Graduate Seminar Information
On This Page:
Winter 2013: Composition | Music Education | Musicology | Music Technology | Music Theory | Performance | Performance Practice | Sound Recording
SCHULICH SCHOOL OF MUSIC - McGILL UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE STUDIES IN MUSIC SEMINARS 2012-2013
(July 10, 2012)
Registration in graduate seminars is usually limited to ten students per class (12 for Performance Practice seminars) unless otherwise noted. Students are generally able to register for the seminars of their choice on MINERVA, but in cases where too many students have registered for a seminar, some will be asked to drop the course, in accordance with the following priority list:
1. Music students in a specific program for whom the seminar is a required seminar in that program and who require the seminar to graduate the year in which it is offered.
2. Music students in a specific program for whom the seminar is a required seminar in that program.
3. Music students in a specific program for whom the seminar is an elective seminar in that program.
4. Other McGill students in graduate programs (music and non-music).
5. Visiting graduate students.
6. McGill undergraduate music students who have the necessary prerequisites.
7. Other McGill undergraduate students who have the necessary prerequisites.
8. Visiting undergraduate music students.
9. Special Students.
SEMINARS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC RESEARCH (COMPLEMENTARY SEMINARS FOR PERFORMANCE STUDENTS): FALL 2012
FALL 2012
MUCO 633 (001) Seminar in Composition 3 – CRN 15648
Professor Philippe Leroux
Writing for Voice in the 21st Century
The voice does not have a "history" - for it is always completely current and universal. However, in the tradition of Western music, writing for the voice has evolved considerably over the last number of decades.
Bringing to us a wider knowledge of various traditional musics, the recording medium has also provided us an advanced understanding of certain vocal techniques, particularly those that have been employed for centuries. In addition, the use of extended vocal techniques, as well as the transformation of the voice through electronic means, significantly widens the range of possibilities for the writing of vocal music.
The purpose of this seminar will be to try to identify the various ways of handling the voice as observed in many works from the late 20th- and early 21st-century. It will also review the anatomical functioning of various vocal techniques and the information required to notate such techniques.
Evaluation will be based upon an oral and written presentation of an analysis of a composition, or of a part of a composition, related to vocal writing (50%), and an oral presentation of some research based upon the anatomical aspects of various vocal techniques and/or of the necessary conditions for their notation (50%).
FALL 2012
MUGT 610 (001) Seminar – Music Education 1 – CRN 6786
(May not be taken by students who took MUGT 611 in Fall 2010)
Professor Joel Wapnick
Research Methods in Music Education
This course will survey a variety of methodologies currently used in music education research, including experimental, descriptive (both quantitative and qualitative), historical, and philosophical approaches. This subject matter initially may seem to be more suited for a lecture course rather than for a seminar. However, we will focus both on what each method involves and on what it assumes. All approaches have strengths and weaknesses, and we should have interesting discussions considering them. We will also spend a week examining the related issue of statistical concepts. Evaluation: class participation, class presentations, and a final paper.
FALL 2012
MUGT 611 (001) Seminar – Music Education 2 – CRN 8641
Professor Lisa Lorenzino
History of Music Education in North America
This seminar will look at the various factors that have influenced the development of music education in Canada and the United States. Related yet distinct, the two countries share similar philosophies of music education, yet the embodiment of these philosophies has followed a unique course in each nation.
In depth study of the history of music education in the United States will focus on topics such as the Rote versus Note Movement, Singing Schools, and Spanish colonization. In contrast, the study of Canadian music education will emphasize the influence of British, Scottish, and French traditions upon early schooling. A discussion of the influence of American music education upon Canada will also be part of the seminar. The course will include a brief introduction to the philosophical foundations of schooling in both nations. Student evaluation will be based on academic papers, in-class presentations, and research projects.
FALL 2012
MUHL 680 (001) Seminar in Musicology 1 – CRN 6787
Professor Lisa Barg
Topics in Jazz Studies: Ellington and Strayhorn.
