Music – Office of the Registrar Archives

INTRODUCTORY COURSES

1. American Music

09S, 10S: 10

In 2009, the course focuses on American popular music from World War II to Woodstock, exploring the emergence of new genres (rock’n’roll, soul, easy listening) and the persistence of others (country-western, Broadway) in the pop soundscape of the 1950s and ‘60s. We will devote our attention to a wide range of performers and recording artists; to audiences and the questions of identity (racial, gendered, generational) and meaning with which music was entangled; and with technological change and its impact on the production and consumption of popular music. (Description pending Faculty approval.)

No prerequisite. A course fee may be charged for special events associated with the course. Paulin.

2. Beginning Music Theory

09W, 09X, 10W: 10

A course intended for students with little or no knowledge of music theory. Among topics covered are musical notation, intervals, scales, rhythm and meter, and general musical terminology. Concepts will be directly related to music literature in class and through assignments. Students will have the opportunity to compose simple pieces and work on ear training. The 09W offering will rely heavily on graded exercises in vocal improvisation.

No prerequisite. Dist: ART. O’Neal, Zuckerman.

3. Music and Technology

08F: 2 09F: 2A

This course concerns the impact of technology and its aesthetic and social implications on composers, performers, and listeners. Course work focuses on elementary acoustics, sound synthesis, recording media, music distribution, new musical instruments, and music software. Assignments include extensive listening and a final project. Dist: TAS. Armstrong.

4. Global Sounds

09W, 10S: 10A

A survey of music and music-making whose origins are in the non-European world. Examples include Indian raga, Middle Eastern maqam, West African drumming, Javanese gamelan, and Tuvan throat-singing. A central issue in the course is the present-day intermingling of non-Western and Western musical styles and performance practices. Course work will include listening, reading and critical writing assignments. Where possible, visiting musicians will be invited to demonstrate and discuss the music under consideration.

No prerequisite. Permission of the instructor. Prospective students should contact the Music Department for more information. Dist: ART; WCult: NW. Levin.

5. Harmony and Theory I

08F: 10 09S: 11 09F: 10 10S: 11

This course begins a sequence in harmony and theory and is intended for those who may consider a music major or minor. Topics include music notation, interval identification, common-practice scales and modes, harmonic function, melodic construction, and formal analysis. In addition, students will have an opportunity to improve skills in rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic dictation, sight singing, and score reading.

Prerequisite: the ability to read music in two or more clefs, or permission of the instructor. Dist: ART. Duff, Dodge.

6. History of Western Art Music

09W, 10W: 2

An introduction to Western art music. After a brief introduction to the rudiments of musical notation and theory and to the instruments of the traditional orchestra, the course proceeds to an examination of selected masterworks, with an emphasis on music of the past three hundred years.

No prerequisite: no previous knowledge of music is assumed. Dist: ART; WCult: W. Summers.

7. First-Year Seminar

Consult special listings

8. Special Topics in Music: The Music of Today

09S, 10S: 10A

In 09S, Digital Musics, Sonic Arts and the Internet. This course investigates how the Internet has changed the way that music and the sonic arts are created and disseminated in the world today. The course will introduce the technological underpinnings of digital music, such as MP3 and streaming audio protocols, and will explore a range of digital musics as well as new and emerging artists and music genres. Indicative topics to be covered include Music 2.0 communities, play-list sharing and music recommendation services, peer-to-peer file-sharing services, “on-line and unsigned” music labels, music discovery and navigation systems, “hit song” prediction using community intelligence, remixes and mashups, free music and sound archives and the complex legal issues surrounding the use and dissemination of music on the Internet. Students will be expected to engage with various on-line music communities as part of their course requirement. Dist: ART; WCult: W. Casey.

