MUH 1007: Listening to Music Syllabus

Music Department
Email: comberiatic@mville.edu
Phone: (914) 323-5252
Music Building, Room 114
Fall, 2004

MUH 1007: Listening to Music

Required Text: Joseph Kerman and Gary Tomlinson, with Vivian Kerman, Listen, 5th ed. Brief, New York: Worth, 2004, with accompanying CDs.

Additional Listening Resources are available for this course through the Manhattanville College Library Blackboard link at: http://blackboard.mville.edu. You will need the course password to sign on.

The authors have a very helpful interactive online site to accompany the text.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS	GRADING
1. Attendance at all sessions	15% Quiz on Elements
2. Listening and Reading Assignments	40% Semester Exams
3. Quiz on Musical Elements	25% Listening Report
4. 2 Semester Exams	20% Final Exam
5. Final Exam
6. Listening Report

COURSE OUTLINE AND LISTENING ASSIGNMENTS

Date	Topic	Units in Kerman
Sept 2	The Materials of Music	1-4
Sept 30	Quiz on Musical Elements
Sept 30	Eighteenth-Century Classicism	11-13
Oct 18	First Semester Exam
Oct 21	Nineteenth-Century Romanticism	14-18
Nov 18	Second Semester Exam
Nov 22	The Twentieth Century	19-20, and 22
Dec 9	Listening Report due
	Final Exam during Exam Week

This course addresses a core repertory for listening to concert music. Due to its nature as a one semester survey, the course will proceed at a considerable pace; however we should cover the necessary tools to understand and appreciate any music in the concert tradition. Guided listening will be our principle activity, both in and out of class; and you will be tested in class on the core repertory and independently through the listening report.

The listening report is a musical analysis of the pieces in either a live concert program or a recording. The model for your report will be the lectures in class and the readings in the text, Listen. The music you choose must contain pieces from the eras covered by this course and these pieces must be in styles similar to ones studied in class.

Site accessed times since 7/8/2004

Links to Interesting Music Related Sites

The American Musicological Society web page contains links to many music organizations, as well the most comprehensive list of both classical and popular music on the web.

The Library of Congress often has music exhibits, currently including music at the Vatican.

The historical Women's Music Page contains materials concerning women musicians before 1750.

Method for Listening Reports (Click on Bullets to collapse or expand outline)

How to Proceed

	Choose concert or recording (check program in advance).
	Have concert program or recording approved for report.
	Go to the Listening Room and try to find recordings of the pieces on the concert program, or by the same composer. Take notes as you listen.
	Attend the concert or listen to the recording and take notes as you listen (if you can without disturbing your neighbor). Be sure to save your program.
	Assimilate and synthesize notes from recordings and the concert.

How to Write a Good Musical Analysis

	Focus on musical elements discussed in lectures (see Course Outline and Listen for examples and ideas).
	Do not dwell on problems with a performance, i.e., wrong notes, uninspired performance, untied shoelaces of the soprano, etc. (although these may be mentioned in passing).
	Use examples and be specific about the musical elements that you discuss, e.g., "The crescendo in the woodwinds was followed by a conjunct melody in the bassoons." Use diagrams, graphs, and/or music notation if it helps to clarify your meaning.
	Always try to determine the form of the pieces you hear. The form is equivalent to your conclusion, for our purposes. It always helps to compare forms to pieces studied in class.
	Do not be afraid to make observations that you are not fully prepared to substantiate. Music takes place on verbal and non-verbal levels; your "gut reaction" is valid and should be incorporated with your verbal analysis.
	Your presentation of material is vitally important. In fact, I will be quite picky about spelling, sentence structure, paragraph structure, tense agreement, as well as the proper use of the musical vocabulary.
	Do not rely solely on musical texts, dictionaries, record jackets, or other such references for your report. Rely, instead, on your own observations and expectations.

Try to enjoy the music; that is important, too.

	Don't "think" your way through every work. Listen for unusual sounds, beautiful melodies, or just the remarkable way that a composer can elucidate a text.
	Be respectful of others around you who are there for enjoyment. Don't arrive late or leave your seat in the middle of a piece. Talking is very distracting to the audience, as well as the performers.
	Show appreciation with applause. Classical events are often more restrained than sporting events. For example, it is probably best to avoid whistling, cheering loudly, or shouting out the performer's name.