This seminar will cover a broad range of issues and approaches in jazz studies primarily through a focus on the careers of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Through a chronological survey of significant works, forms and genres (popular songs, blues, ballads, suites, music-theatre, and symphonic-jazz hybrids), we will examine the music and historical reception of Ellington and Strayhorn both as individual artists and as composing partners for almost three decades (1939-1967). While the seminar will explore the aesthetics of composition, arranging and improvisation in the work of Strayhorn and Ellington, we will also attend to role of performance spaces (nightclub/cabaret, dance hall, variety stage, concert hall), media (recordings, radio and film), and identities of race, nation, gender and sexuality. Other topics we will consider include: modernism, black performance and American culture; music and politics; analysis and transcription; and the social aesthetics of collaboration. Evaluation will be based on presentations, commentaries on selected readings, and a fifteen- to twenty-page seminar paper on a topic of your choice that will serve as a basis for a thirty-minute presentation.
FALL 2012
MUHL 681 (001) Seminar in Musicology 2 – CRN 13811
Professor Julie Cumming
Madrigal and Motet in Italy, 1520 to 1565
The most important musical genres in sixteenth-century Italy were the motet and the madrigal, and most composers of madrigals also wrote motets. How did the madrigal and motet influence each other? What are the musical differences and similarities between the genres? We will look at the origins and development of the madrigal from the 1520s, when it began, to c. 1565, after the death of Rore. We will compare them to motets by the same composers, with a focus on print and manuscript collections where we find the two genres side by side. Issues will include the relative importance of dissemination through print and manuscript; approaches to the analysis of Renaissance music, including mode, counterpoint, and form; and approaches to text-music relations. Evaluation will be based on class discussion of the assigned reading and listening, analyses of pieces, several class presentations, and a final paper.
FALL 2012
MUHL 682 (001) Seminar in Musicology – CRN 13813
Professor Lloyd Whitesell
Point of View in Film Music
The seminar will serve as an introduction to basic concepts in film music theory, especially regarding the semiotic and narrative values of the background score. The specific approach will focus on perspective, i.e., point of view and the related notion point of audition. This topic, already controversial in narrative and film studies, acquires further ambiguity and power from the medium of music. We will investigate this elusive topic by way of theoretical readings in narratology, spectatorship, film sound theory and film music scholarship, as well as a variety of case studies from feature films. Evaluation will be based on class participation, occasional short assignments, and a final paper/presentation.
FALL 2012
MUMT 605 (001) Digital Sound Synthesis and Audio Processing – CRN 13993
Professor Philippe Depalle
Most digital sound synthesis methods and audio processing techniques are based on the spectral representation of sound signals. This seminar starts with a theoretical and practical study of spectral representation, spectral analysis, and spectral modification of sound signals. Digital sound synthesis and sound processing techniques are then presented as specific spectral modeling or alterations from which their capabilities, properties, and limitations are deduced. Techniques explored in this context include the phase-vocoder, additive synthesis, source-filter synthesis, non-linear (distortion) processing, and audio effects. Available Computer Music software and ad hoc pieces of software are used as examples and illustrations. Evaluation will be based on 2 Assignments (25% each), one in-class presentation (15%), and a Final Project (35%).
FALL 2012
MUMT 617 (001) Cognitive Dynamics of Music Listening – CRN 15651
>Professor Stephen McAdams
Music theoretic, performance-related, psychophysical and cognitive approaches to the temporal dynamics of musical listening to, and experience of, contemporary musical materials and form.
FALL 2012
MUMT 620 (001) Gestural Control of Sound Synthesis – CRN 8648
Professor Marcelo Wanderley
Use of computers as part of novel digital musical instruments, including physical gestures and actions, design and evaluation of new interfaces for musical expression, and mapping strategies between gestures and sounds. Basic knowledge of sound synthesis methods is required. Evaluation will be based on summaries of papers, student presentation, project proposal and a project presentation.
FALL 2012
MUTH 653 (001) Seminar in Music Theory 2 – CRN 15682
Professor Nicole Biamonte
Music Theory Pedagogy
This seminar prepares students to teach music theory and aural skills at the college level, focusing on ways of designing a music-theory course (syllabus, course materials, assessments and policies), pedagogical strategies for teaching to various levels of students, and finding solutions for common academic and administrative problems. We will examine and critique recent research in music theory pedagogy concerning various systems of presentation for the core topics of undergraduate music theory courses, and consider what should constitute those core topics for different student populations. Coursework consists of readings, brief essays, class discussion, teaching demonstrations, preparing sample course materials, written reviews of theory textbooks and websites, and a research paper. Evaluation will be based on class participation, teaching demonstrations, and the written assignments listed above.
