HUMA115

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HUMA 115 (Tommasini) 2010 Fall 1

HUMA 115ENJOYMENT OF CLASSICAL MUSIC

2010 Fall (revised 6 Sept 2010)

INSTRUCTOR:

Prof. Matthew TommasiniDMA, MA Music Composition (University of Michigan)

BA Music Composition (UCLA)

CONTACT INFORMATION:[email protected] Room A (University Center, ground floor)

LECTURE MEETING TIMES/LOCATION:Mon 9:30am-10:20am LTGWed 9:30am-10:20am LTG

TUTORIAL SESSION MEETING TIMES/LOCATIONS:Mon 12:00pm-12:50pm 3412Mon 4:30pm-5:20pm 3412Wed 4:30pm-5:20pm 3412Fri 10:30am-11:20am 3412

OFFICE HOUR:

Wed 10:30am-11:30am Music Room A (University Center, ground floor)or by appointment ([email protected])

COURSE OBJECTIVES:From the power and beauty of the orchestra, to masterpieces from the church andconcert hall, students will gain an in-depth understanding of the history and theoryfundamentals of western classical music.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES:Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. develop a deeper appreciation of classical music2. describe the cultural and historical development of classical music

3. understand music theory fundamentals associated with works covered in class4. critique live music performances5. apply analytical skills from this course to other disciplines

REQUIRED READING AND LISTENING MATERIALS:1. Hoffer, Charles. Music Listening Today. Schirmer, 3rd Edition, 2007,

with 2 Accompanying CDs and 4 Supplemental CDS

MATERIALS ON RESERVE:

1. Hoffer, Charles. Music Listening Today. Schirmer, 3rd Edition, 2007MT6.H565 M87 2007

2. 2 accompanying CDsMT6.H565 M87 2007 Disc v. 1/2 (Media Reserve)

3. 4 Supplemental CDs

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(Media Reserve)

EXAMS:There will be one Mid-Term Exam and one Final Exam for this course. No make-upexams will be offered.

ONLINE QUIZZES:There will be four multiple-choice online quizzes, which will be posted on LMES

(http://lmes2.ust.hk/portal) the week before they are to be submitted. No late quiz

submissions will be accepted via LMES.

CONCERT REPORTS/EXTRA COST:

Students will be required to attend ONECLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT (i.e.orchestral and chamber music concert) and submit a concert report (200-300 words),along with the original concert program and ticket stub for the event.

Using musical terminology discussed in class, students will be asked to describe therepertoire heard at each performance and their personal reaction to the works.

Links to classical music concert events during the Fall semester in Hong Kong will beavailable through LMES (http://lmes2.ust.hk/portal).

ATTENDANCE:Lecture and tutorial attendance is MANDATORY for this class. Attendance will betaken 10 minutes after the beginning of each session. For each absence, students willhave 1% deducted from their attendance grade (10% maximum deduction). For eachlate arrival to a session, students will have 0.5% deducted from their attendance grade(again, 10% maximum deduction).

In the case of special circumstances, students must inform the Instructor([email protected]) at least 24 hours PRIOR to the class meeting.

GRADING:Final Exam 40%Mid-Term Exam 25%Online Quizzes 20%Attendance (both lectures and tutorials) 10%

Concert Report 5%

A relative grading system will be used to calculate your final letter grade.

University Guidelines:A (10-20% of the class)B (25-40% of the class)C (35-45% of the class)D (5-10% of the class)F (0-5%)

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LECTURE SCHEDULE:

WEEK 1: INTRODUCTION

WEEK 2: MEDIEVAL MUSIC

A discussion of Medieval culture, sacred music (including the Medieval mass andmotet),and secular forms will cover the work of composers Hildegard of Bingen,

Leonin, Perotin, and Machaut.

Music theory concepts related to these works will include fundamentals of rhythm,meter, and melody.

WEEK 3: RENAISSANCE MUSIC

A discussion of Renaissance culture, vocal music (including the Renaissance mass

and motet, and madrigal), and instrumental music will include works by composersJosquin Des Prez and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.

Music theory concepts will continue with a discussion of counterpoint and anintroduction to harmony.

QUIZ NO. 1 (to be submitted online via LMES by Mon 20 Sept)

WEEK 4-5: BAROQUE MUSIC

An in-depth analysis of the musical genres from the Baroque period will cover the workof composers Bach, Handel, Purcell, Pachelbel, Corelli, and others. The section will

begin with a discussion of the art, culture, and general philosophy of music during thistime period followed by a discussion of vocal genres (oratorio, cantata, and opera) andinstrumental genres (the suite, and sonata).

Related music theory concepts will include key signatures, major and minor scales,and the circle of fifths. This will also include a short discussion of the elements of thefugue, and compositional devices like the sequence.

QUIZ NO. 2 (to be submitted online via LMES by Mon 4 Oct)

WEEK 6-8: CLASSICAL MUSIC

This section will cover the works of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, focusing on thedevelopment of vocal genres (including opera) and instrumental genres (including thesonata). In addition, new genres of the concerto and symphony will be covered.

This section will also include the topic of functional harmony (tonic, dominant, sub-dominant) as it relates to the forms associated with genres of this period.

MID-TERM EXAM (Wed 20 Oct during regularly scheduled lecture session)

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WEEK 9-12: ROMANTIC MUSIC

The most extensive section of the semester will begin with a discussion of thechamber music of early eighteenth century composers Schubert, Mendelssohn,Chopin, Liszt, and Robert and Clara Schumann.

The section will continue with an overview of the continuing development of opera,

including the work of Verdi, Puccini, and Wagner and cover new genres of ballet and

program music with the works of composers Berlioz, Strauss, and Tchaikovsky.

Music from the second half of the eighteenth century will include works by lateRomantic composers Brahms and Tchaikovsky, and nationalist works by Tchaikovsky,Mussorgsky, Smetana, and others.

Throughout the section, the use of chromatic harmony (including the Neapolitan chord,

augmented sixth chords) and key modulation (secondary dominants, common tonemodulation) during this period will be discussed.

QUIZ NO. 3 (to be submitted online via LMES by Mon 15 Nov)

WEEK 13-14: TWENTIETH CENTURY ART MUSIC

This section will cover the many styles of art music during this period, beginning withworks by early twentieth century composers Debussy, Ravel, Rachmaninoff,Stravinsky, Bartok, Schoenberg, and others. Impressionism, neo-Romanticism,expressionism, and primitivism will be examined along with neoclassicism and 12-tonemusic.

The section will continue with works by composers of second half of the twentiethcentury, including Varse, Crumb, Cage, Copland, and others.

A discussion of the radical development of theoretical concepts will focus on rhythm(including ostinato complex, polyrhythm) and harmony (including polytonality) as theyrelate to the works during this period. This section will also include a more in-depthanalysis of the 12-tone theory.

QUIZ NO. 4 (to be submitted online via LMES by Mon 29 Nov)

FINAL EXAM:

Location/Time/Date TBA

Documents

HUMA115