Dr. Dan Lipori's Website: Music 5204. Instrumental Ensemble Literature

Music 386/572. Survey of Modern Music

Daniel Lipori, Instructor
Spring 2007 Quarter
MWF 1-1:50pm, Music Room 220

1. OFFICE HOURS: TBA

Office Phone: 963-1242

Email: liporid@cwu.edu

Web Page: http://www.cwu.edu/~liporid

Also whenever my office door is open, feel free to come in if you have any questions or problems concerning this course.

2. COURSE DESCRIPTION AND GOALS:

Music 386/572 is a survey of the music from 1900 to the present. Class time will be spent studying several representative examples of the different styles that have occurred over this period.

As a result of this course students will:

1. Gain knowledge of music since 1900.
2. Have the ability to discuss the historical and stylistic aspects of modern music.

3. TEXTS AND RESERVE ITEMS:

No texts are required for this course. There are some sources, which you might consult throughout the semester. These may include:

Morgan, Robert P. Twentieth-Century Music. New York: Norton, 1990. (ML 197 M675)

Salzman, Eric. Twentieth-Century Music: An Introduction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2002. (ML 197 S17)

Griffiths, Paul. Modern Music and After. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. (ML 197 G76 M68)

Cope, David. New Directions in Music. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press, 1998. (ML 197 C757 N5)(Have 1976 ed.)

Taruskin, Richard. The Oxford History of Western Music. 6 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. (ML 160 T18 (Ref.))

4. COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING:

a. Evaluation for Undergraduate Students:

(1) Exam 1 100 points.
(2) Exam 2 100 points.
(3) Assignments (3 total) 150 points.

b. Grading for Undergraduate Students:

350 total points possible
320-350 points = A
315-319 points = A-
310-314 points = B+
285-309 points = B
280-284 points = B-
275-279 points = C+
250-274 points = C
245-249 points = C-
240-244 points = D+
210-239 points = D
0-209 points = F

c. Evaluation for Graduate Students:

(1) Exam 1 100 points.
(2) Exam 2 100 points.
(3) Assignments (4 total) 200 points.
(4) Class Presentation 50 points.

d. Grading for Graduate Students:

450 total points possible
410-450 points = A
405-409 points = A-
400-404 points = B+
365-399 points = B
360-364 points = B-
355-359 points = C+
320-354 points = C
315-319 points = C-
310-314 points = D+
275-309 points = D
270-274 points = D-
0-269 points = F

e. Absences:

Attendance is not mandatory but strongly encouraged. If you know prior to a class meeting that you will be absent, please let me know beforehand so we are not waiting for someone to start a lecture. You are responsible for obtaining all materials covered during missed classes.

Verbal Changes to assignments, due dates, etc. given in class will always take precedence over what is written in the syllabus.

f. Late Assignments:

Personally, I feel that there is no good reason for turning an assignment in after the scheduled due date, other then your death. But, if something else should come up, here are my policies. An assignment is considered late if it is turned in after 12pm for a morning class or after 5pm for an afternoon class the day the assignment is due. Assignments will be lowered one letter grade for each class day late. A weekend will count for at least two days late. No assignments will be accepted after the scheduled final exam for the class.

5. ASSIGNMENTS:

The written assignments are a way for you to delve a little further into the material covered in class. There are several options for you to choose from, with nearly one assignment for each style of music covered. Assignments are quasi- research papers, and I expect a minimum of three sources for each (No web sites may be used). Assignments will be between 4-5 pages of double spaced type. A description of each assignment is given later in the syllabus. Of course with all assignments, you are welcome to turn them in befor3e the due date or I am happy to look over an assignment a day or two it is turned in to make sure you are on the right track.

6. GRADUATE STUDENT CLASS PRESENTATIONS:

Each graduate student will give a short in class presentation on a current composer. You will give the primary biographical information, describe the compositional style, and mention significant works of the composer chosen, and hopefully be able to play recordings of their music. Either a written paper or your notes for the presentation will be turned in the day of the presentation. The composer you wish to present on must be chosen and approved by me no later than May 4. Presentations will be given during the last two weeks of the quarter. I have a large list of composers if you need some assistance in choosing someone.

7. PROPOSED CLASS SCHEDULE:

Week 1: 3/28, 3/30

Introduction

Impressionism

Week 2: 4/2, 4/4, 4/6

Primitivism

Expressionism

Week 3: 4/9, 4/11, 4/13

Expressionism cont.