FALL 2012
MUTH 654 (001) Seminar in Music Theory 3 – CRN 15676
Professor David E. Cohen
Consonance, Dissonance, and Harmony in Philosophy and Polyphonic Theory
The course explores the ways in which the concepts of consonance, dissonance, and harmony, and their interrelations, were fundamentally shaped by metaphysical, scientific, and mathematical ideas in Greek antiquity, the Latin Middle Ages, and the Renaissance, and how those concepts in turn determined in crucial ways the theory and pedagogy—and hence the practice—of polyphony in the West, from its earliest surviving documents, the ninth-century Enchiriadis treatises, to the first decade of the seventeenth century, and down to the present day.
Considerable weekly reading; all assigned readings in English (occasional optional readings in other languages, as appropriate). Occasional brief essays in response to questions on the reading, and one fairly large term paper. Occasional short, informal presentations, and possibly one larger and more formal presentation at the end of the term on the topic chosen for your term paper.
FALL 2012
MUTH 655 (001) Seminar in Music Theory 4 – CRN 15683
Professor René Rusch
Tonality and Form in Schubert’s Music
This seminar will explore the ways in which music scholars from the nineteenth century to the present have understood Schubert’s approach to tonality and form. Topics include: Schubert’s use of chromaticism, formal procedure, constructions of Schubert’s identity in relation to his compositional practice, and music-aesthetic values in the 19th and 20th centuries. Evaluation will be based on critical reading summaries, analyses of selected works by the composer, one oral presentation, and one research paper.
PERFORMANCE PRACTICE (OPEN TO PERFORMANCE STUDENTS):
Fall 2012
MUPP 690 (001) Performance Practice Seminar 1 – CRN 6791
Professor Tom Beghin
Beethoven’s Vienna, 1792 – 1803
This seminar focuses on Beethoven as an active participant in the Viennese cultural scene during the first decade after his arrival—from his successes as a brilliant eccentric to the first signs of his social isolation. We will ask questions about concert life, patronage, dedication, the social and professional identities of composers and performers, and study issues of performance practice (notation, instruments, ornamentation, vibrato, pedal, etc.). We will apply these questions to Beethoven’s chamber music (piano, strings, winds, voice; including [solo] sonatas, trios, quartets, songs). Participants will select two works—one by Beethoven and another by a contemporary—to serve as their personal points of reference throughout the course. Graded components will include week-by-week reading, in-class discussion, a formal oral presentation, and an end-of-term paper (15-20 pages).
FALL 2012
MUPP 691 (001) Performance Practice Seminar 2 – CRN 3605
Professor Isabelle Cossette
Coping Strategies for Optimal Performance
This course is designed for performance, pedagogy and music education students interested in understanding performance anxiety, its effect on the body and the existing coping strategies.
Class sessions are intended to provide the opportunity for the students to explore and put into practice various coping strategies to control performance anxiety such as: goal setting, anxiety/arousal theories, basic physiology related to anxiety, sport psychology, mental imagery and visualisation, time management, relaxation techniques, meditation and others based on students’ interests. Discussions based on readings, self-evaluated performances, as well as presentations by guest speakers will allow the students to apply theoretical knowledge to their performance or teaching skills.
Evaluation will be based on class preparation/participation, journal writing on practicing coping strategies, and a final project consisting mainly of the design of a psychological preparation program tailored to the students’ own goals.
FALL 2012
MUPP 693 (001) Performance Practice Seminar 4 – CRN 13998
Professor Lena Weman-Ericsson
Free Ornamentation in Instrumental Music of the Late Baroque Era
In the year 1700, Arcangelo Corelli published his violin sonatas Opus 5 in Rome. Ten years later, this music was spread all over Europe: played, rearranged, republished and so on. At this time Etienne Roger in Amsterdam published an additional edition of the music. It contained ornaments for the slow movements of the first six sonatas “as Corelli himself played them,” as the preface states. The authenticity was widely questioned already then, but it nevertheless gave rise to a number of ornamented versions of the sonatas, mostly preserved as manuscripts.
In this seminar we study and analyse several of these ornamented versions and apply the knowledge to repertoire of the student’s own choice.
In addition to the practical work with the music, we also read and discuss literature appropriate to the subject, both historical treatises and more modern books and articles.
Evaluation will be based on class participation, assignments, a final paper and a presentation that includes performance.