9. History of Jazz (Identical to AAAS 39)

08F, 09F: 10A

This course examines jazz from its origins to the present, with special attention to pivotal figures in the history of jazz such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Ornette Coleman. Class work includes listening to, analyzing, and discussing a wide variety of recorded jazz performances, and watching jazz films. Class sessions include performances by visiting artists. Outside of class, students will attend live jazz performances, listen to recordings, and read about the artists who brought this music to life. The goal is to help increase understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the great American art form called jazz. Dist: ART; WCult: W. Haas.

10. Basic Keyboard Skills

08F, 09W, 09S, 09F, 10W, 10S: Arrange

This class aims to provide basic skills for those with limited or no previous training in piano. Two sections are offered: Basic Keyboard (10a), for those with no piano experience, covers the basics of note reading, hand coordination, scales, chords, and beginning piano music. Intermediate Keyboard (10b) is for those with some previous training in piano, and covers scales, chords, pedaling, phrasing, and beginner-intermediate piano music. The class, which uses advanced keyboard and computer technology, consists of three terms of study (eight sessions each), with one course credit offered for the combined three terms. Each section is limited to four students; priority will be given to music majors seeking to fulfill their proficiency requirement.

No prerequisite. Open to all classes. Dist: ART. Weiser.

INDIVIDUAL INSTRUCTION PROGRAM (IIP)

Student selection is at the discretion of the instructor. In case the instructor’s load cannot accommodate student demand, priority will be given (in the following order) to music majors (including modified majors) and minors, students participating in Performance Labs (Music 50), and members of recognized Hopkins Center Music Ensembles.

One course credit is offered for the combined three terms of instruction and will be granted only after successful completion of all three terms of study. The course is included as part of a student’s official course load only in the first term; a grade is given upon completion of the final term. A student who does not complete the course will receive a non-credit grade. All courses in this sequence (Music 11-16) are offered only on a graded basis; under College regulations the policy must be announced prior to each initial term. A student may repeat the course, if satisfactory progress has been made, within the conditions stated following this description. Dist: ART.

Students not accepted into a course in instrumental or vocal instruction may make private arrangements for study with teachers on the staff of Dartmouth College, at the discretion of the instructor, or they may study off-campus with teachers in the area. No academic credit will be given for off-campus study and the fee is the responsibility of the student.

No more than four course credits from the following courses may be counted by any student toward the Dartmouth degree: Music 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.

All terms except summer: Arrange

11. Keyboard Individual Instruction: Classical and Jazz Piano.

Harpsichord and organ also taught by petition.

12. Woodwind Individual Instruction: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Saxophone

13. Brass Individual Instruction: Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Tuba

14. String Individual Instruction: Violin, Viola, ’Cello, Bass Viol, Electric Bass, Classical and Electric Guitar

15. Voice Individual Instruction

16. Percussion Individual Instruction

For Music 11-16, an audition is required. See Departmental IIP Coordinator for information about auditions.

THEORY AND COMPOSITION

19. Composition

09W, 10S: 11

This course is for those intending to pursue compositional studies of any genre, style, or type of music at either the basic, intermediate, or advanced levels. Students will engage in extended creative projects designed in conjunction with the instructor during which they will receive intensive private instruction and participate in composition seminars. Projects may be undertaken in any of the following musical domains: acoustic, avant-garde, culturally-grounded, experimental, folk, inter- or multi-media, jazz, popular, rock, and traditional, or any other creative interest of the students enrolled. The term’s work will include analyzing literature pertinent to the current session, and writing essays involving the aesthetic, creative, and technical issues at hand. Music 19 may be repeated once for credit.

Prerequisite: Music 5 or permission of the instructor. Dist: ART. Dodge.

20. Harmony and Theory II

09W, 10W: 2

A study of the theory and practice of Western tonal harmony. The course begins with the analysis and composition of four-part chorales in the style of J. S. Bach and continues with the principles of advanced modulation, modal mixture, advanced chromaticism, altered chords, nonfunctional tonality, and basic principles of structure, particularly in binary and ternary form. Assignments will include listening, analysis of passages from the literature, and composition to models. While the course focuses on the theory and practice of the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras, attention will also be given to tonal harmonic practices of the twentieth century in jazz, popular song, concert music, etc. A weekly laboratory in sight-singing, dictation, and keyboard skills is coordinated with the theoretical studies.

