This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Undergraduate Handbook 2010-2011 (archived)
Module MUSI2311: STUDIES IN COMPOSITION
Department: Music
MUSI2311: STUDIES IN COMPOSITION
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 2 | 20 | Available in 2010/2011 | None. | Durham |
Pre-requisites
- Contemporary Music (MUSI1201)
Corequisites
- None.
Excluded Combinations
- None.
Aims
- To introduce students to the aesthetic preoccupations of composers and the techniques they employ for the devising of musical material.
- To encourage students to apply these skills critically in the creation of new work.
- To build on composition works written in the first year and to provide a technical foundation for those students intending to submit a composition folio in their final year.
Content
- 1.Two compositions based on compositional techniques related to those discussed in the course: i) a work for solo instrument (33%) specified by the course tutor.
- ii) a work for vocal and/or instrumental ensemble (5-10 players) (33%) to be submitted by the end of teaching week 16.
- and 2) a free composition for a specified chamber ensemble (34%), to be submitted by the first day of the examination period.
- Each composition should be of three to five minutes duration and accompanied by a brief explanatory commentary of 300-500 words.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- A familiarity with theoretical concerns directly relevant to contemporary classical composition.
- Experience in devising musical material through the creation of new work, building on the skills in the creation of musical material learnt in year one and leading on to the critical understanding of compositional techniques to be learnt in year three.
- An understanding of the practical demands placed on the composer, to be derived through feedback from the tutor and workshop performance of student works, which is to be understood as a stepping stone towards the professional standards of score and part preparation expected in year three.
Subject-specific Skills
Key Skills
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Lectures will present musical aesthetic ideas and the compositional techniques they have given rise to through examples of 20th century music and contemporary music.
- Through feedback from tutorials students will learn how to apply these skills critically in the creation of new work.
- The students' compositions will also receive detailed feedback through performance workshops.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 11 | 1 per fortnight | 1 hour | 11 | Yes |
| Tutorials | 4 | 2 per term (terms 1 and 2) | 1 hour | 4 | Yes |
| Seminars | 11 | 1 per fortnight | 1 hour | 11 | Yes |
| Practicals | 1 | 1 | 3 hours | 3 | Yes |
| Total | 200 | ||||
| Preparation and Reading | 171 |
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composition 1 | 33% | composition 1 | 100% | ||
| Composition 2 | 33% | composition 2 | 100% | ||
| Composition 3 | 34% | composition 3 | 100% |
Formative Assessment
Formative feedback through tutorials and through the workshop.
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.