FALL 2012
MUPP 694 (001) Performance Practice Seminar 5 – CRN 10571
Professor Aiyun Huang
Decoding Contemporary Music Scores:
Approaches, Methods and Interpretations from the Performer’s Perspective
This course is designed for performers who want to play contemporary music. Topics include: how to approach unconventional scores, music memory, learning and practicing, theatricality and gesture, open works, and improvisation. Through the course, students will gain comprehensive perspectives on aspects of contemporary music practice. Repertoire includes Ferneyhough, Xenakis, Stockhausen, Globokar, Aperghis, Kagel, Andriessen, Rzewski and Zorn. Evaluation will be based on class participation (25%), weekly assignment (25%), presentation (25%), and final paper (25%).
DEPARTMENT OF PERFORMANCE (OPEN TO PERFORMANCE STUDENTS): FALL 2012
FALL 2012
MUPG 590 (001) Vocal Styles and Conventions- CRN 15669
Professor Patrick Hansen
Emphasis on vocal performance practices through practical application: text, language, inflection, pronunciation and interpretation considered with the individuality of each student’s voice and technical development. After examining historical treatises, students will discuss and present musical selections utilizing modern performance standards yet remaining true to the stylistic demands of each period.
FALL 2012
MUPG 672D1 (001) Liturgical Improvisation – CRN 6925
Professor William Porter
Please note that this is a full-year course.
FALL 2012
MUPG 678 (001) Special Topic Seminar CRN 12072
Professor Rémi Bolduc
Advanced Improvisation Seminar
The goal of the seminar will be to help students develop their own musical voice by researching the improvisational ideas and approaches of various jazz artists. With approval of the instructor, students will choose the artists to be studied and will also be responsible for transcribing compositions and improvised solos by these musicians. Students will also have the opportunity to play the music in class and get feedback from the instructor and their peers. The instructor will begin the seminar by presenting his own ideas and insights about specific mentors. There will be at least three transcriptions and written analyses required from each student and weekly practice assignments derived from the material. Approximately one third of class time will be spent performing. Evaluation will be based on the quality of the analyses, transcriptions and ideas the students bring to the seminar and their ability to incorporate those ideas into their playing.
SEMINARS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC RESEARCH (COMPLEMENTARY SEMINARS FOR PERFORMANCE STUDENTS): WINTER 2013
WINTER 2013
MUCO 636 (001) Seminar in Composition 6 – CRN 12057
Professor Chris Paul Harman
Ligeti and his Disciples
The music of Gyorgy Ligeti has influenced (and continues to influence), directly and indirectly, many composers of the late 20th- and early 21st centuries. In a pedagogical capacity, Ligeti worked with notable students from around the globe: Hans Abrahamssen (Denmark); Denys Bouliane (Canada); Unsuk Chin (South Korea), Roberto Sierra (Puerto Rico) and Manfred Stahnke (Germany). The present seminar aims to identify key aesthetic and stylistic markers in Ligeti's work, and to trace the extent of their influence in the work of several of his students. Cultural influences from each composer's country of origin will also be examined for their impact upon individuality of style. Evaluation will be based on contributions to class discussion, class presentations and a final paper.
WINTER 2013
MUGT 611 (001) Seminar - Music Education 2 – CRN 10845
(May not be taken by students who took MUGT 611 in Winter 2012)
Professor Isabelle Cossette
Understanding the Performing Body
This course is designed for performance, pedagogy and music education students interested in understanding how to use their body in an optimal, healthy and efficient way.
Class sessions are intended to provide an opportunity for students to explore knowledge that will seed the inquiry on issues related to the use of body during music playing. Students will develop their critical thinking on topics such as the health of musicians, musculoskeletal injuries, breathing strategies, and nutrition. Discussions based on readings, presentations and lab visits, will allow students to apply theoretical knowledge to their performance or teaching skills.
Evaluation will be based on class preparation/participation, presentations and a final project that will require the integration of a research process. Topics will be based on students’ interests and could include health of musicians, musculoskeletal injuries, nutrition, brain functions, etc.
WINTER 2013
MUGT 613 (001) Seminar – Music Education – CRN 6359
Professor Isabelle Cossette
Studio Teaching
This seminar is designed for performance, pedagogy and music education students who wish to explore multiple facets of studio teaching in order to develop their own pedagogical approach and get prepared to teach at a high level.
Basic foundations of pedagogy and exploration of multidisciplinary research as they relate to studio teaching will be addressed through literature reviews of existing methods and material, interviews or attendance of classes given by other professors and by conducting teaching practices.