Prerequisite: Music 5 or permission of the instructor. The course is designed as a continuation of Music 5. Laboratory to be arranged. Dist: ART. Dodge.

21. Counterpoint

09S, 10S: 2

A study of the traditional theory and practice of combining two or more melodies in a conventional tonal or modal framework. The course begins with sixteenth-century modal counterpoint in the styles of Palestrina, Lassus, and their contemporaries. The course then proceeds to a study of Baroque tonal counterpoint, particularly as practiced by J. S. Bach, and the extension of the tradition into the Classical, Romantic, and twentieth-century eras. Students will also analyze the essential Baroque forms of two- and three-part invention, canon, passacaglia, choral prelude, fughetta, and especially, fugue. The final project will be the composition of a fugue. Assignments will include composition to models, analysis of works from the literature, and listening. Laboratory: sight-singing in treble and bass clefs, singing single lines and in parts; melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic dictation; score-reading of simple keyboard works; chord progressions, modulations, and counterpoint exercises at the keyboard.

Prerequisite: Music 5 or the permission of the instructor. Laboratory to be arranged. Dist: ART. Duff.

22. Orchestration

08F: 10 09F: 10A

This course covers the theory and practice of Western music orchestration, focusing on the music of the late 19th and early 20th century composers including Debussy, Ravel, Bartok, Stravinsky, and Schoenberg. Beginning with an introduction to the individual instruments in the standard orchestra, students will learn about the timbres, ranges, performance techniques and conventions of each instrument, in preparation for composing with multi-instrument orchestral ideas. Coursework will include re-arranging pre-existing scores, in-depth listening, and in-class analysis and discussion of scores. Related topics on music form will be discussed to enhance the understanding of instrumental music writing.

Prerequisite: Music 21 or the permission of the instructor. Laboratory to be arranged. Dist: ART. Casey.

24. Introduction to the Composition of Electro-Acoustic Music

09S, 10S: 2A

The course is intended for students who demonstrate a serious interest in creative work with electro-acoustic music. The study of relevant acoustics, equipment design and function, and the analysis of examples of electronic music are covered in weekly class meetings. In addition, students are given weekly individual instruction and are provided with regular hours for work in the studio.

Prerequisite: Music 5, and permission of the instructor. Dist: TAS.

FOREIGN STUDY COURSES

29. Perspectives in Music Performance

09S, 10S: D.F.S.P.

This course combines the study of music with an intensive exposure to musical performance. Students attend concerts, examine works selected from the repertoire, and keep a journal of concert observations. Performance practices of various historical style periods are reviewed in their historical context, including such factors as the circumstances of composition, the place of the work within a composer’s total output, and the contribution of individual works to the development of musical form and style. Dist: ART. Summers.

30. The History of Music in England

09S. 10S: D.F.S.P.

A close examination of the circumstances in which music has been composed and performed in England from early times to the present. Course topics include the effects of ruling monarchs and changing religious affiliations on musical life, the rise of music societies, and the influence of music from Continental Europe such as opera and the Italian madrigal. Students will study works by Dunstable, Tallis, Dowland, Byrd, Purcell, Handel, Elgar, Walton, Britten, and Tippett. Dist: ART; WCult: W.

MUSIC HISTORY COURSES

31. Western Art Music of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Early Baroque

09W, 10W: 10A

A historical and stylistic survey that begins with the development of liturgical chant and secular song in the Middle Ages (ca. 800) and ends with the emergence of a seconda prattica that provides the foundation for Western musical languages after 1600. The course syllabus focuses on music from the Cathedral of Notre Dame and other French music, as well as on Italian, English, Flemish and German traditions. Representative composers include Machaut, Dufay, Dunstable, Ockeghem, Josquin, Palestrina, Byrd, Gabrieli and Monteverdi.

