The final exam serves as the comprehensive musicianship exam for the music major. May be repeated without credit as necessary. MUS 323 Principles of Conducting A study of techniques of reading, playing, and conducting from choral and orchestral scores. The course also includes a major paper on a piece or pieces performed in the recital that focuses on analytical techniques, performance practice, and music history. A senior capstone experience requiring a substantial written study of a topic combining analysis and historical investigation.
Students make a public presentation of the study at the end of the term.
This course has two aims. First, students gain an understanding and appreciation of major musical forms, such as symphony, sonata, and opera, through attendance at performances, each introduced by a background lecture. Second, students are asked to relate the pieces studied to art and historical events in order to understand how the compositions reflect their times and the values of their societies. Conducted in Europe. An investigation of the rise of independent instrumental music at the end of the Renaissance and its evolution and development through the Baroque era.