Class sessions are intended to develop a broad, interdisciplinary knowledge with practical applications in studio teaching. Educational issues and scientific research on performance will be explored through various formats including lecture, oral presentations, surveys of research, invited speakers, teaching practices, interviews and lab visits.
Evaluation will be based on class preparation/participation, presentations as well as on a final project that will allow students to concentrate on a specific topic of their choice related to studio teaching.
WINTER 2013
MUHL 683 (001) Seminar in Musicology 4 - CRN 12063
Professor David Brackett
Music/Identification
How do particular ways of organizing sound become integral parts of both whom we perceive ourselves to be? In seeking to answer this question, this seminar will analyze connections between music genres and group identities. We will explore how aesthetic preferences in music are connected to a sense of self, with a focus on vectors of identity including nationality, gender, race, sexuality, and economic class. The readings will establish a theoretical foundation for understanding the relationship between music and group identification rooted in psychoanalysis, Marxism, and post-colonial theory. At the same time, we will survey case studies focused on, but not limited to, opera, jazz, country music, and music scenes in Montréal. Course requirements include weekly responses to reading and listening assignments, a smattering of class presentations, and a substantial final paper.
WINTER 2013
MUHL 684 (001) Seminar in Musicology 5 – CRN 10616
Professor Steven Huebner
Topics in Verdi Studies
Selected topics related to the work of Verdi and his contemporaries. The seminar will play close attention to analytical issues: libretto verse, ensemble writing, orchestral textures, form and dramaturgy. Works studied will include Il Trovatore, Don Carlos and Falstaff. Research paper projects may focus on any topic pertaining to this repertory, including performing practice, historical context, and reception history. Evaluation will be based on the research paper, presentations, and class participation.
WINTER 2013
MUHL 685 (001) Seminar in Musicology 6 – CRN 10617
Professor Roe-Min Kok
Music and the Inevitable
In this seminar, we shall analyze composers’ responses to mortality and death as expressed in their compositions. Our readings will be drawn from cultural, social, and religious studies and theories about disease, suffering, demise and mourning in different historical periods. Although we shall focus on musical works from the eighteenth through early twentieth centuries, seminar members are encouraged to explore early and more recent repertories in class presentations and final papers.
Evaluation will be based on engagement with the materials, class presentations, a book report, final paper, and attendance and participation.
WINTER 2013
MUMT 618 (001) Computational Modeling of Musical Acoustic – CRN 11226
Professor Gary Scavone
Methods for discrete-time modeling of musical acoustic systems, with an emphasis on digital waveguide techniques. Delay-based audio effects, artificial reverberation, musical instrument models and “physically-informed” approaches to sound synthesis. Prior experience with differential equations, digital filters, Matlab, and C/C++ is required. Evaluation will be based on weekly homework, in-class presentations, and a final course project.
WINTER 2013
MUMT 619 (001) Input Devices for Musical Expression – CRN 7160
Professor Marcelo Wanderley
Basic technologies used in the design of input devices for musical expression, including the most common types of electronic sensors, actuators and associated conditioning circuits and examples of their application to gestural controllers. Prior knowledge of analog electronics required. Evaluation will be based on assignments and a final project.
WINTER 2013
MUMT 621 (001) Music Information Retrieval, Acquisition, Preservation – CRN 9398
Professor Ichiro Fujinaga
This seminar will investigate current research activities in the area of music information retrieval. The goal is to discover ways to efficiently find and retrieve musical information. Although the field is relatively new, it encompasses various music disciplines including music analysis, music education, music history, music theory, music psychology, and audio signal processing.
Each student will be expected to present various music information retrieval topics along with literature reviews. Each presentation should be accompanied by web pages created by the presenter. The final project may consist of software development, a theoretical paper, or an extended review paper. Class format will be presentations followed by discussions.
Potential topics include: Themefinder, MELDEX, Cantus, audio content analysis and search, web crawling, melodic similarities, computer-aided transcription, beat tracking, timbre recognition, speech / music separation, P2P technologies, audio and music formats (MPEG-4/7/21, MP3, MusicXML), and Web Services. Students will be evaluated on the quality of the presentations, written assignments, class participation, and the final project.