Prerequisite: Music 21, or permission of the instructor. Dist: ART; WCult: W. Summers.

32. Western Art Music from the Early Baroque Through Beethoven

08F. 09F: 11

Beginning with church music and opera in the seventeenth century, the course emphasizes the development of large-scale instrumental and musical-dramatic forms and the rise of new harmonic and structural concepts, culminating in the music of Beethoven. Representative composers, in addition to Beethoven, include Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Rameau, Purcell, Schütz, Lully, and Frescobaldi.

Prerequisite: Music 20, or permission of the instructor. Dist: ART; WCult: W. Paulin.

33. Western Art Music from Early Romanticism to the Late Twentieth Century

08F, 09F: 10A

The century-and-a-half-long period from the emergence of Romanticism in music to the “rediscovery” of tonality in the late 1970s was characterized by a tension between innovative experiments with new styles, media, and techniques and the continuing evolution of older musical forms and languages. Drawing on the work of composers such as Schubert, Berlioz, Schumann, Brahms, Wagner, Verdi, Debussy, Schoenberg, Ives, Bartók, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Stockhausen, Cage, Ligeti, Glass, and Adams, the course will trace the interplay of innovation, tradition, and reinvention in the classical concert music repertory that remains most influential in our own time.

Prerequisite: Music 20, or permission of the instructor. Dist: ART; WCult: W. Paulin.

35. Beethoven in Context

Not offered in the period from 08F through 10S

This course examines the life and music of Ludwig van Beethoven. In the hands of critics, historians, and visual artists of his own time, Beethoven was elevated to the status of a genius, a perception that persists today. Nineteenth-century representations of Beethoven as a towering persona will be compared with modern biographies, recordings, and video-tape productions in order to construct an accurate picture of Beethoven, the creative artist and the man. Students will listen to and discuss works that illustrate the developments in Beethoven’s compositional style. Performers will present in-class recitals of Beethoven’s music, and attendance at selected Hopkins Center concerts featuring Beethoven’s music will be required.

No prerequisite. Dist: ART; WCult: W. Summers.

36. Composers

09S, 10S: 10A

Making Music National: Composers and Cultural Identity. This course will explore nationalism and its impact upon musical culture since the early 19th century. We will ask how music came to be understood as expressive of national identity in specific historical contexts—German and Czech, American and Mexican, Russian and Zionist, Soviet and Maoist—examining the search for national roots in folk music; the staging of nationhood and citizenship in opera; the use or invention of national symbols, legends, and histories; the relationships among the national, the ethnic, and the exotic; and the selling of nationalist music abroad.

No prerequisite. Dist: INT; WCult: CI. Paulin.

37. Opera

09X: 2A

The term ‘opera’ encompasses a vast range of music-dramatic forms and involves the extra-musical domains of literature, mythology, the visual arts, religion, philosophy, and social commentary. From its origins in late Renaissance Italy to the present, opera has been a most complex and compelling performing art, as well as a mirror of Western culture. This course will survey the development of opera, focusing on representative works by such composers as Monteverdi, Handel, Purcell, Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, Bizet, R. Strauss, Berg, and Britten. Special attention will be given to music as it relates to libretto and dramatic structure.

No prerequisite. Dist: ART; WCult: W. Swayne.

38. American Musical Theater

Not offered in the period from 08F through 10S

The course will examine the various forms of twentieth-century American music theater, including musical comedy, operetta, revue, and opera. Representative musical theater works by such composers as Cohan, Kern, Blake, Gershwin, Porter, Rodgers, Loesser, Loewe, Bernstein, Sondheim, Glass, and Adams will be viewed and studied. Special emphasis will be placed on studying the music as it relates to libretto and dramatic structure and the cultural and historical context of each work, and to the artistic and polemical intentions of the creators.

No prerequisite. Dist: ART; WCult: W.

