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Courses
Information about additional undergraduate course offerings can be obtained
from the Department of Music office and on the World Wide Web at http://humanities.uchicago.edu/humanities/music/.
101. Introduction to Western Music. This course fulfills the Common
Core requirement in the musical or visual arts. Background in music not
required. A one-quarter course designed to enrich the listening experience
of students, particularly with respect to the art music of the Western European
and American concert tradition. Students are introduced to the basic elements
of music and the ways that they are integrated to create masterworks in
various styles. Particular emphasis is placed on musical form and on the
potential for music to refer to and interact with aspects of the world outside.
Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
102. Introduction to World Music. This course fulfills the Common
Core requirement in the musical or visual arts. Background in music not
required. A selected survey of classical, popular, and folk music traditions
from around the world. The goal is not only to expand our skills as listeners,
but also to redefine what we consider music to be, in the process stimulating
a fresh approach to our own diverse musical traditions. In addition, the
role of music as ritual, aesthetic experience, mode of communication, and
artistic expression is explored. Staff. Autumn, Spring.
103. Introduction to Music: Materials and Design. This course fulfills
the Common Core requirement in the musical or visual arts. Background in
music not required. In this variant of the introductory course in music,
students explore the language of music through coordinated listening, analysis,
and exercises in composition. A study of a wide diversity of musical styles
serves as an incentive for student compositions in those styles. Staff.
Winter, Spring.
121-122. History of Music for Nonmajors. Either course fulfills the
Common Core requirement in the musical or visual arts. May be taken in sequence
or individually. A two-quarter sequence in the history of Western music
from its origins through the present, emphasizing the evolution of musical
style. Music 121 covers music up to 1750, including the medieval, Renaissance,
and baroque periods; Music 122 covers music from the classical era until
the present. Staff, Winter; L. Zbikowski, Spring.
141. Introduction to Music Theory for Nonmajors. This course may
not be used to satisfy the Common Core requirement in the musical
or visual arts. This course covers the basic elements of music theory,
including music reading, intervals, chords, meter, and rhythm. The emphasis
is on practical and analytical skills leading to simple melodic and contrapuntal
composition, and a more profound appreciation of music. Staff. Autumn.
151-152-153. Harmony. PQ: Ability to read music. A three-quarter
sequence in four-part harmonization of figured basses for students who have
some background in music and are familiar with musical notation. Triads,
seventh chords, and diatonic harmony are covered in the autumn quarter;
sequences, chromatic harmony, and modulation are covered in the winter and
spring quarters. E. Blackwood. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
224. Wagner's Ring. PQ: Any 100-level course, or the ability
to read music. A musical and dramatic study of the complete Ring.
This course concentrates on musical analysis with particular attention
to larger forms and musical drama through thematic transformation and development,
and on the musical and dramatic depiction of character. A videotape of the
complete performance and full scores are analyzed. N. Swerdlow. Autumn.
226/305. The Music of Duke Ellington. PQ: Any 100-level course, or
the ability to read music. This course examines the music and life of
America's most important jazz composer, and the impact he had on American
culture and the history of jazz. Beginning with Ellington's early years
in the black community of Washington, D.C., it follows his career in New
York and traces the development of his international reputation. In his
more than one-thousand compositions, Ellington created a repertory of twentieth-century
music: classic songs, extended works, sacred concerts, and music for ballet,
film, and the stage. The courses emphasize informed listening and analytical
response to portions of this repertoire, as well as a critical evaluation
of the literature surrounding Ellington's life and works. R. Wang. Winter.
228. The Concept of Pleasure in Early Modern Thought and the Arts. PQ:
Ability to read music not required. This course focuses on humanistic
views of pleasure as they emerge both from philosophical and theological
writings, and from contemporary arts and art criticism. Particular attention
is paid to the roles played by the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation
in shaping the concept of beauty, the role of the arts, and a "new"
model of education in early modern Europe. The course emphasizes an inter-disciplinary
perspective of potential interest to students in philosophy, history of
religion, literature, music, and art history. S. Mengozzi. Spring.
231/331. Jazz (=AfAfAm 202). PQ: Any 100-level course, or
the ability to read music. This survey examines the history and development
of jazz from its West African roots to the so-called free jazz of the 1960s
and 1970s. Representative works in various styles are selected for intensive
formal and stylistic analysis. Traditional forms and genres are traced from
the New Orleans beginnings to their contemporary manifestations in the avant
garde. Resources of the Chicago Jazz Archive in Regenstein Library provide
primary source materials. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.
236/336. Music of the Middle East. PQ: Any 100-level course,
or the ability to read music. Music in the major cultural regions of
the Middle East is examined. The course surveys the historical development
of Arabic, Jewish, Persian, and Turkish music and the consistent influences
of the region on European music. From an ethnomusicological perspective,
musical and cultural change and the emergence of modern nation-states in
the twentieth century serve as backdrops for the study of contemporary Middle
Eastern music. Folk music and classical music, music as a component of religion,
and music as a conduit of popular culture are emphasized in the course.
