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Provides a chronological overview of music history from at least the Renaissance to the present day, emphasising key genres, styles and composers. This course will develop the ability to recognise and contextualise a wide variety of works aurally and from score.
This course provides an overview of the development of Western art music from the Middle Ages to the mid-20th century via a study primarily of musical genres, and to develop understanding and recognition of some of the principal characteristics of those genres.During the course we look at musical genres in historical context and in roughly chronological order, with occasional focus on some key composers associated with them. At the end of each semester there is a test in which students need to be able to identify recorded musical extracts and answer questions relating to them.At the start of the course there is a library-based tutorial at which the first assessment item will be handed out. It is vital that students attend the first lecture to be placed in a tutorial group. Please contact the course co-ordinator if you miss the initial lecture.The course will use extracts from the current edition of the Norton Anthology of Western Music, both scores and recorded extracts. Access to the relevant materials will be discussed in class, and you will be provided with a list of works used.Topics covered include:Weeks 1-2 Course introduction; Library Skills; PlainchantWeek 3 Early polyphony; the early motetWeek 4 England and Burgundy; the Netherlandish style Week 5 Chanson, Madrigal and Renaissance secular songWeek 6 Renaissance instruments and instrumental music; Sample test (not assessed)Week 7 Musical expressionism and the first operas; the legacy of the ReformationWeek 8 Early Sonata and SuiteWeek 9 The concerto; imitation and fugueWeek 10 Cantata, opera and oratorioWeek 11 The early 18th century; TEST 1Week 12 Test Feedback; Essay Writing SkillsSEMESTER 2Week 13-14 Unity and Contrast: sonata forms; BeethovenWeek 15-16 Romanticism: miniature, Lied, opera and music drama Week 17-18 Romanticism: virtuosity, nationalism, depiction, expansion; expressionism and early modernismWeek 19-20 Primitivism and folklorism; early formalism and neo-classicismWeek 21-22 Music, war and politics in mid-century; new media and messages; post-war formalism; the end of ArtWeek 23 Sonority and Texture; Minimalisms Week 24 TEST 2. Test Feedback. Further study.Note on score-reading Lectures often assume familiarity with basic music theory and notation, and the ability to follow and study a score is a definite advantage. However, due to the largely aural method of assessment it is possible to follow and to pass this course without such background. If you are interested in taking this course and are not sure about this aspect of it please feel free to contact the course coordinator for more advice.Workload This course covers a considerable amount of material in a short time. It is important that students listen to and study the set works continuously during the course. Last-minute cramming is not advised.
MUSI102, MUSI103, MUSI123, MUSI206
Jonathan Le Cocq
LIBRARY TEST Students are required to attend a library training session at the start of the course which focuses on studying music. In the course of this you will be given a test to complete independently to demonstrate familiarity with music resources in the library.IN-CLASS TESTSEach test involves aural recognition of a range extracts (each played twice) in terms of genre, period, and characteristic stylistic traits, and more general questions related to the genre/style they exemplify. Examples will be drawn from works studied in that semester (ie, test 2 will only cover works studied in semester 2). There will be an unassessed mock test in Term 1 to indicate what is expected. Tests take place during the usual lecture times/venue for the course in the penultimate week of Semester 1, and the last week of Semester 2 as follows:Please ensure that you arrive on time for these sessions. It is important that they are not disrupted, and latecomers might not be admitted to the room and will miss the test.WRITTEN WORKThere are two written assignments each related to the work covered in each half of the semester based on the stylistic analysis covered in class and on students’ own research.
A list of works studied in this course, which includes those which might appear in the two tests, will be given out in lectures. All extracts will be drawn from the 6th edition of the Norton Anthology of Western Music (3 vols.), with accompanying CDs. Copies of this anthology/CDs are available for reference or short loan from the School of Music Resource Library, and the Central Library. Copies may also be ordered through the University bookshop. You are encouraged but not required to purchase a copy of this anthology, which will also be useful music history courses at 200 and 300 level.Students might need to purchase a short, inexpensive course handbook containing supplementary material.For additional background reading we recommend any edition of "A History of Western Music' by D.J. Grout and/or Claude Palisca.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This course covers a great deal of material in a short time. It is vital that students listen to and study the set works continuously during the course. Last-minute cramming is not an option. The course also involves studying scores. Familiarity with music notation is important.
The following shows how to translate grades to numerical scores:A+ 90–100; A 85–89; A- 80–84; B+ 75–79; B 70–74; B- 65–69; C+ 60–64; C 55–59; C- 50–54; D 40–49; E 0–39In a course at 100- or 200-level examiners may grant restricted credit (R) which will be equivalent to a pass for all purposes except as a prerequisite.
All coursework must be submitted by the due date by being handed in at the School office, with the name of the marking tutor (Jonathan Le Cocq) and course details clearly indicated on a cover sheet. Assignments are dated by the School Administrator on submission. Assignments submitted up to one week late without prior approval will be graded, but will only be eligible for a maximum grade of C (bare pass). Assignments submitted more than one week late will not be marked.Requests for extensions must be made in advance to the marking tutor. Extensions will only be granted in serious circumstances such as illness or bereavement, and will in all cases require supporting documentation such as a medical note. Heavy workload and bunching of assignments will not be treated as adequate grounds for an extension.Always keep a spare copy of your assignment as you are expected to be able to resubmit any assignment that becomes lost.
All essay and assignment material must be firmly secured (stapled, or bound in a folder), and contain on the front page or cover the following information: Student name, Course number, Lecturer. Unless the class is instructed to the contrary, the assignment should be posted in the appropriate box at the School of Music counter by the due date.
Domestic fee $622.00
International fee $3,200.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see Music .