Total Serialism

Fri. 4/13 Assignment 1 Due (Graduate Students)

Week 4: 4/16, 4/18, 4/20

Early American

Neoclassicism

Fri. 4/20 Assignment 1 Due (Undergraduate Students)

Week 5: 4/23, 4/25, 4/27

Nationalism

Film/Theatre Music

Fri. 4/27 Assignment 2 Due (Graduate Students)

Week 6: 4/30, 5/2, 5/4

Catch Up/Review

Wed. 5/2 Exam I

Avant Garde

Week 7: 5/7, 5/9, 5/11

Avant Garde cont.

Total Control

Fri. 5/11 Assignment 2 Due (Undergraduate Students)

Fri. 5/11 Assignment 3 Due (Graduate Students)

Week 8: 5/14, 5/16, 5/18

Electronic Music

Minimalism

Week 9: 5/21, 5/23, 5/25

Influence of Jazz Music

Influence of Popular Music

Fri. 5/25 Assignment 4 Due (Graduate Students)

Week 10: 5/28, 5/30, 6/1

Mon. 5/28 Memorial Day. No Class

New Romanticism

Current Trends

Fri. 6/1 Assignment 3 Due (Undergraduate Students)

Thurs. 6/7 Final Exam (12-2pm)

Assignments

Impressionism

Many people believe Debussy’s music should be regarded as Symbolist rather than Impressionist. Describe some of the reasons as to why this thought is believed. Cite examples of Debussy’s music to show this theory.

Primitivism

Listen to some non-Western music of oral and tribal cultures, such as some African or Native American music. Describe the aspects of primitive music, which resemble those of tribal music and what aspects belong to the Western musical tradition.

Expressionism

Describe some of the ways that dissonance and atonality create musical tension. Is the instability expressed by dissonance absolute, or is it relative and thus depends on contrast with consonance? Does atonality soon undermine its own effect of intensity because there is no point of stability to give the instability of atonality meaning?

Early American Music

What makes a composer “Americanistic?” Identify traits that were common to leading American composers from the time of the Revolution to WWI. Have their been characteristically American aesthetic ideals? Some composers perhaps to look at include Francis Hopkinson, William Billings, Stephen Foster, Edward MacDowell, George W. Chadwick, Horatio Parker, and Charles Ives.

Neoclassicism

Briefly describe Gebrauchmusik. For much of history, functional music was the norm. When did that change and why? How does functionalism relate to the development of musical style?

Film Music

A recent masters thesis surveyed music directors on their view of film music. While the large majority stated that they believed film music was of very high quality, they would not program it on non-pops concerts or play at contest. Does this stereotype still hold true? Is current film music equal to that of other ‘classical’ styles of music?

Avant Garde

There are many more things that are now considered musical instruments than there were 100 years ago. There are also many more extended techniques being regularly employed on nearly every instrument as well. Describe some of the ways this has helped as well as hurt musical performances. Mention also the belief that some people have that every possible sound can be musical and thus part of a composition.

Electronic Music

What are some of the aesthetic and social questions raised by electronic composition and media? Is the elimination of the live performer a significant loss to the musical experience? What effect does the replacement of performances in public gatherings by private hearings of recorded music have on musical and social life?

Music and Politics

Discuss the different ways that music and politics align. Consider for instance, what kind of political identity Jimmy Hendrix is presenting in his version of the Star Spangled Banner. Are the rebellious dimensions of Hendrix’s performance akin to the creative impulses of composers like Bartok and Shostakovich? Are all three of these musicians challenging some national perspectives while celebrating others? Is it possible for a single work or composer to serve more than one political position?

Minimalism

The basic premise behind the development of minimalism was that classical music was becoming too complicated in the 20th century. Do you agree/disagree with this statement? Was the creation of minimalist music successful in simplifying music, and thus bringing an audience back or did it create new problems? Does music (or anything for that matter) have to complicated to be considered good quality?

Music and Gender

In recent years there have been a number of prominent women composers and conductors. Do you believe the status of women musicians has changed in the 20th century? Marin Alsop was recently hired as the new conductor of the Baltimore Symphony, though there was some controversy over her hiring. Go to the site:
http://www.elfnoodles.com/wordpress/?p=227 and review the posted material and links. Do comments such as this help or hurt the status of the woman musician?

Popular Music

Discuss the cultural position of popular music in recent times. In what ways does the situation of modern popular music differ from that of popular music in earlier centuries? Can modern popular music be clearly separated from art music, and are the divisions among popular styles less significant than those that separate popular from “serious” music? How do the varied styles within popular music and ”serious” music contribute to social divisions in modern Western culture?

Music and Marketing

Classical music continues to slow in sales and attendance while most other styles are growing. Many people believe this is due to the fact that classical music does not market itself in a manner that will attract new viewers/listeners? Do you agree/disagree with this statement. Describe some ways that perhaps different methods of advertising could boost classical music sales.