!, West Side Story, Cabaret, Company, Cats, and Rent. No musical experience is required for this course.

This course will survey the history of American rock and roll from its origins in the early twentieth century to the approximate present. We will study the various stylistic milestones of rock music (blues, the "British invasion," the grunge movement, etc.) as well as the cultural, social, and political circumstances that gave rise to these developments. Among the issues we will discuss are: the African-American roots of rock and roll, and the degree to which those roots are acknowledged or overlooked today; the commercialization of rock and roll; the role of gender in rock and roll production and reception; the cultural politics of the Civil Rights Era and the Vietnam War, and their influence on rock music; the advent of MTV and its effect on the marketing of rock music; the "postmodern" culture of the late 1990s and its ongoing influence on rock music today.

Prerequisite: MUSC 101 or exemption by examination; or permission of instructor.

A continuation of concepts from MUSC 101. Basic principles of 4-part voice leading, an introduction to species counterpoint, all non-harmonic tones, harmonic progression and sequence, cadences, phrases, periods and sentences. Voice leading for seventh chords and secondary dominants. Aural skills include recognition of all diatonic intervals, including compound intervals, triads and seventh chords in all inversions. Melodic and two-part dictation, sight singing with solmization.

In this course, we will study the use of music in movies. We will focus on two broad areas: 1) The analysis and interpretation of film soundtracks, with particular attention to the relationship between music and image; 2) A historical survey of soundtracks, with particular attention to style, genre, and influence from select moments in this history of film. The class will culminate in a final research paper in which students will write a critical exegesis and critique of select aspects of film music.

This course surveys the history of jazz from its origins in the early twentieth century to the approximate present. We will study the various stylistic milestones of jazz such as big band jazz, bebop, cool jazz, etc., as well as the cultural, social, and political circumstances that gave rise to these developments. Among the issues we will discuss are: the roots of jazz in blues music and other African-American music of the early twentieth century; the spread of jazz to white American culture in the 1920s; the birth of bebop against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Era; the use of jazz as Cold War propaganda; and the various “cross-over” jazz movements in the later twentieth century.

A survey of the non-Western musical cultures of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and North America within the context of ethnomusicology, aesthetics, cultural anthropology and ethnic diversity. 

Occasional special courses, taught on a one-time basis. Topics have included study trips to Europe, a Beethoven research class, and opera history and literature.

Prerequisites: MUSC 201. A study of advanced, late, and post-tonal harmony and various twentieth-century systems including atonal and serial techniques, plus study of counterpoint and fugal analysis and formal analysis of works. Each student will undertake analysis of a large work for a report and class presentation.

Prerequisites: MUSC 201. This class surveys Western art music from 800 A.D. to 1800, covering the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and early Romantic periods. We will discuss the major composers of these periods alongside major historical milestones such as the Reformations, the Age of Enlightenment, and the French Revolution.

Prerequisites: MUSC 201 This class surveys Western art music from 1800 to the present, covering the late Romantic, modern, and postmodern periods. We will discuss the major composers of these periods alongside major historical milestones such as the revolutions of 1848, the First and Second World Wars, the Civil Rights Era, and the internet age.

Prerequisites: Completion of the Literary Analysis and the Visual and Performing Arts areas of the core. In this class we will survey the writings of philosophers, artists and other figures who attempted to explain why music appeals to us and what the musical experience says about human nature. Readings will be taken from antiquity, the distant past, and the present day. Our goal will be: (1) to study how philosophers have attempted to explain what the musical experience says about human nature; (2) to study what these explanations say about the time periods and cultures from which they came.

(May be repeated for a maximum of 4 credits) An opportunity for qualified juniors or seniors to assist in the teaching of music theory or history. Interested students are selected by the department. Grading is on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

Prerequisite: Permission of the department.

An intensive study of a musical topic, usually an individual composer, genre, or specific body of music. Students will research primary and secondary literature on the topic. May be conducted in a group when several students pursue the same study.

An upper-level special topics course offered at the discretion of the department. The content and methods vary with the interest of students and faculty members

Prerequisite: Open to junior and senior music majors, with permission of the department. Supervised part-time work in a musical setting approved by the department. Grading is on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

Prerequisites: Completion of all music theory and music history requirements for the major in music history and literature. The course may, if necessary, be taken in conjunction with the last semester of theory and the last 3 credits of music history. A capstone research project in which the student will work one-on-one with a professor in writing a significant historical paper in music history and literature. The student will present his or her findings in a public reading at the end of the semester of study.

Prerequisites: Completion of at least 8 credits of applied piano and all other requirements for the concentration in piano pedagogy. This course is usually taken in the senior year. A capstone experience for the piano pedagogy track. Students will observe and critique piano lessons in the department, write several chapters of a sample method book and teach several students of varying ability, under the supervision of a faculty member. The piano students will perform their pieces for a panel of faculty pianists for evaluation.

Prerequisite: By invitation of the department. The departmental honors paper is a two-semester senior-year program designed for students who wish to pursue intensive research or special projects in close coordination with faculty advisers. Departmental honors students are known as the Christine P. Tischer Scholars and receive 6 credits for this work.

Prerequisite: By invitation of the department. The departmental honors paper is a two-semester senior-year program designed for students who wish to pursue intensive research or special projects in close coordination with faculty advisers. Departmental honors students are known as the Christine P. Tischer Scholars and receive 6 credits for this work.