Course Descriptions
Theory and Composition
110a. Musicianship and Literature
Ingrid Arauco
Fundamental skills and concepts of music theory. Intensive introduction to the notational and theoretical materials of music, complemented by work in sight-singing and keyboard harmony. Discussion of musical forms and techniques of melody writing and harmonization; short projects in composition. No prerequisite.
203a.
Tonal Harmony I
Curt Cacioppo
The harmonic vocabulary and compositional techniques of Bach, Haydn,
Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and others. Emphasis is on composing
melodies, constructing phrases, and harmonizing in four parts. Composition
of minuet and trio, set of variations, or other homophonic piece
is the final project. Three class hours plus laboratory period covering
related aural and keyboard harmony skills. Prerequisite: Music
110 orconsent of instructor.Music 203 is the first
course in the required theory sequence for music majors and minors.
204b.
Tonal Harmony II
Ingrid Arauco
Continuation of Music 203, introducing chromatic harmony and focusing
on the development of sonata forms from the Classical through the
Romantic period. Composition
of a sonata exposition is the final project.
Three class hours plus laboratory period covering related aural
and keyboard harmony skills.
Prerequisite: Music 203.Music 204 is the second course in the
required theory sequence for music majors and minors.
265a.
Symphonic Technique and Tradition
Ingrid Arauco
In this course, we will be familiarizing ourselves with significant
orchestral repertory of the past three centuries, learning to read
the orchestral score, studying the capabilities of various orchestral
instruments and how they are used together, and tracing the evolution
of orchestral writing and orchestral forms from the Classical period
to the present. Short exercises in scoring for orchestra; final project is
a presentation on a major orchestral work of your choice. Prerequisite: Music 203 or consent of the instructor.
266b.
Composition
Ingrid Arauco
An introduction to the art of composition through weekly assignments
designed to invite creative, individual responses to a variety of
musical ideas. Scoring for various instruments and ensembles; experimentation
with harmony, form, notation and text setting. Weekly performance
of student pieces; end-of-semester recital. A highlight of the semester
will be the reading and taping of student works by the nationally
acclaimed ensemble Network for New Music.
Prerequisite: Music 203 or consent of instructor.
303a.
Advanced Tonal Harmony
Curt Cacioppo
Study of late nineteenth-century harmonic practice in selected works of Liszt, Wagner, Brahms, Faure, Wolf, Debussy, and Mahler. Exploration of chromatic harmony through analysis and short exercises; final composition project consisting of either art song or piano piece such as nocturne or intermezzo. Three class hours plus laboratory period covering related aural and keyboard harmony skills. Prerequisite: Music 204. Music 303 is the third course in the required theory sequence for music majors.
304b.
Counterpoint
Ingrid Arauco
Eighteenth-century contrapuntal techniques and forms with emphasis
on the works of J.S. Bach. Exercises in imitative writing such as
canon; composition of a two-part invention, three-part chorale prelude,
and three-part fugue. Three class hours plus laboratory period covering
related aural and keyboard harmony skills. Prerequisite: Music
204.
325b.
Seminar in 20th Century Theory and Practice
Ingrid Arauco
Classic and contemporary 20th-century
composers, works, and trends, with reference to theoretical and aesthetic
writings and the broader cultural context. Prerequisite: Music
303 or 224.
Musicology
111a. Introduction
to Western Music
David Kasunic
A survey of the European musical
tradition from the Middle Ages to modern times. Students will hear
music by Monteverdi, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, Stravinsky,
and Glass, among many others, developing both listening skills and
an awareness of how music relates to the culture that fosters it.
In addition to listening and reading, students will attend concerts
and prepare written assignments. No prerequisite.
112a. Opera
David Kasunic
A survey of the history of opera, focusing on the most influential operas, their forms and the cultural, aesthetic, and political desires that shaped them. The goal of the course is to teach students the art of close listening, that is, to privilege their hearing over their seeing. Audio and visual recordings will be supplemented by a course packet of primary and secondary source readings. No prerequisite.
132b.
Writing Beethoven (Cross-listed in Writing Program)
Richard Freedman
An exploration of Beethoven's life and works, considered in the context of changing aesthetic and cultural values of the last two centuries. Students will listen to Beethoven's music, study some of his letters and conversation books, and read some of the many responses his art has engendered. In their written responses to all of this material, students will think about Beethoven's music and artistic personality as well as about the ideas and assumptions that have guided the critical reception of art and life. They will learn to cultivate their skills as readers and listeners while improving their craft as writers.
221a.
Medieval and Renaissance Music
Richard Freedman
Examines the music of the 11th through 16th centuries, including
music by composers such as Machaut, Dufay, Josquin, Lassus and Monteverdi,
among many others. We will explore important compositional techniques,
consider problems of performance practice, and explore connections
between music and cultural settings in courts, cathedrals and towns
of medieval and Early Modern Europe. Prerequisite: Music 110
or 111, or consent of the instructor.
