This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Undergraduate Handbook 2025-2026 (archived)
Module MUSI1211: Historical Composition Techniques
Department: Music
MUSI1211: Historical Composition Techniques
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tied | 1 | 20 | Available in 2025/2026 | Durham |
Tied To
Pre-requisites
- A-Level Music or equivalent.
Corequisites
- None
Excluded Combinations
- None.
Aims
- The main aim of the module is to give students insight into musical language and style through first-hand experience of creating short pieces using musical techniques of the past. Students will learn about—and learn how to use—contrapuntal and harmonic principles of Western art music from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries.
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 imitative counterpoint; (c) figured bass and the Baroque trio sonata; (d) eighteenth-century keyboard genres.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- Students will acquire a basic theoretical and practical knowledge of counterpoint, harmony and theme construction, as employed during the historical period specified.
Subject-specific Skills
- Students will develop, through practical experience of pastiche composition, a deeper understanding of musical construction in general. They will not only gain an insight into the craft of composition during the historical period in question but also appreciate the technical differences between the styles studied and more modern styles.
Key Skills
- Students will experience a rigorous approach to composition that can help them to develop their logical and problem-solving skills. At the same time, they learn how to reconcile imagination and expressivity with given stylistic constraints.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Teaching will be by weekly lectures, typically incorporating individual or group exercises, and group tutorials distributed throughout the year. Students will be asked to do formative exercises to develop their fluency in composing and to deepen their stylistic understanding. Summative assessment will take the form of a portfolio of composition tasks.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 20 | Weekly during terms 1 and 2 | 1 hour | 20 | Yes |
| Tutorials | 3 | Throughout the year | 1 hour | 3 | Yes |
| Preparation and Reading | 177 | ||||
| Total | 200 | ||||
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio of composition tasks | 100% | Portfolio | approx 3-4 mins | 100% |
Formative Assessment
Formative assignments will be set regularly.
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.