Unit A: Contemporary Music: Theory and Practice
This unit surveys the major compositional trends such as serialism, minimalism, aleatoricism and postmodernism with the aim of familiarising students with the textures and techniques used in this music through a mixture of listening and participation (controlled improvisation, group composition). The students will also gain an appreciation of the aesthetic ideas behind the music as well as an understanding of the cultural context in which various stylistic movements arose.
Unit B: Baroque to Early Classical
This unit provides an introduction to the music of the Baroque and early Classical periods demonstrating the move from modality to tonality. The aim is to introduce the student to significant composers and the principal genres and forms used. Students are also introduced to score reading and critical listening.
Unit A: This will consist of lectures and participative workshops covering various styles and techniques in music since 1945.
Unit B: This will focus on the music of the principal composers of the Baroque and early Classical eras, with recourse to recordings and written scores.
Unit A: This unit will be delivered through weekly lectures and workshops. The lectures will give an overview of the historical context in which a particular style arose and explain the aesthetic ideas behind the music. Through detailed listening to excerpts from representative works, students will gain a familiarity with the textures and techniques associated with a particular style. The workshop, which follows the lecture, will aim to give the students a first-hand understanding of various compositional methods through controlled improvisation and group composition using specially devised exercises that focus on a specific technique.
Unit B: This unit will be delivered through lectures and tutorials (two one-hour classes per week), which will include lecturer-led discussion, listening and engagement with scores and scholarly literature.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 100 |