Music 111: Introduction to Music

Music 111: Introduction To Music

Spring 2021 (M-W-F, 11:00-11:50) Steve Saunders Office: 235 Bixler/Phone: x5677/email: [email protected] Class Homepage: http://www.colby.edu/music/saunders/MU111 Class Moodle Page: https://moodle.colby.edu/course/view.php?id=212758 Office Hours: Just about any time via Zoom!

Overview

Music 111 provides an overview of Western art music from the earliest surviving examples of notated music through classical compositions of the present. The first two weeks of the course furnish an introduction to fundamentals of music theory and develop a technical vocabulary for discussing music. The remainder of the course unfolds chronologically, covering the so-called Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern/Post-Modern periods.

Music 111 is, in part, a history course: you will study composers' biographies and the cultures in which various musical compositions arose. Yet the emphasis will be less on facts about music, than on musical works themselves--above all on music's mysterious power to move us. Much of the time you devote to the course will be spent in an activity that should be enriching, and often, thrilling: listening to some of the greatest masterworks of Western music. While conventional study skills will come in handy in this course, it will be equally critical for you to develop your ability to listen analytically. In other words, plan on spending lots of time listening.

Textbook Purchases

• R. Larry Todd, Discovering Music, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020).

Be sure to purchase a copy of the textbook with an access code to the publisher’s Dashboard feature whose silver coating has not been removed. Most of the listening assignments are on-line and require access via Dashboard.

After purchasing your textbook, follow the instructions in the text to register your copy here:

https://oup.instructure.com/

Links to the text’s website are found on the class web page: www.colby.edu/music/saunders/MU111

If we are forced to move to remote instruction, we may use additional resources from the textbook website, which can be accessed here: https://oup.instructure.com/enroll/GWPKMJ

Requirements and Evaluation

You will integrate information from a variety of sources in MU111: from lectures, from assigned readings in the text and on e-reserve, from listening assignments on the textbook website, and from other listening assignments available as streaming audio from our class webpages, http://www.colby.edu/music/saunders/MU111. The web-based assignments will guide your listening to assigned works, augment information from the text or lectures, and help you to improve your listening skills. You are responsible for all assigned reading and listening on exams. You may also want to use the study aids on our class web page and on the Discovering Music website. Your grade will be based on:

1. Scores from four (4) hour exams (60%).

The listening portion of the exams will contain some identification questions (i.e., identifying the composer and work after hearing an excerpt, not always the beginning!). There will also be questions that allow you to demonstrate your awareness of music's style, form, salient melodic and harmonic features, etc. Be certain to work through the listening exercises in the text and online carefully.

2. The score on a final exam (30%). The final is cumulative.

3. Concert requirement and short research paper (10%).

See detailed description below.

Class Attendance

Regular attendance is crucial to your success; you are responsible for obtaining lecture notes for any missed lectures. Powerpoint presentations are also available from the class webpage. I will generally allow one make-up exam per student for hour exams missed because of athletic events, illness, or personal emergencies, provided that you notify me by the class before the exam. There are no excused absences from the final exam. Please turn off cell phones before coming to class—the penalty is that I get to answer if it rings or see whom you’re texting or what website you’re surfing.

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism, cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty are serious offences; sanctions may include failure on the assignment, failure in the course, or suspension or expulsion from the College. The library has valuable resources about common forms of academic dishonesty:

http://libguides.colby.edu/avoidingplagiarism

Concert Requirement and Research Paper

A. CONCERT ATTENDANCE: Attendance at five concerts. Since most live concerts are not a realistic possibility this semester, I’ve created a series of mini-concerts for you to attend virtually. You can select any 5 of these; you may also attend virtual concerts given at Colby. You get credit for virtual attendance by listing the 5 that you chose at the end of your Concert Report/Research Paper. Credit for this part of the assignment is on the honor system.

