SYLLABUS

MUSIC 408 E

(timings are tentative)

Spring 2018

January 17 - 26

Course organization.
Recapitulation
• The tonal system as hierarchy.
• Tone-row, matrix, combinatoriality.
• Traditional forms
  assignment (matrix - not graded) due 1/24
• New sounds, old forms:
  • Kurt Schwiters - "Ursonate"
  • Tristan Tzara - "L'admiral..."
• Musique concrete
  • Pierre Schaeffer - "Etude aux chemins de fer"
    assignment 1 (Etudes) due 2/2
    reading assignment (Boulez/Schoenberg) due 2/5
• New sounds, new forms: Proportions, Cage's square root method
  • "Sonatas and Interludes"

January 29 - February 12

Integral Serialism

• Strict organization at all parameters. Forerunners: Webern; Messiaen: modes and "Mode de valeurs"
  • "Schoenberg Is Dead"
  • Boulez: Structure Ia Variations
• Domain technique, Koblyakov
  • Boulez: "Le marteau sans maitre" (Neoclassic suite ?)
    reading assignment (Stockhausen) due 2/9
    assignment 2 (Domains) due 2/14
    listening quiz I 2/16
• Electronic Music equipment. Group technique; additive synthesis
  • "Electronische Studie II"
  • "Gesang der Junglige"
  • "Gruppen fur 3 Orchester"
• "...how time passes..."

February 14 - March 7

Indeterminacy

• Chance Music
  • Zen and Dada
  • John Cage: material, structure, method, form.
  • Chance procedures
    • Music of Changes
    • Williams Mix
  • Number Pieces
    reading assignment (Eco) due: 2/23
    assignment 3 (chance piece) due 2/26
• Aleatory Music
  • Umberto Eco - "Opera aperta"
    • Earl Brown - Folio and Four Systems
    • Zyklus
  • Formants; Boulez on sonata
    • Third piano sonata
    • Klavierstucke XI
  • Momente form
    • Momente
  • Composition Classes
    • Plus-minus (borrowings)
    listening quiz II 3/5
• Stochastic Music
  • Probability, stochastic distributions
    • Pithoprakta
    • Concrete PH
  • Sound mass
    • Ligeti- "Atmospheres"; Penderecki - "Threnody"
    assignment 4 (Pithoprakta) due 3/12
  • Computer-assisted composition
    • Illiac Suite
    • ST pieces
  • Form through juxtaposition

March 9

• Synthesizers and Computer Sound Synthesis
  
  • Voltage-controlled equipment; Buchla, Moog, Beauchamp
    • Davidovsky - Synchronisms
    • W. Carlos - Switch on Bach

March 12 - April 2

• Conceptual Music, Graphic Scores, Minimalism, Microtonality
  • Textkomposition
    • Stockhausen - Aus den sieben Tagen
    • LaMonte Young - 1960 pieces
  • Minimalism/Phase Music; process music
    • Reich - Four Organs
    • Riley - In C
    • Stockhausen - Stimmung
      listening quiz III 4/6

    SPRING BREAK
  • Once Group
  • Danger Music; Fur Music; Bio Music
  • Graphic scores
    • Bussotti - Sete folgli
      assignment 5 (graphic notation) due 4/2
      reading ssignment (Xenakis) due 4/4
    • Source magazine
  • Happenings
  • Microtonality; Proportions
    • Partch - Bewitched
    • Ben Johnston - String Quartet (Amazing Grace)

April 4 - May 2

• Science, Mathematics, Music, Technology
  • Xenakis - Formalized Music
    assignment 6 (sieves) due 4/11

    • Markov chains
    • Set Theory
      • Sieves
      • Group Theory
        • Herma
        • Nomos Alpha
    • Random Walks, arborescences
      Jonchaies
    • other techniques
    • Non-linear forms, borrowings, juxtaposition (JW)
      assignment 7 (Herbert Brün) due 4/27
  • A little acoustics: how do we hear ? Sampling, ADC/DAC.
    • Max Mathews - Bicycle for Two
  • Digital synthesis
    • Synthesis methods
      • LPC, FM, granular, physical modeling
    • UPIC
      • Mycenae alpha
      listening quiz IV 4/30

    • GenDyn
    • Additive synthesis
  • Spectral music
    • Murail, Grisey
  • Manifold compositions; multi-media; sonification

Final exam (comprehensive): 1:30-4:30 am, Monday, May 7