MUSC 633
ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES
Catalog Entry
MUSC633. Analytical Techniques
Three hours lecture (3).
Prerequisite: MUSC411 or MUSC511
Various Analytical techniques with particular attention to analysis of tonal, textural and temporal features at various levels of structure. Spring
Detailed Description of Content of the Course
This course focuses on techniques useful in the analysis of non-tonal music emphasizing the impact of analysis on composition and performance practice. Students will learn to apply various analytical techniques, rather than a single method, as suggested by specific musical situations. Twelve-tone serial technique, set theory, and general analytical approach will be discussed with regard to the music of Debussy, Schoenberg, Webern, Bartok, Varese, Babbitt, Crumb, and Cage.
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
This course will include lecture, typed analyses, and examinations. Students will become acquainted with harmonic devices and structural features common in the 20th-century by studying music of composers representing a wide variety of styles, and aesthetic viewpoints. Typed analyses, as indicated on the syllabus, will be due at the end of each class. The Final project should be a typed report discussing 3 works by a 20th-century composer, including observations drawn from published articles. A bibliography is required.
Goals and Objectives of the Course
At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to identify important structural features found in Western music composed during the 20th-century, and to select from several analytical approaches one which best reveals these features from aural, cognitive, and formal viewpoints. Students should be able to articulate structural features in the music using 12-tone serial technique, set theory or a general analytical approach.
Assessment Measures
Knowledge of harmonic devices and their application in musical compositions will be measured using an array of assessment efforts that can among others include tests, formal analyses, and discussion. The final examination will assume familiarity with reading assignments, and lecture material.
Other Course Information
Approval and Subsequent Reviews
DATE ACTION REVIEWED BY
March 2001 Reviewed E. Fellin, Chairman