MASTERPIECES OF WESTERN MUSIC
HUMA W1123 (Fall 2005)
General Course Information:
TR 10:35 am-11:50 am
DODGE BUILDING 622
Instructor: H. Pinkham
Course Objectives
- To teach the skills of close listening to music.
- To do this using Western music from the early Middle Ages to the present.
- To provide a historical and social context on the development of the music.
- To introduce students to the principal concepts and terms of music, main styles and forms.
Requirements
- One midterm: 20% of the final grade.
- Final examination: 30%.
- One concert and one opera report: 10% each.
- One longer writing assignment: 20%.
- Class attendance and participation: 10%.
Class attendance is very important. Close listening cannot be easily mastered on your own outside of class. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class, No more than two unexcused absences will be permitted; an excused absence will require a doctor's note or a note from someone in your Dean's office.
All students are expected to join in class discussion.
Communication
The best way to reach me if you have questions is via email at hcp at columbia.edu
Text
The required text for this course is Listen (Brief Fifth Edition, 2004, by Joseph Kerman and Gary Tomlinson (referred to as Listen on the syllabus), together with the set of 6 CDs that comes with it.
Reading will also be assigned from Music in the Western World (1984), by Piero Weiss and Richard Taruskin, on reserve in both Milstein Library in Butler and the Music Library in Dodge (ML160 .M865 1984). You do not need to buy this book, but you need to have access to the text.
Required Listening
Most of the required listening will come from the 6 CD set that goes with L. On the syllabus it will be referred to as LCD followed by the disk and track number. So, for example LCD4.1 refers to the first track of the fourth CD in the set.
Most of the rest of the required listening will come from two CDs that I will distribute in class (the first one will be distributed on the first day of class). I will refer to them as HCP1 and HCP2, followed by the track number.
Concert and Opera Reports
You are expected to attend one concert relevant to the material in this course. It is up to you to make arrangements to attend. Here are the web sites of some local venues for concerts. I recommend looking into the Miller Theatre program, right here on campus, first: www.millertheatre.com. There is the Manhattan School of Music just a few blocks north: www.msmnyc.edu. Music before 1800 has an interesting series of Early Music concerts, again in the neighborhood: www.mb1800.org. Of course you can venture further afield to Lincoln Center, which has many venues, and Carnegie Hall.
You will also be expected to attend a performance of the opera Tosca at the New York City Opera on either Wednesday, October 26th, or Saturday, October 29th.
Syllabus
| Sep-06-05 | Session 1 | Introduction: The rivers of Babylon |
| Sep-08-05 | Session 2 | Medieval Music I: Plainchant and Homophony |
| Sep-13-05 | Session 3 | Medieval Music II: Polyphony. Pérotin, Machaut |
| Sep-15-05 | Session 4 | The Elements of Music: rhythm, pitch, melody, harmony |
| Sep-20-05 | Session 5 | Renaissance Music: Guillaume Dufay and Josquin des Prez |
| Sep-22-05 | Session 6 | The Reformation |
| Sep-27-05 | Session 7 | The Counter Reformation |
| Sep-29-05 | Session 8 | Early Baroque: Monteverdi |
| Oct-04-05 | Session 9 | Baroque: Purcell and Vivaldi |
| Oct-06-05 | Session 10 | Bach Instrumental Music |
| Oct-11-05 | Session 11 | Handel's Messiah and Bach vocal music |
| Oct-13-05 | Session 12 | Mozart & Haydn: the symphony |
| Oct-18-05 | Session 13 | Opera. Mozart's Don Giovanni and Puccini's Tosca |
| Oct-20-05 | Session 14 | Midterm |
| Oct-25-05 | Session 15 | Beethoven: Fifth symphony |
| Oct-27-05 | Session 16 | Beethoven String Quartets (concert) |
| Nov-01-05 | Session 17 | Romantic songs: Schubert and Schumann |
| Nov-03-05 | Session 18 | Piano Music: Schubert, Schumann and Chopin |
| Nov-08-05 | Session 19 | No class: election day |
| Nov-10-05 | Session 20 | Wagner: Tristan and Isolde |
| Nov-15-05 | Session 21 | Brahms and Mahler |
| Nov-17-05 | Session 22 | Debussy and Stravinsky |
| Nov-22-05 | Session 23 | Schoenberg and Berg |
| Nov-24-05 | Session 24 | No class: Thanksgiving |
| Nov-29-05 | Session 25 | Ives, Ravel, Bartok |
| Dec-01-05 | Session 26 | Return to simplicity: Copland, Shostakovich, Pärt |
| Dec-06-05 | Session 27 | Jazz 1 |
| Dec-08-05 | Session 28 | Jazz 2 |
| Dec-20-05 | Session 29 | FINAL EXAM: 9:10-noon in 622 Dodge |