MUH 3002/5002: History of American Music
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1. Listening assignments
2. Reading assignments
3. Research Project
GRADING
Part. & Attendance 10%
Unit Examinations 60%
Research Project 30%
Go to Course Outline, Reading and Web Links Go to Four Components of a Music-Culture Go to Class Schedule and Assignments
Course Outline and Reading Assignments
Required Textbook: Daniel Kingman. American
Music: A Panorama. Third Concise Edition. New York: Schirmer, 2006.
Required Listening: Selected recordings from the New
World Records bicentennial collection of American music.
These recordings are available on line from the Media Center in the
Library. Listening assignments will be coordinated with the
readings. Eight Discs are available on line; six of these are accompanied by annotations. All
material on the listening examinations will be drawn from these Discs and the
CDs accompanying the text.
Conduct of the Course: History of American Music is an introductory course to the study of cultural
history, with music as the focus of the study. The history we
will be concerned with has less to do with specific dates and
political events than it has to do with the understanding of a
society's culture. The cultural life of a group usually
intertwines day-to-day living with the important social and
political events. What we learn about a society through its
culture, and particularly its musical culture, will teach us
history.
This course will proceed in a series of units in which we will
look at various time periods in American history. I chose these
units because of their variety and because they represent various
aspects of American musical culture. Each unit will consist of
reading in the text and the listening assignments for the class
meetings. Along with the textbook reading assignments, you will
have supplemental readings in the library on reserve. The reading
should be done before class and you should be sure to keep
current. The readings and the listening are coordinated to
provide you with musical and historical background. We will build
upon this background in class through discussion and small
research assignments.
There will be no final examination; each unit will be followed by
an examination based upon the listening and reading. A research
project based upon some aspect of American culture will be due
the last week of class. The project should use details of
American musical life to demonstrate some aspect of American
culture. Details of the research project will be pursued in
class. Graduate students will be expected to develop a
substantial research piece, incorporating a full bibliographic
record.
The following Internet resources could be of use in research.
These sites are available either through a graphical Web Browser,
like Safari, Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Internet Explorer. We
will explore these resources in connection with classroom work.
1. American Musicological Society-Websites
of Interest to Musicologists
This site lists areas of research interest and connects to the
home page of the American Musicological Society which has a
complete listing of music libraries available online.
2. Music Resources On-Line
This site is a service of the Indiana University Music Library
and is a good jump off for classical and popular music. It
includes an index of academic, non-academic, and various other
resources.
3. American
Music Center
This not for profit center provides resources for contemporary
music, including links to other music indices, news groups, and
arts organizations.
4. Useful Online Bibliography
Reference
Towson University has an online guide in the style of Irvine's
Writing about Music.
5. Library
of Congress: American Memory
Online exhibitions from the Library of Congress Performing Arts Collection
Site accessed times since 6/23/2007
Learning Objectives: MUH 3002: History of Amereican Music provides an introduction to appreciating music in the vernacular traditions in the United States. It introduces some basic repertoire and an overview of the historical eras of music in the western popular traditions . This broad entry level course will introduce students to the following Music Department Learning Objectives:
Objective II: Critical Thinking and Aural Analysis
 | By learning to examine pieces within specific historical and cultural contexts, and learning to ask questions about the style, context, and function for historical understanding, performance or transmission of ideas to others. |
Objective III: Breadth of Knowledge
| By demonstrating broad, generalized knowledge of repertoire, formal procedures, and chronology of style. |
Objective VI: Develop a Global Outlook
| By developing a basic familiarity with international musical cultures in popular and art traditions in Western and non-Western cultures. |
| By understanding the role of religion, socio-economic, and political factors in influencing music |
The Four Components of a Music-Culture
Adapted from J. Titon, ed. Worlds of Music, 2nd ed. (New York: Schirmer Books, 1992), p. 6.
I. Ideas about music
A. Music and the system of beliefs
B. Aesthetics of music
C. Contexts for music
D. Histories of Music
II. Social organization of music
III. Repertories of music
A. Style
B. Genres
C. Texts
D. Composition
E. Transmission
F. Movement
IV. Material culture of music
Music is a fluid, dynamic element of a culture, and it changes to suit that culture's expressive and emotional needs. Music is an especially human adaptation to human needs. We will study several music-cultures in American society in order to understand better the relationship of the four components above to the sound of the music. Keep this chart handy; we will return to it often. It should provide a guide for the choice of a research project.
UNIT ONE: Introduction, Rock and Blues
1: Understanding a Music-Culture: 1950s Rock?
Reading: Kingman, Chap. 9, Disc 1.
2: African America: Music of Work, Play and Worship.
Reading: Kingman, Chap. 2 and 8, Discs 3 and 4.
UNIT TWO: Popular Song and Theater
1: American Musical Theater and Tin Pan Alley.
Reading: Kingman, Chap. 13 and 16, Discs 2 and 5.
2: George Gershwin and Porgy and Bess.
Reading: Kingman, pages 433-39, recording on reserve.
UNIT THREE: Native America
1: American Indian Traditions
Reading: Kingman, Chap. 3, Disc 7.
UNIT FOUR: Colonial America
1: Secular Music in the New World
Reading: Kingman, Chap. 1, Discs 6 and 7.
2: Sacred Music in the New World
Reading: Kingman, Chap. 10, Disc 6 and 7.
UNIT FIVE: 19th-Century Popular Music
1: 19th-Century Vernacular America
Reading: Kingman, Chap. 12 and 15, Disc 8.
2: Charles Ives: An American Original
Reading: Kingman, pages 379-390, Disc 8.
Required listening materials are available through the Electronic Resources/Blackboard area of the Manhattanville College Library web site. Blackboard enrollment instructions will be described in class.