P. Bohlman. Winter.
251. Theory and Analysis I. PQ: Music 153 or equivalent. This
course continues the investigation of harmony and voice-leading begun in
Music 153 and extends it to standard chromatic harmonies (including augmented-sixth
chords and the Neapolitan), exploring these topics through model composition
and analysis. The course also covers the analysis of standard tonal forms,
including sonata form. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.
252. Theory and Analysis II. PQ: Music 251 or equivalent. This
course ventures further into extended chromatic techniques, preparatory
to the analysis of music of the late nineteenth century, and continues the
development of analytical skills for the study of tonal forms. The course
also offers an introduction to post-tonal theory and analysis. Not offered
1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.
253. Theory and Analysis III. PQ: Music 252 or equivalent. This
course focuses on the theory and analysis of rhythm and meter, in both Western
and non-Western repertoires. Further work in the theory and analysis of
pitch-structure in twentieth-century music is also offered. Not offered
1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.
254. Advanced Harmony. PQ: Music 153 or equivalent. This course
offers further work with figured bases. E. Blackwood. Autumn.
261. Introduction to Composition. PQ: Music 142 or 153 or equivalent.
Some of the essential elements of music, such as melody, rhythm, harmony,
and form, are explored through composition in various styles. A series of
closely structured exercises leads the way to integration of the various
elements into larger formal designs. The use of pitched, nonpitched, tonal,
and nontonal materials is encouraged. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered
1997-98.
262. Advanced Composition. PQ: Music 261 or equivalent. This
course is a continuation of the study of composition undertaken in Music
261. J. Eaton. Spring.
263-264/347-348. Introduction to Computer Music. PQ: Consent of instructor.
This course provides students with instruction in the concepts and methods
of digital sound synthesis using the technique of frequency modulation.
The course presents the theory of FM synthesis, introduces the discipline
of psychoacoustics as it applies to the perception of electronically generated
sounds, and provides an opportunity to exploit the hardware and software
of the Computer Music Studio for creative musical work. H. Sandroff.
Autumn, Winter.
265/345. Instrumentation and Orchestration. PQ: Open to nonmusic
concentrators with consent of instructor. The objectives of this course
are twofold: (1) to acquaint students with the instruments used in the standard
symphony orchestra--their capabilities, limitations, and characteristic
uses; and (2) to pinpoint, through analysis of a wide variety of excerpts
from orchestral literature, specific solutions to problems of balance and
voicing. Through selected projects in orchestration, students begin to acquire
the tools needed to score for various instrumental combinations. College
students may continue on to the second quarter of this course (Music 366)
with consent of the instructor. E. Blackwood. Autumn.
268/368. Studies in Computer Music. PQ: Music 264 or consent of instructor.
This course, for students who have experience with the equipment of the
Computer Music Studio, consists of advanced work in creative composition
at those facilities. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.
271-272-273. Topics in the History of Western Music. PQ: Music 142
or 153; open to nonmusic concentrators with consent of instructor. A
three-quarter investigation into Western art music, with primary emphasis
on the vocal and instrumental repertories of Western Europe and the United
States. Music 271 begins with the earliest notated music and considers monophonic
liturgical chant and the development of sacred and secular vocal polyphony
through the sixteenth century. Music 272 addresses topics in music from
1600 to 1800, including early opera, music developed for the Protestant
church, the emergence of instrumental genres, the coalescing of the tonal
language, and the Viennese classicism of Haydn and Mozart. Music 273
treats music since 1800. Topics include the music of Beethoven and his
influence on later composers; the rise of public concerts, of German opera,
of programmatic instrumental music, and of nationalist trends; the confrontation
with modernism; and the impact of technology on the expansion of musical
boundaries. Staff, Autumn; M. Feldman, Winter; B. Hoeckner, Spring.
281. Orchestral Conducting. PQ: Consent of instructor. This yearlong
course deals with the art, the craft, and the practice of orchestral conducting.
The students acquire practical conducting experience through classroom work
and through a variety of outside rehearsals and performances. A large assortment
of practical and theoretical readings supplement the podium work and several
analytical papers are assigned. Credit is granted in the spring quarter
after successful completion of the year's work. Not offered 1996-97;
will be offered 1997-98.
285. Musicianship Skills. PQ: Music 153; open only to music concentrators.
This is a yearlong course in ear training, keyboard progressions, realization
of figured basses at the keyboard, and reading of chamber and orchestral
scores. Classes consist of one hour-long dictation lab and one half-hour-long
keyboard lab per week. Credit is granted in the spring quarter after successful
completion of the year's work. G. Marsh. Spring.
299. Undergraduate Tutorials in Music. PQ: Consent of instructor
and director of undergraduate studies. Specialized reading in the history
or theory of music or advanced work in composition. Staff. Autumn, Winter,
Spring.
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