Music Courses

Semester specific course descriptions

100/101. Introduction to Music.
An introduction to the study of music, this course includes the development of listening skills as well as an overview of the basic materials and techniques of musical organization. The music is chosen from a wide range of times and places. Students use the resources of the music library and the Newell Center for Arts Technology lab for listening, research and composition. As a complement to class work, students attend concerts and recitals on and sometimes off campus. The course does not require previous music study. Students who wish to include individual lessons in voice or on an instrument as part of their work for this course enroll in Music 101.

120. Physics and Perception of Music.
Music is an interaction between the production of sound and the listeners’ perceptive abilities. In this course, the physical details of the production and perception of “musical” sound and their interaction are explored. In a hands-on, experiment-based course, the physics of sound vibrations and waves, the overtone series, the workings of the human ear, the construction of various types of musical instruments, methods of sound recording (both analog and digital) and other topics are explored. This team-taught course satisfies the natural science distribution requirement; it is typically taught every other year. Also offered as Physics 120.

200/201. Music Theory.
This course is meant to develop abilities in listening to, analyzing, performing and creating music. We engage in different kinds of musical activities: studying the sight and sound of music, playing and singing snippets of music, composing short pieces. Throughout, the intent is to provide critical skills for deepening the understanding of music. Students who wish to include individual lessons as part of their work for this course enroll in Music 201. Prerequisite: Music 100/101, a score of 4 or 5 on the AP music theory test, or permission of the instructor.

210. Musics of the World.
This course explores selected musics from Asia, the Pacific, Africa, Europe and the Americas, by means of recordings, films, readings, concerts and hands-on experience. Broad topics for investigation include the development of popular musical styles, the preservation of traditional musical styles and the circulation of indigenous sounds in the world music market. Also offered through African Studies and Global Studies.

220. Music and Technology.
An in-depth look at the practical and artistic issues involved in making music with computers. This includes a study of some fundamental concepts and a practical application of these concepts using the resources of the Newell Center for Arts Technology. The course is divided into two broad sections — (1) the MIDI protocol: what it is, how it works, what you can do with it; (2) digital audio: a brief introduction to acoustics, how audio is recorded and played back digitally, the uses of digital signal processing. Prerequisite: Music 100/101, 200/201, or permission of the instructor.

222. Sound for the Stage.
This course explores some of the artistic and practical aspects of using sound in support of theatrical production. The course employs concepts of design drawn from the theater and applies those concepts to the choice of music and sound effects for the stage. We explore the potential of sound and music for the reinforcement of dramatic content and production design concepts, and introduce the production organization common to most theater productions: the collaborative design process and the team approach to production assignments. Also offered as Performance and Communication Arts 202.

230. Isn’t it Romantic?
This course explores songs from New York City’s “Tin Pan Alley” — to be selected from such songwriters as the Gershwins, Richard Rodgers and Irving Berlin — and songs from earlier times and places, such as Franz Schubert in early 19th-century Vienna or Thomas Campion in Elizabethan England. Primary focus is on the music and the lyrics, but we also study the social and cultural contexts of these songs. Some required concerts and video screenings outside of class time. Prerequisite: Music 100/101, 200/201, or permission of the instructor. Also offered through European Studies.

234. Music in Venice.
Focusing on the musical and artistic vitality of a city that has fascinated visitors for centuries, this course features two composers — Claudio Monteverdi and Antonio Vivaldi — whose lives and works straddle opposite ends of the Baroque period. We examine four works — two each by Monteverdi and Vivaldi. In support of their study of musical literature, students view works of art from Renaissance Italy and undertake readings about the special role of Venice in medieval and Renaissance Europe. The course includes a 10-day travel option at the end of the semester for students who want to visit Venice. Prerequisite: Music 100/101, 200/201, or permission of the instructor. Also offered through European Studies.

242. New Orleans Music and Society.
This course investigates the development and influence of selected music cultures within the life of the city, including American art music of the 19th century, New Orleans jazz (ca. 1900-1917) and New Orleans rhythm and blues (ca. 1947-65). Particular attention is given to the music and milieu of Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-1869) and Louis Armstrong (1900-1971), and to the system of recording and promotion that gave rise to a thriving rock and roll industry in New Orleans. This course includes an option to spend six days in New Orleans at the conclusion of the semester. Prerequisite: Music 100/101, 200/201, or 210. Also offered through U.S. Cultural and Ethnic Studies.

244. Musics of South Asia.
South Asia is the subcontinent that lies south of the Himalayas and includes India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. There are also substantial South Asian populations elsewhere. Topics for study include devotional song, Bollywood film music, urban Nepali drumming, and electronic music in New York and London. The course begins with a grounding in the classical music traditions of India, moves on to explore selected musical practices around South Asia, and finishes with a consideration of music’s place in the South Asian diaspora.

260. Preparing Music for Performance.
Satisfying performances are the product of a thorough understanding of one’s music and a series of effective practice sessions. Our concentration is on analysis, the rehearsal process and preparing to meet an audience. A weekly, individual lesson will focus on the skills appropriate to your instrument or voice. Class meetings concentrate on (1) analysis of musical motion; (2) analysis of texture, dynamics and orchestration; (3) reading and interpreting music; (4) organizing practice sessions and rehearsals. Prerequisite: Music 200/201 or permission of the instructor. May be repeated for credit.

