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1220 First Avenue Northeast
Cedar Rapids, IA
52402
E-Mail: wcarson@coe.edu
Telephone and Voicemail: 319-399-8520
or contact Bernadette Tiede (Bernie), Music Department Administrative
Assistant: 319-399-8521
Fax: 319-399-8209
Home Page: http://www.coe.edu/bands
Office: Marquis 104
Hours: 10:00
- 11:00 MWTF, or by appointment
Dr. Carson's
Schedule
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Course Description: Study of the composers and musical developments in European and American Art Music in the 20th century with an introduction to music from other world cultures. Samples of a broad spectrum of musical life in the twentieth century, including Art Music in common practice: orchestral, choral, band, chamber music, and solo repertoire, both instrumental and vocal; Musical Theater; Jazz; Pop; Music of Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand. Compositional techniques, style characteristics, and relationships will be emphasized. This course will also introduce some computer applications for musicians.
Prerequisite: Music History and Literature II (MU-355) or consent of instructor.
Class Schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 9:00 - 9:50 a.m., Thursday, 11:00 - 11:50 a.m.
Location: Marquis Hall Ray Rehearsal Room, Room 201
Eric Salzman, Twentieth-Century Music, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002
Handouts for Music of the Twentieth Century, Cedar Rapids, IA: Privately Published, 2006
Reserve Materials: Supplementary reading, listening, and videotape viewing as assigned.
Wozzeck
Viewing Party: Monday, Sept. 11,
History III Student
Recital, Thursday, Nov. 30,
Other concert attendance
TBA
Notebook: A notebook of all course materials is required. When this notebook is turned in on the last day of classes, it must contain every test, every assignment, etc., or you will not get credit for them, even though they were submitted earlier in the term. Everything from this class goes in your notebook! Your notebook must also include notes on the required listening in the library. I recommend that you also list the record company so that you can find this recording again in the future if you need to.
Grading: This is a very demanding class, requiring a large amount of preparation outside of class. The grading scale is high, and there is little room for error. Approximately one quarter of your grade is based on attendance, one quarter on tests, one quarter on writing and web assignments, and one quarter on your other assignments. Please see grading details below .
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon
successful completion of this course, the student will have:
(1)
A basic knowledge of the major works of art music in the twentieth
century
(2)
A basic knowledge of the major composers of art music in the twentieth
century
(3)
A basic knowledge of the major stylistic developments of art music in the
twentieth century
(4)
An increased awareness of different compositional styles
(5)
A more open attitude toward unfamiliar musical styles
(6)
An understanding of the interrelationship between different musical
genres
(7)
A structure for making qualitative judgements
(8)
Opinions based on reason
(9)
An increased awareness of the presence of twentieth-century music in her
or his life
To
demonstrate the above competencies, the student will:
(1)
Recognize compositions at sight
(2)
Recognize compositions aurally
(3)
Answer questions about composers and performers
(4)
Answer questions concerning stylistic differences
(5)
Compose exercises for various instruments
(6)
Listen to and evaluate performances and recordings
(7)
Analyze musical compositions
(8)
Perform music in a stylistically appropriate manner
(9) Prepare cogent arguments concerning the significance of various musics and musicians
| REQUIRED WORK | % | Points | x | Number | = | Total |
| Daily in class performance | (25%) | 5 | x | 50 | = | 250 |
| Concert Reviews | (5%) | 10 | x | 5 | = | 50 |
| Tests | (15%) | 50 | x | 3 | = | 150 |
| Final Exam | (10%) | 100 | x | 1 | = | 100 |
| Recital Performance and Program Notes | (10%) | 100 | x | 1 | = | 100 |
| Notebook | (10%) | 100 | x | 1 | = | 100 |
| Essays/Web Assignments | (10%) | 50 | x | 2 | = | 100 |
| Research Paper - rough draft – hard copy | (5%) | 50 | x | 1 | = | 50 |
| Research Paper - final draft – electronic version | (10%) | 100 | x | 1 | = | 100 |
| TOTAL Required Points | (100%) | 1000 | ||||
| EXTRA CREDIT WORK: | ||||||
| Extra Course Meetings | 5 | x | 4 | = | 20 | |
| Concert Reviews | 5 | x | 3 | = | 15 | |
| Perfect Attendance | 15 | x | 1 | = | 15 | |
| TOTAL Points Possible | 1050 |
|
900 - 1050 = A 850 - 899 = B 800 - 849 = C 750 - 799 = D 0 - 749 =F |
Students who miss ONE test or in class assignment will be allowed to make up
their work, but ONLY the FIRST time!
After that any make up work must be
done in the form of extra credit assignments.
Assignments will lose 25% in
value each day that they are late, including weekends and holidays.
Daily in class performance: A great portion of the value of this class will come from the lectures and the materials sampled in class. I could not possibly test you over everything we will discuss in class, nor every musical example I will play for you in class. I therefore attach great importance to attendance.
Concert Reviews:
During the course of the semester, as
I become aware of them, I will inform you of concerts which include music
pertinent to the course. You may select three additional concerts for extra
credit from among many opportunities during the term. If you become aware of
such a concert, please make sure that I hear about it.
Whether attending a required performance or one for extra credit, the
next time the course meets you need to submit a program and a one-page
description of the music that pertains to this course. Listen not only for the
quality of the performance, but also for how the piece meets your
expectations. Compare it to other pieces we have discussed in the course
Explain how the piece seems similar to and different from other pieces
by the same composer or in the same style or genre.