222b.
Baroque Music
David Kasunic
Music of the 17th and 18th centuries, with focus on central developments
of opera, sacred music, and instrumental genres. Through careful study
of works by Monteverdi, Lully, Charily, Handel, Rameau, and Bach,
students will explore changing approaches to musical style and design,
basic problems of performance practice, and how musicologists have
sought to understand the place of music in cultural history. Prerequisite:
Music 110, 111, or consent of the instructor.
223a.
Classical Music
David Kasunic
The music of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert, among many
others. Classroom assignments will lead students to explore the
origins and development of vocal and instrumental music of the years
around 1800, and to consider the ways in which musicologists have
approached the study of this repertory. Prerequisite: Music 110,
111, or consent of the instructor.
224b.
Romantic Music
Richard Freedman
Music by Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, Verdi, Wagner, Dvorak, Brahms,
and Mahler, among others, with special focus on changing approaches
to style of expression, and to the aesthetic principles such works
articulate. This term our themes will be Ballads and Myths; Nationalisms;
and Nostalgia and History. Assignments will allow students to explore
individual vocal and instrumental works, and will give students
a sense of some of the perspectives to be found in the musicological
literature on 19th-century music. Prerequisite: Music 110 or
111, or consent of instructor.
250a
or b. Words and Music (also listed as Comparative Literature 250a
or b)
Richard Freedman, Curt Cacioppo, David Kasunic
Under this title, five separate courses are available: The
Operas of Verdi and Wagner, Wagner's
Ring and the Modern World (also
a German Studies elective), The
Renaissance Text and its Musical Readers, Tones,
Words, and Images, and Music
in the Literary Imagination . Prerequisite: Any full-credit course in music, or consent of instructor.
250b.
Words and Music: The Renaissance Text and its Musical Readers
Richard
Freedman
The rich musical legacy of Renaissance vocal music, considered in
light of concurrent developments in literary and cultural life. No
prerequisite. Cross-listed with Comparative Literature.
250b.
Words and Music: Wagner's Ring and the Modern World
Richard Freedman
The genesis, story, style, and influence of Wagner's monumental music
drama in the context of musical, aesthetic, and political ideas of
the last 150 years. No prerequisite. Cross-listed with Comparative
Literature.
250b.
Music in the Literary Imagination, 1800-1949
David Kasunic
An inquiry into the role of music in European and American literature
during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the era in which music
assumes its new status as the highest of the arts-- "the" art
to which all other arts aspire. At issue, then, is how literary
works of this period invoke music to articulate and bring into focus
a host of philosophical, aesthetic, cultural, and psychological
concerns. We will study and listen to the music cited by the novels
and short stories that we will read. By making this otherwise silent
music audible and in turn restoring sonic force to these literary
moments, we will attempt to answer the compelling questions the
presence of this music raises. Authors and composers studied will
include Goethe, Beethoven, Balzac, Chopin, Wagner, Forster, Proust,
and Mann. All readings in English or English translation. Prerequisite:
Any full-credit course in music, or consent of instructor.
251b. Music, Film,
and Narrative
Richard
Freedman
An introduction to music and film, with special attention to works
from the 1930's through the 1950's by composers such as Auric, Copland,
Eisler, Herrmann, Korngold, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Steiner, Tiomkin,
and Waxman. Close study of orchestration, harmony and thematic process
as they contribute to cinematic narrative and form. Source readings
to include artistic positions staked out by film composers themselves,
as well as critical and scholarly essays by leading writers on the
narrative possibilities of film music. Extensive reading, listening,
and viewing assignments. Weekly writing assignments culminating in
a major project. Prerequisite: Music 203 or equivalent knowledge
of music theory.
276b.
The Piano in the Age of Chopin
David Kasunic
Piano manufacture, composition, and pedagogy during the first half of the nineteenth century, a time when the piano assumed its status as the foremost solo musical instrument. Examination of the pianos and piano music of Beethoven's Vienna and Clementi's London, culminating in the unrivalled piano culture of Paris in the 1830's and 1840's, at whose center were the figures of Liszt, and especially, Chopin. Piano performance in class encouraged, though not required. Prerequisite: Music 110, 111, or consent of the instructor.
325b.
Seminar in Twentieth-Century Theory and Practice: American
Modernism
David Kasunic
An inquiry into the music of American composers written between
1890 and 1945 that stretched or broke with the musical language
of the immediate past, in an attempt to reflect what was perceived
as an age of radical change. A wide range of listening
and reading assignments will encourage students to consider a
musical modernism distinct from its European counterpart. Prerequisite: Music
303 or 224, or consent of the instructor.
