Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2021-2022 (archived)

Module MUSI1211: Musical Techniques

Department: Music

MUSI1211: Musical Techniques

Type	Tied	Level	1	Credits	20	Availability	Available in 2021/22	Module Cap		Location	Durham

Tied to	LA01
Tied to	W300

Prerequisites

A-Level Music or equivalent.

Corequisites

Excluded Combination of Modules

None.

Aims

Students will gain a basic understanding of contrapuntal techniques and the resources of common-practice harmony as employed by composers of Western art music from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, as well as an insight into a range of musical styles from this historical period.

Content

The range of topics covered in any one year may include (but will not necessarily be restricted to) the following: (a) strict counterpoint; (b) sixteenth-century counterpoint (in the style of Palestrina and his contemporaries); (c) harmonisation of chorales in the style of J.S. Bach; (d) figured bass and the Baroque trio sonata.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

Students will acquire a basic theoretical and practical knowledge of harmony and counterpoint, as well as the ways in which composers employed these resources during the historical period specified.

Subject-specific Skills:

Students will develop a deeper understanding of musical styles and an insight into the craft of composition during the historical period in question.

Key Skills:

Students will acquire an understanding of the fundamentals of musical grammar and syntax as employed by composers during this historical period, gaining practical experience through regular assignments in pastiche composition.

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

Teaching will be by weekly lectures and tutorials distributed throughout the year. Students will be asked to do regular formative exercises to develop their fluency in composing in various historical styles and to deepen their stylistic understanding. Summative assessment will take the form of a portfolio of exercises.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total/Hours
Lectures	20	Weekly during terms 1 and 2	90 minutes	30	■
Tutorials/seminars	4	Throughout the year	60 minutes	4	■
Reading and preparation				166
TOTAL				200

Summative Assessment

Component: Portfolio of works		Component Weighting: 100%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
Portfolio		100%	Yes

Formative Assessment:

Formative assignments will be set regularly.

■ 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