Literature and Theory Synthesis

Catalog description

Revisions for the comprehensive examinations. Intensive reading and rereading, writing of examination-style essays. Tutorials in Music Ian Coleman, Professor of Music, Coordinator of the major In Oxbridge Music, the number in the first set of parentheses following each tutorial’s title indicates the credit hours that will be awarded following the successful completion of the course (i.e., by participation in the tutorial sessions and through activities described in the syllabus). Upon successful completion of the activities of a tutorial, an equal number of credit hours will be included on the transcript with the (neutral) grade of IP (In Progress) to indicate that further credit can be awarded after successful completion of the comprehensive exams at the end of the senior year. Ultimately, the total credit shown in the second set of parentheses is expected to be earned by the student who completes all aspects of the major successfully. OXM 205 Music and Culture – Past, Present, and Future (2 cr. hrs.) (4) The Classical music tradition has a long and rich history, marked by both sudden and gradual change in its relationship to surrounding cultures. This tutorial will explore this relationship. Theoretical treatises, critical commentaries, original sources, and performance practices will shed light on the ways in which this tradition both rebels against and adapts to cultural trends in any given era. Students will gain a foundational knowledge for future study while learning to question their assumptions about music’s role in society. OXM 223/423 The Operas of Mozart (2 cr. hrs.) (4) This tutorial will investigate the ways in which Mozart responded to the changes around him through his compositions of one particular genre —op era. By studying the thematic material, musical devices, cultural settings, and vocal and instrumental styles, the tutorial will reveal the elements of the classical style that are critical for understanding music history from that time forward. OXM 224/424 Musical Modernism, 1880-1930 (2 cr. hrs.) (4) This tutorial will investigate the broad Modernist aesthetic between 1880 and 1930 and consider important composers and their contributions to this movement. OXM 231/431 Instrumental Conducting (2 cr. hrs.) (4) Instrumental conducting in theory and practice: a technical, historical, and practical basis for the development of the instrumental conductor. OXM 232 Advanced Musical Analysis (2 cr. hrs.) (4) This course allows students to quickly cover standard formal structures in music and then start to develop a series of papers or analysis projects, the size and scope of which are determined by the interests of the student in consultation with the tutor, that explore how to write effective and thought-provoking music analysis. The initial study of formal structures and/or advanced analysis systems will take roughly the first third to half of the semester. The remaining time is then spent developing, drafting, and finalizing the projects/papers selected by the student and tutor. This tutorial should be preceded by MUS 120 and 130 and is therefore more effectively taken in the second semester of the sophomore year or the first semester of the senior year. This tutorial may replace MUS 220 Structural Forms, which is otherwise required of all OXM majors. OXM 240/440 Symphonic Literature (2 cr. hrs.) (4) Study of significant orchestral literature, organized by historical periods. The student will examine the music (through the use of scores and recordings), investigate musical performance and style, relate the musical life of