B. CONCERT REPORT/RESEARCH PAPER: Select a single work (or movement) that you particularly enjoyed from one of the virtual concerts. With my OK, you can also choose another recorded work, as long as it is one that we have not studied in class. The ideal length is a work that lasts 3-7 minutes. Listen to the piece in several performances; follow a score if you read music. Then write a 3- 4 page (double-spaced) essay about the work modeled on the treatment of works in the Todd Discovering Music text.

Your paper should have two parts:

1) A brief historical introduction to the composer, the background of the work; and/or the historical context. Avoid plagiarism: be sure to footnote all your sources; do not use sources from the web without evaluating their quality. Begin by consulting the major scholarly encyclopedia for music the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Print version in the Bixler library; available online via “Oxford Music Online” in the catalogue or via http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/

2) a listening guide that captures what you hear in the piece that seems important to convey to other listeners. Your listening guide should identify the recording that you used and include timings. It can be similar to the ones found in the text. Exemplary reports typically:

• Clarify the overall form of the piece; • Divide the work into logical sections; • Make note of important structural features (e.g., returns of major themes; variation; climaxes; tempo changes, transitions; sequences, etc.); • Use technical musical terms accurately.

Concert report is due at the last class meeting of the semester.

Music 111: Course Syllabus

DATE TOPIC ASSIGNMENT (To be completed before each class) A Vocabulary for Music W Feb. 10 Music, Why Bother? ______

F Feb. 12 Music's Horizontal Dimension: Read Syllabus/Visit Web Page Pitch, Intervals, Scales, and Melody Todd: Overview & Chapter 1 L: MU 111, Assignment #1 (on class web pages) M Feb. 15 Music's Temporal Dimension: Todd: Chapter 2 Rhythm, Meter, and Tempo L: MU 111, Assignment #2 (on class web pages) W Feb. 17 Music's Vertical Dimension: Todd: Chapter 3; Ch. 18 (pp. Harmony, Tonality, and Texture 120-23); reread pp. 25-29 L: MU 111, Assignment #3 (on class web pages) F Feb. 19 Other Musical Parameters: Todd: Chapters 4-5 Color, Dynamics, and Form L: MU 111, Assignment #4 (on class web pages) M Feb. 22 Exam 1: Musical Vocabulary ______

Music in Medieval Europe W Feb. 24 Chant: Music and Liturgy in the Middle Ages Todd: Part II Intro, Chapt. 6-8 Taruskin: “Persistence”(e-rsrv) L: All the Ends of the Earth (3) Alternate assignment for Unit 1 Due Hildegard: O Greenest Branch (4) F Feb. 26 The Beginnings of Polyphony: Todd: Chapter 9 Organum and the Notre Dame School Taruskin “Notre Dame” (e-rsv) L: All the Ends (3, again) Leonin: Viderunt omnes (5) M March 1 Machaut and the Ars Nova Todd: Chapters 10-11 L: Machaut, Since You Have Forgotten Me (6) Machaut, When I Was First Visited by Love (MU111, Web Assignment #5)

The Renaissance W March 3 Renaissance Rebirth: Dufay and His Todd: Pt. 3 Intro, Ch. 12-13 Contemporaries L: Dufay, Missa se la face ay pale, Kyrie (7) F March 5 "The Notes Must Do as He Wills": Todd: Ch. 14 Josquin des Prez and the Music of the Atlas: Inventions in Style & Transmission (e-reserve) High Renaissance L: Josquin, Ave Maria (8) M March 8 Spring Recess: No Class W March 10 Renaissance Sex and Sensuality: The Madrigal Todd: Chapter 16 L: As Vesta Was (10) The Cricket (Web Assign. #6) The White and Sweet Swan (MU 111 Web Assign. #6) F March 12 Moral Dilemmas and Perfect Art: Palestrina and Todd: Chapter 15 The Counter-Reformation L: Palestrina, Kyrie (MU 111 Web Assign. #7) M March 15 Exam 2: Medieval and Renaissance ______

