Music Introduction to Music

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1 Music Introduction to Music EHFA 152 Recital Hall Instructor: Dr. Andrew Fowler Phone: (843) afowler@coastal.edu Music: Brief (w/5 CD Brief Set Case) Edition: 7th Author: Kamien Edition: 7th ISBN: Copyright Year: 2012 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Catalog description: A course open to all students who are interested in gaining a comprehensive appreciation of music through intelligent listening. Representative masterpieces of the various periods of musical composition are studied. Emphasis is on the historical significance and evolution of Western Art Music. The correlation of music to other arts is also explored. No previous study of music is required. F, S Student Learning Outcomes: 1. Apply methods of inquiry to the practices of fine arts 2. Analyze, interpret, or engage in forms of artistic expression 3. Analyze key components of the history and works of Western Art Music s master composers 4. Identify important aspects of Western Art Music by developing effective listening skills 5. Synthesize the elements and historical accounts through a comprehensive study of Western Art Music Special needs: If you have any learning disabilities, are alternately abled in any manner, or feel you need special dispensation, please contact the Office of Student Disabilities so that you may be accommodated. Course Requirements 1. Class attendance: Regular class attendance is imperative. Each student is allowed a total of three absences. Any additional absences will count one third of a letter grade each against your final class grade. Plan your semester accordingly!! Any unexcused absence (absence without notification prior to the class missed, except in case of dire emergency) on a test/quiz day automatically results in a 0 for that test/quiz. Excessive absences (i.e., more than three) will count against your grade and can result in failure of the course. Under no circumstances should anyone leave class early unless you have notified me at the start of class. 2. Examinations: There will be five written exams that will count for 75% of your grade. The 3 concert reports will be totaled together and will count as 25% of your total grade. Missed exams will not be made up unless you have received permission from me before the absence. Exceptions to this policy will be limited! 3. Reading and Listening: A tentative schedule of assigned reading is provided with the syllabus. Reading the chapter(s) prior to the class lecture will result in a better understanding of the discussion. Along with reading is listening. The listening examples will be introduced and discussed in class. I strongly recommend that you listen to the pieces more than once to obtain total understanding.

2 4. Concert Attendance: Each student is required to attend at least 3 (three) concerts (classical, jazz or music theater) during the semester that he/she is enrolled in this course.

3 Concerts can be on or off the CCU campus. A concert report should be written within 1 week after the performance that you attended and turned in along with the program from the performance. A guideline for concert reports is included with this syllabus. All three concert reports will be totaled together and count as one test when determining your final grade. The more concerts you attend, the better your understanding will be of the world of music. If you elect not to attend concerts, a zero will be averaged with your other exams. Tentative Course Schedule and Required Readings Week 1 Introduction and Historical Overview Week 2 Introduction and Historical Overview J No Class Monday, January 21 J Week 3 Music of the Religious Experience Week 4 Music of the Religious Experience Week 5 Music for the Stage Week 6 Music for Dancing Week 7 Songs Week 8 Music for Mourning Week 9 Music for Celebration, Inspiration and Commemoration Spring Break - No Class Monday March 11 through Friday March 15 Week 10 Music for Celebration, Inspiration and Commemoration Week 11 Music for the Concert Hall Week 12 Music for the Concert Hall Week 13 Music for the Concert Hall Week 14 Music for the Movies Week 15 Improvisation Final Exam TBA Coastal Carolina University is an academic community that expects the highest standards of honesty, integrity and personal responsibility. Members of this community are accountable for their actions and reporting the inappropriate action of others and are committed to creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust.

