Unit information: Compositional Strategy in 2015/16

Unit name	Compositional Strategy
Unit code	MUSI20047
Credit points	20
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Louis Johnson
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	MUSI10047, MUSI10049
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Music
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

This unit builds on 1 Free Composition and provides a technical platform and pre-requisite for further studies in Composition. Weekly lectures will present major developments in music from Debussy to the present day, in terms of listening and close study of works by major composers (such as Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Webern, Messiaen, Bartok, Lutoslawski, Ligeti, Berio, Birtwistle, Carter, Feldman, Adams, Macmillan and aspects of popular music). Typical compositional techniques will be illustrated and followed up in weekly technical exercises covering aspects of motivic thinking, serialism and combinatoriality, advanced harmony, matrices, modes, rythmic techniques, isorythm, vocal, orchestral and chamber instrumentation and textural composition.

Aims:

This unit aims to develop compositional skills introduced at Level C through detailed investigation of a wide range of key 20th-century stylistic models (both in lecture and seminar settings), and to equip the student for further studies in composition, by means of detailed study of major works and written exercises on the use of associated techniques.

Intended Learning Outcomes

1. understand a number of major pieces of music and many of the major developments in music since 1900
2. understand the interdependence of style and technique
3. analyse a variety of new music in an appropriate manner
4. employ a variety of techniques in written exercises
5. write (by hand, and optionally by computer) effective musical notation and scoring
6. compose, in future, music of our era in your own style, based on detailed inside knowledge of the strategies employed by major established composers

Teaching Information

Weekly Lecture and Seminar (1 hour each).

Assessment Information

• Weekly (sometimes fortnightly) Coursework Assignments (compositions or exercises in creative analysis, following existing compositional exemplars), with final mark derived from 5 best pieces of Coursework, equally weighted (20% x 5 = 100%)

• Successful accomplishment of learning outcome (3) will enable students to demonstrate (1) and (2) and will be directly applied to (4). Successfully achieving (4) and (5) will enable students demonstrate (6)

Reading and References

• Adler, S., The Study of Orchestration 3rd ed. (New York, 2002)

• Hall, M., The Music of Harrison Birtwistle

• Olivier Messiaen, Quattuor pour le fin du temps

• Other scores and recordings as specified

• New Grove entries on Schoenberg, Webern, Stravinsky, serialism, rhythm etc.