Module MUSI2541: ORCHESTRATION

Department: Music

MUSI2541: ORCHESTRATION

Prerequisites

• A-Level in Music or equivalent.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To equip students with skills in arrangement and orchestration; to introduce students to historical and contemporary techniques of scoring for various instrumental media.

Content

• Students are provided with an introduction to orchestration techniques and the arrangement of piano pieces. Historical overviews are given through the study of techniques from the Classical period to the first half of the twentieth century. The study of the sections of the orchestra is provided, including strings, woodwind, brass and percussion. The layout of scores and notational conventions is examined, as is the preparation of parts when and if relevant. Practical workshops are given on an ad hoc basis to try out and comment upon orchestration exercises.

Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge of the capabilities of individual instruments and their historical and modern function within ensembles of the orchestra and its various sections.

• The development of practical ability writing for instruments individually, in small ensembles and in an orchestral context.

• The development of problem-solving issues of a practical nature in the art of orchestration, taking into account the capabilities of individual instruments and their use in wider compositional contexts.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures
• Seminars, with scope for student formative class presentations.
• Tutorials
• Tutorial workshops
• Independent study of set texts and scores.
• Teaching sessions last two hours each, which are designated as part Lecture and part Tutorial Workshop. Some of the latter are conventional tutorials; others are practicums in which orchestrations are heard performed. On occasion the full two-hour slot (lecture and tutorial workshop) may be used for a two-hour practicum.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Students are given several formative assignments each term directly related to the type of work they prepare for their summative assessment. In term one assignments revolve around orchestrating piano music for individual sections of the orchestra, sections in combination and eventually full orchestra. In term two formative assignments generally involve orchestrating piano music for full orchestra based on historical models. Assignments may also include orchestrating piano music and other types of music for specific combinations of instruments, using orchestration students to perform the music themselves in class.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University