WINTER 2013
MUMT 622 (001) Time-Frequency & Parameter Rep. of Sounds – CRN 12065
Professor Philippe Depalle
Research trends in time-frequency representations and parametric modeling in the context of music and audio applications. Specific focus on the analysis of sounds using parametric methods. Evaluation will be based on in-class research literature presentations, and on a final project.
WINTER 2013
MUSR 692 (001) Media Theory and Practice Seminar – CRN 3243
Professor Martha DeFranciso
This seminar is open to 2nd year graduate sound recording students and graduate performance students only. Recordings of professional standard will be realized with the participation of music students as performers, a recording producer and the recording students as the recording team. All steps will be followed from the preparation to the realization of the recording, the postproduction including editing and mixing and the preparation of the master. Performances students and Sound Recording students will work as partners in the recording process. Some sessions will be directed at musicians, some at recording engineers, and some at both. Evaluation will be based on active in-class participation and presentations, the results of individual work on the postproduction of the recordings, and a final paper.
WINTER 2013
MUTH 653 (001) Seminar in Music Theory 2 – CRN 10966
Professor Christoph Niedhöfer
Expression and Meaning in the Music of the Darmstadt Avant-garde 1950-1965
How does expression arise in serial (and other) music? How did serial composers construct expression and meaning in their works? We will address these questions in selected works by composers associated with the Darmstadt School, through analysis of their scores and sketches, examination of historical and modern recordings, and close reading of the writings from the period as well as more recent scholarship. We will study texts by Theodor W. Adorno, René Leibowitz, Heinz-Klaus Metzger, Nicolas Ruwet, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Hermann Scherchen, among others, and writings on musical meaning and expression by Nicholas Cook, Stephen Davies, Robert Hatten, Roger Scruton, and others. Compositions to be analyzed include Schoenberg’s A Survivor from Warsaw, Stockhausen’s Klavierstück III, Wolpe’s Piece for Two Instrumental Units, and selected movements from Boulez’s Le marteau sans maître, Maderna’s Kranichsteiner Kammerkantate, and Nono’s Il canto sospeso, as well as works chosen by the seminar participants. Performance-analysis of solo or small chamber pieces in class will be especially encouraged. Course requirements include weekly assigned readings and listening, two in-class presentations, a midterm essay, and a final paper.
WINTER 2013
MUTH 656 (001) Seminar in Music Theory 5 – CRN 12073
Professor Robert Hasegawa
Music since 1980
Concert music of the past 30 years remains a topic little explored by music theorists and analysts. This seminar focuses on the music of this period, exploring both the extension of ideas from earlier twentieth-century music (use of motivic cells, serialism, etc.) and new compositional movements including spectralism, the "new complexity," microtonality, live electronics, and computer-aided composition. Assignments will include weekly readings and analyses, in-class presentations, and a final research paper.
WINTER 2013
MUTH 657 (001) Seminar in Music Theory 6 – CRN 12078
Professor Peter N. Schubert
Analyzing Monteverdi
We will get to know some of Monteverdi's music from all genres and periods, and read ancient and recent writings about it. We will consider text setting, form, mode/tonality, counterpoint, psalm tones, the influence of the prima prattica style and of the new operatic aesthetic.
Evaluation will be based on weekly readings, one précis on an article, a quiz on terms and listening IDs, and a 20-page analytical paper on a piece of your choice.
WINTER 2013
MUTH 659 (001) History of Music Theory 2 – CRN 12077
Professor David E. Cohen
The 18th and 19th Centuries
Developments in music theory (especially concerning harmony, tonality, and form), in compositional pedagogy, and in musical analysis, from c.1725 to c.1915, in the writings of influential theorists including Rameau, Kirnberger, Koch, Vogler, Weber, Reicha, Fétis, Marx, Hauptmann, Sechter, Helmholtz, Oettingen, and Riemann.
Considerable weekly reading; all assigned readings in English (occasional optional readings in French or German). Occasional brief essays in response to questions on the reading, and one fairly large term paper. Occasional short, informal presentations, and possibly one larger and more formal presentation at the end of the term on the
PERFORMANCE PRACTICE (OPEN TO PERFORMANCE STUDENTS): WINTER 2013
PERFORMANCE PRACTICE
WINTER 2013
MUPP 690 (001) Performance Practice Seminar 1 - CRN 12068
(May not be taken by students who took MUPP 690 in Winter 2009 and Winter 2011)
Professor Lisa Barg
Concert Deprogramming
The focus of this seminar will not be on performance techniques per se, but on performance contexts in the 20th-21st centuries: general aspects of setting, space, behavior, and audience relations with reference to music that attempts to move away from 19th century models of the recital and symphony concert, particularly post-war avant-garde performance. Through listening, viewing, music-making, and critical readings, we will explore performances modeled on the workshop, the circus, and spiritual or communal rituals; music that opens itself to the environment, self-mockery, or audience involvement. We will consider the purpose behind the new models, and judge their success in creating musical settings appropriate to modern/postmodern times.
