Module MUSI41730: Advanced Organ Studies

Department: Music

MUSI41730: Advanced Organ Studies

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To inculcate an advanced knowledge of key works in the organ literature
• To develop an advanced understanding of the cultural, social, and historical contexts in which organ music has been written
• To deepen understanding of performance traditions and performance practices pertinent to the organ literature, and to organs of varying construction and design
• To develop a capacity for critical reflection on the practice of organ performance, in accordance with research council definitions of research processes.

Content

• This module will be delivered as a series of seminars, which may take a variety of formats. In some, students will engage in close readings of musical works and of scholarship pertaining to the musical literature for the organ, performance practice, and organ construction and design. Others will take the form of workshops and masterclasses, which will foster an advanced understanding of skills and competencies required to function effectively as an organist in professional contexts.

Learning Outcomes

• an advanced knowledge of key works in the organ literature and of the performance traditions and practices pertaining to them
• an advanced understanding of the ways in which the organ literature relates to its social, historical, and cultural context
• critical understanding of theories and methodologies pertinent to the scholarly study and performance of organ music, drawn from varied disciplinary perspectives
• advanced knowledge of relevant musical repertories from a range of historical periods and geographical locations
• advanced knowledge of relevant performance praxes

• an advanced ability to formulate and articulate knowledge and understanding of concepts, theories and practices relating to organ performance
• an ability to engage in sophisticated argument
• a critically-informed awareness of the techniques of scholarly presentation, bibliographic and practical skills, as well as presentational conventions for public performances
• the ability to assess scholarly and/or creative debates within the field of scholarship on the organ
• the ability to assess critically different editions of a musical score
• advanced competence in musical literacy
• an advanced ability to describe and analyse works from a range of musical repertories, informed by an understanding of the socio-cultural matrices from which they emerged and of their specific formal and stylistic features

• the ability to handle information and argument in a critical manner
• the ability to communicate effectively and in a sophisticated fashion orally, in writing, and during a musical performance
• effective time management and the ability to work to deadlines
• engage in close readings of a wide range of challenging texts (musical, verbal, audio-visual, as appropriate)
• deploy independent research skills using appropriate specialist tools and resources;
• synthesise complex materials from a wide range of sources and to present them cogently in the form of written documents, oral reports, presentations, and musical performances, as appropriate
• demonstrate competence in information technology skills to support MA learning and research (e.g. by means of: word-processing and music-processing software; databases; presentation software; audiovisual editing and analysis software; graph- and image-processing; web-based resources; relevant technologies)
• deploy advanced knowledge of professional conduct in meeting academic standards, including appropriate use of relevant ethical codes of practice and correct referencing of sources
• deploy problem-solving skills

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

• Typically, directed learning may include assigning student(s) an issue, theme or topic that can be independently or collectively explored within a framework and/or with additional materials provided by the tutor. This may function as preparatory work for presenting their ideas or findings (sometimes electronically) to their peers and tutor in the context of a seminar.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Regular reading assignments, written exercises, and oral presentations in which students reflect critically on the interpretative and technical challenges presented by the repertoire being studied, drawing on appropriate theoretical perspectives and methodologies.

■ 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