These concerts MAY be used for other classes (recital hour, for
example). Please create a separate, labeled section in your notebook for the
five required (and any extra-credit) concert reviews.
Tests and Final Exam: These tests offer me the opportunity to assess your progress in the listening lab and your attentiveness in class and during your reading sessions. The tests will include listening questions, and may contain some mixture of multiple choice, true/false, matching, fill-in-the-blank, short answer, and/or essay questions.
Recital
Performance and Program Notes: Thursday,
November 30, at
Notebook: See above.
Essays/Web-Based Projects: See below about writing assignments. MUS-455 Music History and Literature III is a Writing Emphasis Course.
A hard copy of
these materials may be purchased for a copying fee of $2.
Music History and Literature III: Music in the Twentieth Century
Writing Assignments/Web-Based Projects
One of my goals for this course is to assist you in the development of critical and persuasive skills in music listening. I know that you will hear new music for the next 5, 6, or 7 decades after completing this course, and you will be some of the musicians who will shape the way we listen to and appreciate music in the rest of this century. For this reason, I consider it important to aid you in the development of skills to help you assess the significance of music and composers, and the ability to be persuasive in presenting your opinions. This course is also one of the courses where we test your knowledge of computer applications (an NASM requirement), thus the use of web-pages for assignment delivery, email for communication, and the requirement of web-page design.
Essay #1 - Due: Monday, Oct. 9, Essay length: 1000 words (50 points)
Most
musicologists agree that Bach was the most important composer of the early 18th
century. Mozart dominates the later half of the 1700s.
Beethoven's contributions were undeniably significant in the early part
of the 19th century. Wagner and
Brahms are often debated as the major figures later in the century (Remember the
three B's? Bach, Beethoven, and
Brahms?). As we get closer to the
present, though, it becomes more difficult to decide which innovations are most
important. Your assignment is to do
just that: List the three most
significant musicians (in your opinion) of the first half of the twentieth
century (AFTER Debussy, please). Cite specific compositions and compositional
techniques and discuss influences. Then
select one of the three and explain why this person is the SINGLE most important
musician of the first half of the twentieth century!
You will begin by writing too much and then editing down to a more
reasonable length. In that way, only
the most important information will remain in your completed essay.
Post your results on the intranet or internet and then e-mail me
the web address. You do not need to hand any PAPER in - I can grade your web
site - simply email me your URL Not knowing how to use the web is no excuse.
Learn how! I would be glad to have one demonstration day for those of you
who have never done this before – we’ll figure out a schedule during class.
Your site should include a link for sending e-mail to the author, in case we
have comments or suggestions. Complete
documentation and bibliography are required. And proofread first!
I do not like to find spelling and grammar errors.
You will find that one of my main criticisms of your writing will be gaps
in your logic. Read through your paper, before you submit it, as if you were
someone who completely disagreed with the points you are trying to make, and see
what holes are present in your argument so that you can remove any objections.
Become persuasive and authoritative! (e.g.,
using quotes from impressive sources is good - but when you use a quote - make
sure you explain where you got it!) You
must have a meeting with a Coe Writing Center Consultant before submitting your
paper. Document this meeting with a
two-paragraph summary and description of the meeting (including date, time,
location, who, etc.).
Essay #2 - Due: Monday, Nov. 6, Essay length: 1000 words
If you thought Essay #1 was hard, now try to make the same evaluation of the second half of the twentieth century – even before we have discussed it in class! List the three musicians whom you consider the most significant (they do not have to be someone we discuss in class!). Again, cite specific compositions and techniques and discuss influences. Choose one of the three and explain why this person is the most important musician of the second half of the century. Again, begin by writing too much and editing down to a more reasonable length, and post your results on the intranet or internet, and provide us with the web address.
Research
Paper based on the first two essays - Rough
Draft Due: Thursday, Nov. 16 (paper copy only)
Web
Pages and Links Due: Friday, Dec. 8
Essay length: 2000 words plus bibliography, footnotes and links
And
now comes the real challenge - narrowing down from what you wrote earlier, and
backing it up: Discuss the three
musicians of the entire twentieth century whose contributions you consider the
most significant. (Again, they might not be people we have discussed in class.)
In light of our study since the other essays were written, you will need to
re-evaluate the positions you took in the first two papers and either
select new musicians or explain your
reasons for not changing your selections. For
each musician, cite at least three print-media (not internet) sources. At least
one of your sources must be no more than five years old.
Our textbook may be used, but does not count among the three sources
required for each musician. Use proper footnotes and bibliography forms. I also require
that you quote some authors whose opinions support your contentions, or who
disagree and need to be refuted. It would surprise me if your opinions about the
second half of the century haven't changed since the second essay was written. I
will expect very strong reasons for those of you whose opinions did not change,
and in any case I expect your arguments to be different from those you used in
the first two papers, and this time they must be even more strongly supported by
statements made by experts. Finally,
to finish, select one of the three and explain why this person is the SINGLE
most important musician of the twentieth century!
Your rough draft must include your bibliography, but your Web formatting
may be done after the rough draft is turned in.
Post your final product on the intranet (and e-mail me the URL),
including links to at least three sites relating to each of the musicians
discussed in your essay.
The quote in the background, ""Life Without Music Would be a Mistake," is
from
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