MUS 005: Introduction to Music Literature

[Sample Syllabus]

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Machlis, Joseph, and Kristine Forney. The Enjoyment of Music. 9th ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 2003.
Forney, Kristine, ed. The Norton Scores. 9th ed. 2 vols. New York: W. W. Norton, 2003. Comes with 8-CD set.

RECOMMENDED TEXT:

Wingell, Richard J. Writing About Music. 3d ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice
Hall, 1999.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Assuming you complete all requirements and assignments, you should be able to:
-Explain various basic applications and manifestations of harmony, melody, time, timbre, texture, genre, and form
-Retain a general chronology of composers, works, and styles in the western art music tradition between ca. 1000 – 1940
-Understand basic issues in and approaches to scholarly research and writing, including critical appraisal of sources and bibliographic citation

EXAMS AND QUIZZES

The four exams represent 60% of your final grade (15% x 4 = 60%). The exams are not cumulative—that is, Exam 1 will cover materials discussed from the first five weeks of class, Exam 2 the next four weeks, and so on. Please note that the final exam will be Monday, Dec. 13 at 12:00 pm. The exams will be based upon material drawn from lectures, the textbook, listening materials, and your study of the musical scores, and will involve both written and listening components. Please adjust your schedules now as no accommodations will be made for early or make-up exams except under extraordinary circumstances. An unexcused absence from an exam will be graded as 0%.

A series of short quizzes based on the assigned readings will also be given over the course of the term. These will be unannounced, and will take place at the beginning of class. These will count for 5% of your final grade; you will not be allowed to make up a quiz if you are tardy or absent.

THREE SHORT PAPERS

Over the course of the term, you will be asked to write three short (approx. 1500-2000 word) papers on assigned topics, which will be announced on Aug. 27, Sept. 22, and Nov. 5. First drafts are due Sept. 10, Oct. 22, and Nov. 22, respectively; these will be corrected and returned to you, with final versions due Sept. 22, Nov. 3, and Dec. 8, respectively. Papers must be typed, should reflect your work exclusively, and will count for 30% (10% x 3) of your final grade. Late papers will not be accepted.

ATTENDANCE

Students are expected to attend and arrive on time for every class, to complete all assigned reading and listening assignments before coming to class, and to bring all necessary books and scores. Attendance and class participation will count for 5% of your final grade. More than three unexcused absences will result in a zero for your attendance grade. If you are unable to attend a class because of professional or university-related obligations, sickness, or extraordinary personal circumstances, please notify me at least one day in advance and provide appropriate documentation (e.g., a letter from your studio instructor for competitions, ensemble director for tours, health center for illness, etc); otherwise, it will be counted as an unexcused absence.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Academic dishonesty, according to the Drake University 2002-04 General Catalog (pp. 23-26), involves “any activity that seeks to gain credit for work one has not done or to deliberately damage or destroy the work of others.” This includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism (“misrepresenting another’s ideas, phrases, discourse, or works as one’s own”) and cheating (“the act, or attempted act, of giving or obtaining aid and/or information by illicit means in meeting any academic requirements, including examinations”). Penalties for violating academic honesty standards range from failing grades on the assignment or exam to expulsion from the university. If you are unsure whether or not certain practices violate the principles of academic integrity, please ask me for clarification. For more, please refer to the Academic Integrity Policy in the Drake University General Catalog and to the entry Academic Dishonesty: Cheating and Plagiarism contained in the Drake Student Handbook.

Lecture-Exam-Paper Schedule; Reading and Listening Assignments

Week/Date Readings (EM) and Listening (NS)

1 8/23-27 “Music and Me” paper; introduction to library; PAPER 1 ASSIGNED
2 8/30-9/3 How to listen to music (Analysis outline): Media, texture, melody; EM
Chapters 1, 6 –10, 17
3 9/8-10 Analysis outline cont.: harmony, time; EM Chapters 2-4, 18; PAPER 1 DUE
4 9/13-17 Analysis outline cont.: form; EM Chapters 5, 26-28; NS 23, 24, 30, 34
5 9/20-24 Analysis outline cont.: genre, other characteristics; PAPER 1
REVISIONS DUE (9/22); PAPER 2 ASSIGNED
6 9/27-10/1 EXAM 1; Medieval music; EM Unit 3; NS (v.1) 1-7
7 10/4-8 Renaissance music, EM Unit 4; NS (v.1) 8-13;
8 10/11-15 Renaissance music cont.; Baroque music, EM Unit 6-8; NS (v.1) 14-19
9 10/20-22 Baroque music cont.; NS 20-27 PAPER 2 DUE.
10 10/25-29 EXAM 2 (10/27); Classical music, EM Units 10-14; NS (v.1) 28-35
11 11/1-5 Classical music cont.; early Romantic music, EM Units 15-16; NS (v.1)
36, 38, NS (v. 2) 1-4; PAPER 2 REVISIONS DUE (11/3); PAPER 3 ASSIGNED
12 11/8-12 Early Romantic music cont., EM Units 17-18; NS (v. 2) 7-10
13 11/15-19 EXAM 3 (11/17); Late Romantic music, EM Units 19-20; NS (v.
2) 11-16;
14 11/22 Late Romantic music cont., EM Transition 4 and Unit 21; NS (v. 2) 20-22;
PAPER 3 DUE
15 11/29-12/3Music since 1900, EM Units 22-23; NS (v. 2) 24-28
16 12/6-8 Music since 1900 cont., NS (v. 2) 29-33; PAPER 3 REVISIONS DUE
17 12/13 FINAL EXAM, 12:00 PM

*This syllabus is to be used as an example, it is not meant for use by students currently enrolled in Music 005