MUSIC 3141

The Composer's Toolbox I

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2020-2021.

The Composer's Toolbox is a two-semester sequence of courses that equips undergraduates with the skills and techniques they need to write music in a variety of styles and idioms, both tonal and otherwise. While a modicum of theoretical knowledge is required, the emphasis throughout the sequence is on the practical applications of that knowledge via both composition and the analysis of repertoire: students will learn through doing. The first semester of the sequence focuses on harmony and counterpoint, which can also be understood in terms of verticality and horizontality. Topics will include the ordering of these dimensions via various methods, including intervallic criteria and set theory. Students will learn how to analyze smaller forms and how to assemble phrases, from the smallest module to extended melodies. By the end of the semester, students will have become closely acquainted with representative examples of musical repertoire from the eighteenth century to the present day. They will also have composed a small-scale piece for chamber ensemble, which will be performed live in class. Along the way, they will learn how to notate their music digitally (via the software Sibelius).

When Offered Fall.

Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: MUSIC 2102 or permission of instructor required.

Distribution Category (LA-AS, ALC-AS)

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