270. Collaboration Across the Arts.
The direction of this course is determined largely by the unique combination of students who participate. Students form groups of two or three to work on a collaborative project of their own design reflecting their collective interests. For example, a pair of students may create a multimedia work that draws connections between image and sound. Class sessions feature group critiques of works in progress, study of example works, discussions of relevant aesthetic issues, drawing connections across media and strategies for collaborative work. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Also offered as Fine Arts 270 and Performance and Communication Arts 270.

281. Music Video.
Music television created new ways of visualizing music, new ways of seeing sound, which have in turn influenced the ways filmmakers use sounds and images in feature and documentary films. In this course, we look at the rise of music video in the 1980s, its predecessors and its influences. While we focus primarily on the history and criticism of music video, the course also includes a substantial production component which includes creating and editing sound and video files. Also offered as Film Studies 281.

300. Musical Structures.
This course is for students who have completed Music 200 or 201 and wish to continue their study of music analysis. It focuses on the study of musical events such as harmony, melody, rhythm, texture and form in order to develop skills in understanding, analyzing, composing and listening to music. We study harmonic, melodic, rhythmic, textural and formal choices various composers have made and the ways those choices affect how music is perceived. Prerequisite: Music 200/201.

333. Mozart and the Classical Tradition.
A survey of the developments in Western vocal and instrumental art music during the years 1750 through 1825, with particular emphasis on the life and artistic contributions of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The course seeks to establish ties between contemporary European society and the art it cultivated. Prerequisite: Music 200/201. Also offered through European Studies.

335. The World of Clara and Robert Schumann.
It was quite possible for a woman musician to “make it” in 19th-century Europe. Clara Schumann achieved and sustained such a success for her entire professional life. By studying the lives and artistic accomplishments of “priestess of the piano” Clara Schumann (1819-1896) and her husband, the deeply imaginative composer Robert Schumann, we seek to understand Romantic music of the Western cultivated tradition. The course will feature works by both the Schumanns — piano compositions, songs and chamber works — and by others of their time. Prerequisite: Music 200/201. Also offered through European Studies.

337. Avant-garde and Underground Music.
This course covers music that has been considered to be experimental, radical or transgressive in classical music, jazz and rock. Through sur-veying European and American perspectives on the relations between the arts and society in the 19th and 20th centuries, we work toward understanding the ideologies that have motivated musicians to locate their styles and practices outside of an imagined mainstream. In studying influential musical works from the last two centuries, we seek to clarify how musicians have put their ideologies into musical practice. Prerequisite: Music 200/201.

345. Musics of Eastern Europe.
In this course, we examine and analyze the music of a region where social and political life has changed dramatically and frequently during the last 150 years. From the revolutions of 1848 to the post-communist struggles of the 1990s, music and musicians often have been drawn into debates about national and regional identities. We proceed from the assumption that notions of identity and difference are evident not only in discourse about musical practices, but also in musical sound itself. Prerequisite: Music 200/201. Also offered through European Studies.

350. Composition.
The fundamental activity in this course is observation. Having arrived at a formative idea for a composition by means of a close analysis of a generative source, we begin describing that idea by any of several means (for example, a score, a performance or a sound generator), and making sense of that idea in sound. At the discretion of the instructor, students work with acoustic instruments, digital music technology, or both. Prerequisites: Music 200/201 and Music 220. May be repeated for credit.

470, 471. Advanced Projects in Music.
Independent research in an area of musical study under the guidance of a member of the music faculty. Students must submit a written proposal to the department chair no later than November 15 for projects to be undertaken in the spring semester or April 15 for projects to be undertaken in the fall semester. Prerequisites: Music 200/201, 210, and at least one other course in music.

489, 490. SYE: Independent Study.
Senior-year projects are intended to be the product of several semesters of study, bringing together more than one area of musical endeavor. Students must submit a written proposal to the department chair no later than November 15 for projects to be undertaken in the spring semester or April 15 for projects for the following fall. Prerequisites: Music 200/201, 210, and at least one other course in music.

Ensembles

021. Laurentian Singers.
A select undergraduate vocal ensemble that performs both on and off campus through the year. Their far-ranging repertoire is drawn from traditional choral sources as well as world and popular idioms. Recent programs have included chants of Hildegard, Bulgarian music, Beatles’ songs and works by Eric Whitacre. The Laurentian Singers tour each Spring Break.

022. University Chorus.
A choir open to the entire university community. The ensemble performs major works from the choral and choral-orchestral repertoire from the 16th through the 20th centuries.

023. Early Music Singers.
The Early Music Singers perform music from the medieval, Renaissance and Baroque eras with special attention to historical practices. Also offered through European Studies.

025. String Orchestra.
An ensemble that performs repertoire from the 17th century through the present. Recent concerts have included works by Antonio Vivaldi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert and Henry Cowell.

026. Concert Band.
This ensemble explores a range of music covering over 200 years of repertoire in a variety of styles. There is no audition requirement, and the ensemble is open to all wind, brass and percussion players with three or more years of playing experience. The group typically performs one concert per semester.

027. Rhythm & Roots Ensemble.
This ensemble takes a particular strand of vernacular music as its focus each semester, and is open to guitarists, percussionists, pianists, vocalists, and woodwind and brass players. Possible topics for study include jazz improvisation, Hawaiian music, the music of Motown, and New Orleans rhythm and blues.