40. Ethnomusicology

09W, 10W: 2A

Ethnomusicology is the study of music—particularly that outside the Western classical tradition—in its social and cultural context. In 2009, the course focuses on the raga tradition of North India as performed on instruments such as the sitar and sarod, as well by vocalists. Course work will include reading and listening assignments, and weekly group singing exercises in which students will learn the fundamentals of raga performance.

No prerequisite. Dist: ART; WCult: NW. Zuckerman.

41. Music, Ceremony, Ritual, and Sacred Chant

Not offered in the period from 08F through 10S

A cross-cultural, comparative survey of the ceremonial and ritual contexts and functions of selected musical repertories, genres, and styles. The musics surveyed will be drawn from living cultural traditions and may vary from year to year. A central concern of the course is the notion of musical universals: what is similar and what is different about the use of music in various ritual and ceremonial contexts. Course work will include weekly listening and reading assignments, and close analysis of sound recordings and films.

No prerequisite. Dist: ART; WCult: NW. Levin.

PERFORMANCE COURSES

50. Performance Laboratories

08F, 09W, 09S: Arrange (Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) 09X: Arrange (Section 1 only)

09F, 10W, 10S: Arrange (Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Performance Laboratories provide weekly coaching and instruction in diverse forms of music-making, and are open by audition to all Dartmouth students. Course work centers on musical readings and informal performance of selected repertoire chosen both for its intrinsic interest and for its relevance to the contents of course syllabi within the Music Department. Performance laboratories may be taken for credit (three terms equals one credit) or on a not-for-credit basis. Music majors and minors are required to take at least three terms of Performance Laboratory for credit. Subject to space availability, students may enroll in different laboratories during different terms. Terms of enrollment need not be consecutive.

The following performance laboratories are offered in 2008-2009:

Chamber Music (section 1). Depending on enrollment and distribution of instruments, this laboratory may be broken down into several configurations, e.g., quartet, piano quintet, wind octet, string trio, etc. Repertory focuses on chamber music from the eighteenth century through the first half of the twentieth. Dist: ART; WCult: W.

Contemporary Music (section 2). The contemporary music laboratory will read through and study works appropriate to the participants’ skill level, and where possible, collaborate with Dartmouth’s compositional community in informal performances of newly composed works. Dist: ART; WCult: W.

Jazz Improvisation (section 3). This course serves as a laboratory for students with some preparation in jazz to develop skills in composition, arranging, and performance. Ensemble configurations will be determined each term on the basis of enrollment. Dist: ART; WCult: W.

Indonesian Gamelan (section 4). An introduction to performing music for gamelan, the orchestra of gongs, xylophones, and other percussion instruments indigenous to Indonesia but now found in many parts of the world. No previous experience on gamelan instruments is necessary. Priority given to music majors and minors. Dist: ART; WCult: NW.

Voice (section 5). Vocal music for small ensembles is the focus of the laboratory. Repertoire will be selected on the basis of enrollment.

51. Oral Tradition Musicianship

08F, 09W, 09S, 09F, 10W, 10S: 2A

Through disciplined practice of West African, Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-Brazilian percussion-based music under the leadership of a master drummer, students will enter a musical world in which creating, mentoring, and communicating are all rooted in oral tradition. Weekly music-making is integrated with discussions and audio-visual material that culturally contextualize the musical traditions being performed. No prerequisite. Dist: ART; W.Cult: NW. Shabazz.

70. Conducting

09X: 2

The conductor has ultimate responsibility for an ensemble’s performance. This course is designed to provide a philosophical basis and practical introduction to the art and discipline of conducting music. Preparation of the score (study of transposing instruments and clefs, melodic, harmonic and form analysis), knowledge of historical styles and performance practices, baton technique and rehearsal procedures will be studied and applied. Conducting instrumental and vocal music will be incorporated into daily class assignments as well as midterm and final project performances.

Prerequisite: Music 20, or permission of the instructor. Dist: ART. O’Neal.