Module overview
This module focuses on the detailed 'hands-on' analysis of works of European art music, guided by a selection of classic and contemporary theoretical and analytical writings that challenge assumptions about the inner structure of musical works. Extramusical matters may be considered too. The module will focus on two areas of music theory and analysis, with approximately half the semester being spent on each. It is taught together with MUSI6023 Analytical Techniques, which is designed for students taking Music's MMus degree; students on the undergraduate module will attend the same seminars and do the same reading, but will complete shorter assignments.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- some of the current methods of music analysis
- the applicability of different methods of analysis to different repertoires
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- actively participate in debates about interpretative matters
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- apply methods of analysis to specific musical works
- describe in analytical terms a range of European works drawn from the 18th century onwards
- relate detail to structure in music
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- use and understand specific analytical notation
Syllabus
In this module you will learn and critique two significant methods or theories developed for the analysis of European art music. The methods or theories explored will vary from year to year, but will typically be selected (in consultation with the group and depending upon the lecturer's expertise) from the following indicative list: Schenkerian Theory, Sonata Theory, Neo-Riemannian Theory, Set Theory, Topic Theory, Generative Theory. The seminars will include frequent music 'autopsies', where specific pieces or groups of pieces will be analysed and interpreted in detail using the selected methods and theories. Where feasible, the music set for the assignments will be chosen by mutual agreement, to reflect your own interests.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include
- teaching and discussion in seminars
- student-led discussions of individual works
Learning activities include
- reading about music analysis and analytical methods
- following, in a step-by-step fashion, some classic analytical and theoretical writings
- preparing analyses of short- and medium-length pieces of music
- contributing to analytical discussions, in a critical way
The seminars are designed to clarify the principles underlying analytical approaches, and to show how they may be applied to specific contexts. The background reading will enable you to study in greater depth matters that are introduced in the seminars but not explored in detail. The week-to-week study of analytical methods and of examples from the musical repertoire to which they may be applied, together with the longer-term application of these methods in formal assessment, will give you the competence to undertake analyses of your own, and the confidence to share your insights.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Independent Study | 126 |
| Seminar | 24 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Nicholas Cook (1987). A Guide to Musical Analysis. New York and London.
Fred Lerdahl and Ray Jackendoff (1983). A Generative Theory of Tonal Music. Cambridge, MA.
Richard Cohn (2012). Audacious Euphony: Chromatic Harmony and the Triad's Second Nature. Oxford.
Allen Forte and Steven E. Gilbert (1982). Introduction to Schenkerian Analysis. New York.
James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy (2006). Elements of Sonata Theory: Norms, Types, and Deformations in the Late- Eighteenth-Century Sonata. Oxford.
Jonathan Dunsby and Arnold Whitall (1988). Music Analysis in Theory and Practice. London and New Haven.
William E. Caplin (2000). Classical Form: A Theory of Formal Functions for the Instrumental Music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Oxford.
Allen Cadwallader and David Gagné (1998). Analysis of Tonal Music: A Schenkerian Approach. Oxford.
Assessment
Assessment strategy
This module is assessed via two assignments:
- Analysis, based on the selected method/theory taught in the first half of the semester (1250 words, or equivalent: diagrams, charts, score-based analysis, etc.)
- Analysis, based on the selected method/theory taught in the second half of the semester (1500 words, or equivalent: diagrams, charts, score-based analysis, etc.)
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Analysis | 40% |
| Analysis | 60% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Analysis | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Analysis | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External