Evaluation will be based on class presentations on assigned readings, brief writing assignments, or creative assignments, and a final project, consisting of a live presentation in conjunction with a written report. The final project may consist of a research or interpretive paper, a composition/ performance/demonstration, or some combination.
WINTER 2013
MUPP 691 (001) Performance Practice Seminar 2 – CRN 8443
Professor Roe-Min Kok
Performance Practice and the Standard Repertoire
This seminar will explore issues in performance practice of the Classical and Romantic periods. In recent years widely varying attitudes towards performing “canonic” repertoire have been adopted. We will study primary and secondary sources, compare editions, critically assess recordings, and grapple with questions about ornamentation, instrumentation, tempo markings, and other issues. Members of the seminar will discuss articles, present informed opinions, and be encouraged to demonstrate their findings via performing in class. Evaluation will be based on engagement with the materials, regular attendance and participation, class presentations, and several short papers on topics of your choice chosen in consultation with the instructor.
WINTER 2013
MUPP 692 (001) Performance Practice Seminar 3 – CRN 7259
Mr. Shawn Mativesky
Performance Practices of North Indian Classical Music
This seminar will explore the performance practices of Hindustani sangeet (North Indian classical music and dance). We will examine the learning of this music through the oral traditions of guru-shishya-parampara, and the resulting gharanas or lineages, each with its own distinct stylistic characteristics. We will discuss issues of philosophy, spirituality, and cultural context. We will focus on concepts of improvisation through raga (melodic structures), tala (rhythmic cycles), and rasa (emotion). We will also explore how Indian music has influenced and inspired music in the West, with examples from pop culture and classical music. Through weekly readings and listenings, in-class discussion and musical exercises, we will develop an in-depth appreciation and understanding for this music and the culture that surrounds it, as well as ideas for applying core concepts to the learning and performance of any music. Evaluation will be based on in-class participation, preparation of the weekly readings, concert performance and in-class presentation of a piece inspired by North Indian classical music, and a research paper (including an in-class paper presentation).
WINTER 2013
MUPP 693 (001) Performance Practice Seminar 4 – CRN 3596
Dr. Guido Massimiliano
Improvising and Performing (Early) Music
This course will explore the relation between improvisation and performance with a particular emphasis on the late renaissance and baroque. We will question the contemporary approach, influenced by the Romantic vision that considers improvising music in opposition to performing the repertoire, with the ancient one that integrates improvisation, composition, and performance in a coherent musical whole.
By the end of this course students will be solicited, starting from personal experiences and background, to assess their own learning process, especially as relates to the use of memory in music making. They will be able to elaborate or revise their approach to historical performance practice, integrating into it improvisation, and to have a better critical appreciation of the sources.
Evaluation will be based on weekly participation, readings, short presentations, a final paper, and in-class improvisation activities.
DEPARTMENT OF PERFORMANCE SEMINARS (OPEN TO PERFORMANCE STUDENTS): WINTER 2013
WINTER 2013
MUPG 677 Seminar in Performance Topics 1 – CRN 12289
Professor Lena Weman-Ericsson
Analysis – Interpretation – Performance
This seminar will mainly deal with the relationship between these concepts. Are they related or is it just a construction? Are they important to discuss for the musician? Can an analysis strengthen a performance or will it destroy it? And what is interpretation when it comes to performing comes to perform a musical work? And what is a musical work? These are some of the questions we will discuss and reflect upon.
WINTER 2013
MUPG 691 Vocal Seminar CRN 12066
Professor Valerie Kinslow
Vocal Ornamentation
Introduction to the major treatises with emphasis on their practical application to modern performance. Through the study and discussion of both primary and secondary sources, students will observe and compare national styles. Special topics include the conventions of recitative; text-driven embellishment; ornamentation in Handel's dramatic works. Evaluation will be based on two presentations, which may include the performance of embellished airs.