4 Concert Report Tips and Guidelines (A sample concert report is attached to the syllabus.) 1. Form a. The concert report must be 2 pages, typed, double-spaced, 12-pitch font, and use standard one inch margins for page setup. b. The concert report must have the concert program attached, and if a ticket was required for entry, also include the ticket stub. c. Please use spell check and good grammar. d. Your name, course and section, concert you attended, and the date of the concert e. Type of concert (i.e., solo recital, symphony orchestra, choir, band, jazz ensemble, etc.) f. Reports are due no later than one week after the concert you attended. 2. Content - Writing the paper a. What did you think of the performance? What kind of reaction did you have listening to the music? Why did you like or dislike the performance? Be honest, but fair! What connection (if any) did you feel between the music and the performers? What did you notice about the musicians, conductor, audience, and stage? b. Choose one piece from the program and describe it in detail using vocabulary, terms, and concepts from class. Comment on the following: dynamics, form, emotions, rhythm, tempos, and instrumentation. What did you notice about the instrumentation? Were particular instruments used for color or emphasis? How does this piece compare to the other works on the program? If the program involves singing, how did the music relate to the text? Who composed the work? In what time period was it composed? c. Find out additional information about the composer: is this piece typical of the composer s style? How does this piece fit within the composer s master s works as a whole? (Don t forget to document in a bibliography any outside references that you may use. Plagiarism is totally unacceptable!) I strongly recommend that you plan to attend at least 1 concert a month. Don t wait until May to try and fit in 3 concerts and write 3 reports. I will give you information on performances on and off campus to the best of my ability. Most concerts and performances are free to students; those that do require an admission price are usually well worth the minimal expense. For many of you this may be the first time you have attended these types of performances. Attend them with an open mind and open ears you might be surprised at what you hear, and how the music makes you feel.

5 The Conc e rtgoer s Guide : A S a mple Re port Name: Course: Introduction to Music Date: Concert: Type of concert: Symphony orchestra General reaction: I was impressed with the construction of the concert hall Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center and with its wonderful acoustics. The visual grandeur of the orchestra and the attentiveness of the audience heightened my sense of excitement. Composition I liked best: The piece I enjoyed most was Till Eulenspiegel s Merry Pranks, Op. 28 by Richard Strauss, a one-movement work in rondo form, with various tempos. This symphonic poem was written in 1895 during the romantic era, when program music was prominent and is based on a German folk tale about a famous prankster. Strauss uses the rondo form as a framework for the episodes of Till s adventures: after each prank, Till laughs at his pursuers and saunters off. When he is finally caught and hanged, his last gesture is to thumb his nose at his executioners. Although the piece deals with death, and such unhappy programs are usually in minor, I hear this composition start in minor but end in major. The meter varies, as does the tempo which is basically very lively but at times becomes moderate, slower, or even faster. This work can be compared with another one-movement symphonic poem that deals with the death of its protagonists: Tchaikovsky s Romeo and Juliet. Tchaikovsky chose sonata (rather than rondo) form; his composition is in minor, the meter is duple, and as in Till Eulenspiegel the tempo varies. The basic mood of the two works differs significantly: in Romeo and Juliet, it is love rather than mischief that triumphs over death. Strauss introduces his hero with a lyrical opening theme (the horn). But the second

6 theme reflects agility, deviltry, energy, and unpredictability. Both themes return often as we hear Till get into and out of hide and seek and catch me if you can situations. The ending is a grander, more exciting version of Till s first theme. Throughout, Strauss conveys the story and mood by contrasting solo and orchestral passages. The funeral after Till s hanging is interrupted several times by Till s horn theme, suggesting his refusal to die. In Romeo and Juliet, the slow introduction is a hymn-like melody (Friar Lawrence s theme), which leads to a violent, fast theme that identifies the warring families; Romeo and Juliet themselves are identified by a lovers theme. In both works, funeral music indicates death. Tchaikovsky used Romeo s theme as a dirge but follows it by the gentle lovers theme, which implies that these lovers will be reunited in death. Strauss, on the other hand, concludes Till Eulenspiegel with Till s nosethumbing theme. Till s spirit like Romeo and Juliet s - lives on, but it is obviously a very different kind of spirit. Listening to Romeo and Juliet brought me close to tears, while Till Eulenspiegel brought a smile to my lips. Performance of the work: Wonderful! I was glad that Till Eulenspiegel was the final work on the program, as it left me in a very uplifted mood. I marveled at the fact that, through his music, Strauss enabled me to see the actions described in the program. Overall Performance: Totally professional in every respect.

MUS : SURVEY OF MUSIC LITERATURE Cultural Arts Building, 1023 TTR 5:00-6:15 p.m.

MUS : SURVEY OF MUSIC LITERATURE Cultural Arts Building, 1023 TTR 5:00-6:15 p.m. MUS 115 006: SURVEY OF MUSIC LITERATURE Cultural Arts Building, 1023 TTR 5:00-6:15 p.m. Instructor: Dr. Elizabeth Loparits Office: Cultural Arts Building 1018 Office hours: by appointment E-mail: loparitse@uncw.edu