Contemporary Analytical and Compositional Techniques

Catalog description

This course surveys 20th- and 21st-century musical styles and theoretical systems, teaching students how to analyze a variety of works in which Common-Practice Period norms of tonality, rhythm, form, timbre, and texture have been superseded by new developments. Corresponding compositional exercises deepen student understanding of these new approaches. Topics include free atonality, serialism, neoclassicism, minimalism, allusions, chance, and electronic composition. The course prepares students to analyze music, write model compositions, and develop analytical papers.