The Baroque Era W March 17 The Early Baroque: Todd: Part IV Intro; Ch. 18 Music in an Age of Excess L: (All on Web Assignment #8) Gabrieli, Blow the Trumpet Caccini, Amarilli, mia bella Monterverdi, Beatus vir F March 19 Monody, Monteverdi, and the Birth of Opera Todd: Chapters 19-20 L: Monterverdi, Powerful Spirit (12) Purcell, When I Am Laid in Earth (13) M March 22 Instrumental Music of the Baroque and Todd: Chapters 21-22 Stories without Words L: Corelli, Trio Sonata (14) Vivaldi, Spring (15) W March 24 The Music of J. S. Bach and the Todd: Chapters 23-25 Idea of Artistic Greatness L: Fugue in G minor (16) Brandenburg Cto. 5 (17) Wachet auf, 1st mvmt. (18) F March 26 Hallelujah!: The Music of George Frederic Todd: Chapters 26-27 Handel L: Water Music-Hornpipe (19) Rejoice Greatly (20) Hallelujah Chorus (21)

The Classical Period M March 29 Music in the Age of Enlightenment Todd: Part V Intro; Chap. 29 L: Little Night Music III (24) Emperor Quartet II (27) W March 31 The Sonata and Other Forms of the Classical Era Todd: Chapter 30 L: Little Night Music I, (22) Surprise Symphony, II (23) F April 2 The Joke as Art, or The Music of Franz Todd: Chapter 31 Josef Haydn L: Surprise Symphony, IV (26) Symphony 88, IV (Web As- signment #10) M April 5 Mozart the Myth/Mozart the Man Todd: 32 L: Concerto in A, 1st mvt. (29) Se a casa madama (30) Queen of the Night Aria (31) W April 7 Exam 3: The Baroque and Classical Eras ______F April 9 Beethoven: The Composer as Hero Todd: Chapter 33 L: Symphony #5 (33-36)

The Romantic Era and Beyond M April 12 Schubert and the Dawn of Romanticism Todd: Part VI Intro; Ch. 34-35 L: Erlking (37) If You Love for Beauty (39) Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel (Web Assignment #11) W April 14 Music, Drugs, and Inspired Madness: Todd: Chapter 37 Berlioz and Romantic Program Music L: Sym. fantastique IV (45) F April 15 Spring Recess: No Class M April 19 Music as Religion: The Music Dramas Todd: Chapter 38 of Richard Wagner L: La donna é mobile (46) Gods’ Entrance into Valhalla (47) W April 21 The Romantic Piano Todd: Chapter 36 L: Nocturne in Eb (40) Prelude in D minor (41) Petrarch Sonnet 104 (42) The Roman Saltarello (43) F April 23 Brahms the Conservative? Todd: Chapter 39 (pp. 350-56) L: Violin Concerto III (48) Symphony #4 IV (Web Assignment #12 M April 26 Impressionism in France Todd: Chapter 41 (pp. 398- 404) L: Afternoon of a Faun (55)

W April 28 Colby Liberal Arts Symposium: No Class ______F April 30 Exam 4: Beethoven, Romanticism and ______Impressionism

From Modernism to Post-Modernism M May 3 Modernism and the “Crisis of Tonality” Todd: pp. 370-79; 388-95 425-30; 437-40; 444-50 L: Mahler, Song No. 2 (53) Bartok, Music for Strings, Percussion/Celesta, III (60) Shostakovich 5th II (62) Ives, General Booth (64) W May 5 Early Modernism I: Todd: 404-409; 419-25 The Music of Igor Stravinsky L: Rite of Spring (56) Symphony of Psalms II (59) F May 7 No Class ______M May 10 Early Modernism II: Todd: 394-97; 410-15 3 S's: Schönberg, Serialism, and the Second L: Valse de Chopin (57) Trio from Suite for Piano Viennese School (both on Web assignment #13) W May 12 Whither Music? Concert Papers Due Music in a Post-Modern World Todd: 458-61; 494-513 L: Appalachian Spring (67) Poème èlectronique (74) 4’ 33” (75) Concerto grosso I (76) Short Ride in a Fast Machine (77)

