Students who enroll in Music 271 receive one course credit upon completion of two consecutive semesters of lessons. The same credit arrangement applies to Music 272. Introduction to Listening. Reading and listening assignments, demonstrations, and class discussion provide opportunity to become familiar with the structure of music. The elements of music and the sociology of music-making are studied, using repertoire from various cultures and historical periods.
Emphasis is placed on the student's perception of and involvement in the musical work.
The course is open to, and directed toward, students unskilled in reading music as well as those with considerable musical experience. Composers, Performers, and Audiences . Designed for students with little or no previous experience of the subject, this course considers the ways composers, performers, and audiences have affected one another in the history of Western music making. The lives of a small number of composers, including Hildegard von Bingen, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Clara Schumann, and Duke Ellington serve as case studies as we address these questions, and basic musical vocabulary is introduced both at the beginning of the course and along the way. Music Theory I. Beginning with a study of notation, scales, intervals, and rhythm, the course proceeds through composition and analysis of melodic forms, a study of harmonic motion, an introduction to the principles of counterpoint, and the analysis and composition of complete works from several popular and classical styles.