MUSIC An Introduction to Early Twentieth-Century Music I. Basic Elements of Music Theory 20% A. Sound and Music 1. Definitions a. Music Is Sound Organized in Time b. Music of the Western World 2. Physics of Musical Sound a. Sound Waves b. Instruments as Sound Sources B. Pitch, Rhythm, and Harmony 1. Pitch a. Pitch, Frequency, and Octaves b. Pitch on a Keyboard c. Pitch on the Grand Staff d. Overtones and Partials e. Equal Temperament: Generating the 12 Pitches by Dividing the Octave f. Scales: Leading Tone, Tonic, Dominant g. Intervals h. Intervals of the Major Scale i. Minor Scales j. Melody Defined; Example, Using Scale Degrees k. Contour l. Range and Tessitura 2. Rhythm a. Beat b. Tempo c. Meter: Duple and Triple d. Rhythmic Notation e. Time Signature f. Compound Meter g. Mixed and Irregular Meter h. Syncopation i. Polyrhythm 3. Harmony a. Common-Practice Tonality b. Chords i. Triads ii. Inversions c. Keys i. Keys and key signatures ii. Hierarchy of keys: circle of fifths 1
d. Harmonic Progression i. Dissonance and consonance ii. Diatonic triads iii. The dominant triad s special role iv. Bass lines v. The dominant seventh chord vi. Example: a harmonized melody e. Other Diatonic Chords f. Chromatic Harmonies and Modulation g. Beyond Common Practice C. Other Aspects of Musical Sound 1. Texture, Counterpoint, Instrumentation, More Timbre 2. Dynamics, Articulation, Ornamentation D. Form in Music 1. Perceiving Musical Form 2. Elements of Form a. Motive b. Phrase c. Cadence d. Theme 3. Common Forms a. Repetition b. Variation i. Theme and variations ii. 12-bar blues iii. Improvisation c. Contrast i. Ternary and rondo forms ii. 32-bar form iii. Verse-chorus form d. Development i. Fugue ii. Sonata form E. Which Is the Real Music? Scores, Recordings, and Performance II. CLASSICAL MUSIC AND MODERNISM 30% A. Style Periods, Past and Present 1. Music History s Traditional Eras 2. What is Modernism? 3. Clinging to the Past (Post-Romanticism) 4. Embracing the Future (New Technology) 2
B. The Early Twentieth Century Technology Takes the Lead 1. Radio 2. Advent of Recording a. Audio (Portable gramophones Decca s Trench Model ) b. Film ( Silent vs. Sound ) C. The Early Twentieth Century s New Classical Music 1. An Explosion of -isms (Parallels with Visual Art) 2. Impressionism a. The Painting That Started It All (Monet s Impression: soleil levant) b. Visual Art: Characteristics and Painters c. Pejorative Term d. Musical Characteristics (and Ties to Symbolist Poetry) e. International Interest (France, Italy, U.S., England) f. LISTENING SELECTION: Préludes, Book I, No. 2 Voiles, Claude Debussy 3. Expressionism a. Visual Art: Characteristics and Painters b. Musical Characteristics c. Composers d. LISTENING SELECTION: Pierrot lunaire, No. 8 Nacht, Arnold Schoenberg 4. Primitivism a. Visual Art: Characteristics and Painters b. Musical Characteristics and Composers c. LISTENING SELECTION: The Rite of Spring, Introduction and Omens of Spring, Igor Stravinsky 5. Nationalism a. Rooted in the Past b. Music and Politics c. Characteristics d. LISTENING SELECTION: Romanian Christmas Carols, First Series (Sz. 57 / BB 67), Béla Bartók 6. Atonality a. Parallels with Cubism b. Emancipation of the Dissonance c. Characteristics d. The Second Viennese School e. LISTENING SELECTION: Six Bagatelles for String Quartet, Op. 9, No. 5 Äußerst langsam, Anton Webern III. EARLY TWENTIETH-CENTURY POPULAR MUSIC 30% A. Continuities from the Past 1. Folk 2. Multiple Stage Traditions a. Minstrel Shows b. Music Hall c. Vaudeville (Variety) 3
3. Bands 4. Gospel 5. Politicized Music a. National Anthems b. Music for Causes B. Many New Styles and Genres 1. Ragtime a. Synthesis (Europe + Africa) b. Composers c. LISTENING SELECTION: Maple Leaf Rag, Scott Joplin d. Dance Descendents e. Stride Piano f. Ragtime in Europe 2. Blues a. Origins b. The Blue Devils c. Building the Blues d. Country Blues e. Classic Blues f. LISTENING SELECTION: St. Louis Blues, W. C. Handy 3. Jazz a. The Cradle of Jazz b. A Recipe for Jazz c. The End of Storyville d. Heading North e. King Oliver s Creole Jazz Band f. LISTENING SELECTION: Dippermouth Blues, Joe King Oliver g. Classical/Jazz Hybrids 4. Theatrical Music a. Opera s Growing Family b. Operetta c. Musical Comedy i. Speed! Speed! ii. African-Americans on Broadway iii. African-Americans in London iv. A Star-Turn for a Star v. LISTENING SELECTION: I Wants to Be (A Actor Lady), from In Dahomey, Harry von Tilzer and Vincent Bryan d. Revue i. A French Export ii. Keeping It Fresh 5. Tin Pan Alley a. A Place and a Style b. Pluggers and Barbershoppers c. The Birth of ASCAP 4
d. The Third Most Frequently Sung Song in America e. LISTENING SELECTION: Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer f. Cracker Jack and ASCAP 6. Film a. Music over Noise b. The Vaudeville Legacy c. Nickelodeons d. Custom (Original) Scores e. The Birth of a Nation f. Breil s Film Score g. Live vs. Recorded Sound IV. MUSICAL RESPONSES TO THE GREAT WAR 20% A. To Serve or Not to Serve 1. Eager to Go 2. Longing to Stay B. To Play or Not to Play 1. Performing the Enemy s Music, Letting the Enemy Perform a. National Attitudes (and Resistance) b. Hyphen-Americans 2. Transcending the Boundaries 3. The Christmas Truce of 1914 C. To Create or Not to Create 1. Creative Blocks 2. Creative Inspiration a. Supporting War Efforts b. Commemorating the Fallen c. Works About (and for) Soldiers D. Popular Music From Tin Pan Alley to the Trenches 1. Music for Emotions a. Vulgar and Cheap? b. Sentiment and Nostalgia i. Tugging the Heartstrings ii. LISTENING SELECTION: It s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary, Jack Judge and Harry Williams c. Worship and Lamentation d. Laughing It Off 2. Music to Persuade a. Pacifism i. The Parents Speak 5
ii. LISTENING SELECTION: I Didn t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier: A Mother s Plea for Peace, respectfully dedicated to every Mother everywhere, Alfred Bryan and Al Piantadosi b. Patriotism and Propaganda i. Recruitment Songs ii. Anthems iii. Music for Marketing iv. Raising the Patriotic Spirit v. LISTENING SELECTION: Over There, George M. Cohan 3. Groundbreaking Music (Bit by Bit) a. Soldiers of Color b. Musical Realism i. James Reese Europe ii. LISTENING SELECTION: On Patrol in No Man s Land, James Reese Europe 6