LISTENING REQUIREMENTS FOR EXAMS

Exam #2 Composer Title Recording* Medieval Anonymous Chant: Vidernunt omnes (All the Ends of the Earth) (3) Hildegard of Bingen O viridissima virga (O Greenest Branch) (4) Leonin Organum:Viderunt omnes (All the Ends of the Earth) (5) Machaut Since You Have Forgotten Me (6) Quant en Moy(When I was first visited by Love) LISTENING #5

Renaissance Dufay Missa se la face ay pale, Kyrie (7) Josquin des Prez Ave Maria (8) El grillo (The Cricket) LISTENING #6 Weelkes As Vesta Was from Latmos Hill Descending (9) Arcadelt The White and Sweet Swan LISTENING #6 (Il bianco e dolce cigno) Palestrina Kyrie from the Pope Marcellus Mass LISTENING #7

*Numbers in parentheses refer to the numbering of pieces in the textbook. Listening assignments (e.g., LISTENING #5), can be accessed from the MU111 class web page: www.colby.edu/music/saunders/MU111

Exam #3 Baroque Gabrieli, G. Blow a Trumpet in the New Moon LISTENING #8 Caccini, G. Amarilli, mia bella LISTENING #8 Monteverdi Happy is the Man (Beatus vir) LISTENING #8 Monteverdi Powerful Spirit (Possente spirtu) (12) from Orfeo Purcell When I Am Laid in Earth from (13) Dido and Aeneas Corelli Trio Sonata in A minor (14) Vivaldi Concerto in E Maj., "The Spring" (15) First Movement Bach, J. S. Fugue in G minor (16) Brandenburg Concerto #5 (17) (1st movement) Cantata, Awake, a Voice is Calling (18) (opening chorus) Handel Water Music (Hornpipe) (19) Messiah (Rejoice Greatly) (20) (Hallelujah Chorus) (21)

Classical Mozart Piano Concerto in A Major (29) 1st Movment Se vuol ballare, aria from (30) The Marriage of Figaro A Little Night Music (22 and 24) 1st and 3rd Movements Queen of the Night Aria from (31) The Magic Flute Haydn Symphony #94, "The Surprise" (23) 2nd Movement Symphony #94, "The Surprise" (26) 4th Movement Symphony #88 in G Major LISTENING #10 4th Movment String Quartet Op. 76, no. 3 (27) "The Emperor," 2nd Movement

Exam #4 Beethoven Symphony #5 (complete) (33-36) Schubert Erlkönig (The Erl-King) (37) Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel LISTENING #11 Schumann, C. If You Love For Beauty (39) Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique (IV) (45) Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath Chopin Nocturne in E flat Major (40) Prelude No. 24 in d minor (41) Liszt Petrarch Sonnet 104 (42) Hensel The Roman Saltarello, Op. 6, no. 4 (43) Wagner The Gods’ entrance into Valhalla (47) from Das Rheingold Verdi La donna é mobile (46) Brahms Violin Concerto, III (48) Symphony No. 4, IV, Allegro energetico LISTENING #12 Debussy Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun (55)

New for Final Exam (in addition to a selection of earlier works) Mahler Ging heut’ morgen über’s Feld (53) Songs of a Wayfarer, No. 2 Bartók Music for Strings, Percussion & (60) Celesta, III Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 (II) (62) Ives General Booth Enters into Heaven (64) Stravinsky Le sacre du printemps (56) (Intro and Augurs of Spring) Symphony of Psalms II (59) Schönberg Valse de Chopin (57) from Pierrot lunaire Trio from Suite for Piano (1924) LISTENING #13 Copland Appalachian Spring (excerpt) (67) Varèse Poème életronique (opening) (74) Zwilich Concerto grosso, I (76) Adams Short Ride in a Fast Machine (77)