Advanced Theory: Compositional Tools and Techniques

Catalog description

Prerequisite: Theory II: Basic Tonal Theory and Composition (MUSC 5110) or equivalent This course will be an introduction to a wide array of compositional languages, primarily within a notated THE CURRICULUM 120 context. We will talk about a wide variety of harmonic palettes, including some examples of microtonality à la Ben Johnston and Alois Hába. We will explore various serial procedures, such as the “classical” serialism of Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern and the rotational ideas of Ruth Crawford Seeger and Igor Stravinsky. We will discuss various methods for guiding improvisation, including the “diamond clef” compositions of Anthony Braxton. Rhythmic and metric ideas will be introduced, including asymmetric time signatures, metric modulation as pioneered by Elliott Carter, and rhythmic serialism as in the work of Milton Babbitt and Olivier Messiaen. We will discuss the potential uses of rhythmic and harmonic symmetry as, for example, in the chord progressions of John Coltrane’s Giant Steps. Students will learn about these topics through score study and through their own small compositional projects. As we jump from topic to topic, the instructor will also have students practice increasingly complex notational mini-projects and will introduce students to the rudiments of orchestration for keyboards, strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. At the end of the course, students will have gained a broad range of musical languages with which to express their own personal voice and will have had considerable practice in communicating those ideas effectively. Advanced Theory: Tonal Theory and Analysis