480a,
f, b, i Independent Study
Arauco/Cacioppo, Freedman/Jacob/Kasunic/Lloyd
Prerequisite: Approval of department
and consent of instructor.
Diverse Traditions
149b.
Native American Music and Belief
Curt Cacioppo
Through singing, listening and analysis, cultural and political readings,
film discussion and guest visits, this course attempts to reveal the
diversity, complexity, and beauty of representative Native American
traditions. It further aims to illuminate the history, past and ongoing,
of hostile action taken by mainstream interests against indigenous
peoples of North America. Satisfies the social justice requirement.
227a.
Jazz and the Politics of Culture
Richard Freedman
A study of jazz and its social
meanings. Starting with an overview of jazz styles and European idioms
closely bound to jazz history, the course gives students a basic aural
education in musical forms, the process of improvisation, and the
fabric of musical performance in the context of how assumptions about
order and disorder in music reflect deeply felt views about society
and culture. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher. Enrollment
limited to 35 students. Satisfies the social justice requirement.
228a. Musical Voices
of Asia (also called East Asian Studies 228a or b)
Richard Freedman
The musical traditions of South, East, and Central Asia, as well as
Indonesia. Extensive discussion of vocal and instrumental genres,
approaches to texts and stories, and systems of learning. We will
also pay special attention to the place of music in broader cultural
and social contexts: as a definer of gender or religious identities,
as an object of national or political ownership, and in its interaction
with Western classical and popular forms. Prerequisite: Sophomore
standing or higher.
Performance
102c,f,i
Chorale
Thomas Lloyd
Chorale is a large mixed chorus
that performs major works from the oratorio repertoire with orchestra.
Attendance at weekly two-hour rehearsals and dress rehearsals during
performance week is required. Prerequisite: Audition and consent
of instructor.
107f,
i. Introductory Piano
Christine Cacioppo
Music 107 is an introduction to music and the art of playing the piano.
It is intended for students with little (1-2 years as a child) or
no previous training in piano. The course consists of a weekly hour-long
class session (lecture, directed listening, or playing workshop) plus
individual lesson. Instruction in the basics of music notation, theory
and historical periods. Lessons will include beginning technique,
scales, primary chords, learning to count and sight-read music, musical
symbols and terminology, and the study of elementary pieces. One hour
of daily practice is excepted to insure proper advancement in playing.
A short paper based on the listening assignments is required, as is
playing on the class recital at the end of the term (these together
will comprise the final exam). Enrollment limited to 16 students (5
spaces for majors/minors).
207a,
b. Topics in Piano
Curt Cacioppo
Combines private lessons and studio/master classes, musical analysis,
research questions into performance practice and historical context,
critical examination of sound recorded sources. Preparation of works
of selected composer or style period for end of semester class recital
is required. Topic for Fall 2005: American Roots. Topic for Spring
2006: Transatlantic Connections. Prerequisite: Audition and consent
of instructor.
208 f,iPrivate Study: Instrumental (Heidi Jacob, supervisor)
209 f,i Private Study: Vocal (Thomas Lloyd, supervisor)
210
f,i
Private Study:
Keyboard
(Curt Cacioppo, supervisor)
All students enrolled in the
private study program should be participating in a departmentally directed
ensemble or activity (Chorale, Orchestra, etc.) as advised by their
program supervisor. Private teachers
are assigned by the respective program supervisor. All students
in the private study program perform for a faculty jury at the end
of the semester. Students assume the cost of their private
lessons, but may apply for private study subsidies at the beginning
of each semester’s study through the department. Prerequisite: Departmental
audition and consent of supervisor.
214c,
f, i. Chamber Singers
Thomas Lloyd
Chamber Singers is a 30-voice mixed choir that performs a wide range of mostly a cappella repertoire from the Renaissance to the present day in original languages. Attendance required at three 80-minute rehearsals weekly. Prerequisite: Audition and consent of instructor.
215c,
f, i. Chamber Music
Heidi Jacob
Intensive rehearsal of works for small instrumental groups, with supplemental research and listening assigned. Performance is required. The course is available to those who are concurrently studying privately, or who have studied privately immediately prior to the start of the semester. Prerequisite: Audition and consent of instructor.
216c,
f, i. Orchestra
Heidi
Jacob
Students participating in the Haverford-Bryn Mawr Orchestra address the special musical problems of literature rehearsed and performed during the semester. Prerequisite: Audition and consent of instructor.
219i.
Art Song
Thomas Lloyd
A performance course devoted to the French, German, English, and American
art song literature from Schubert to the present. Students will learn
the International Phonetic Alphabet as applied to the standard diction
rules for hoch Deutsch in German and style soutenu in French in the
preparation of at least one song each in French, German, and English.
Weekly performance classes will be accompanied by weekly individual
coachings with the instructor, culminating in a public recital at
the end of the semester.