Module MUSI2611: Analysis 2: Theory and Analysis of Western Music, 1700-1950

Department: Music

MUSI2611: Analysis 2: Theory and Analysis of Western Music, 1700-1950

Pre-requisites

Corequisites

Excluded Combinations

Aims

• This module will build on foundational skills embedded in first-year courses to enhance understanding of music on a technical level. It aims to develop students' ability to reflect conceptually on musical material, forms, genres and processes, and to instil awareness of the continuities between analysis, historical studies, performance and composition.

Content

• The module will explore a variety of approaches that have defined the disciplines of music theory and analysis over the past half century, applying them to the study of a diverse repertoire composed between the High Baroque and the mid-twentieth century.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will become familiar with a range of theories and analytical approaches pertinent to the study of music written between 1700 and 1950.

• Students will gain competence in applying these skills practically through a series of formative and summative analytical projects, as well as developing an understanding of core analytical writing skills and the commonly used conventions for presenting analytical findings in a cogent manner.

• The module will enhance analytical understanding, while embedding a more sophisticated knowledge of the technical aspects of musical compositions from the historical period under discussion.
• The module equips students who wish to undertake more advanced analytical work in third year in the context of writing an extended dissertation.
• The module encourages students to apply knowledge and skills and to adapt existing knowledge to new intellectual circumstances.
• The module encourages creativity, by requiring students to devise new analytical interpretations of pieces of music and new applications of existing theories.
• The module develops intellectual rigour, requiring students to grasp theories and apply them systematically and with attention to musical detail.

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

• The module is taught by weekly lectures, and small-group seminars, each focusing on a set work. Students submit two summative essay-based assessments testing applied knowledge, which require students to apply theoretical concepts in the analysis of repertoire.
• The weekly lectures introduce students to core concepts, illustrated by examples from the repertoire; they also demonstrate applications of theory in the analysis of repertoire in a wide range of genres. The seminars reinforce learning through small group work on focused case studies.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment

Two formative assignments of 1,500 words each, one towards the middle of Michaelmas and one towards the end, which will prepare students for the summative essay.