Musical Analysis and Interpretation
MUSIC 150
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
This iteration of Music Analysis and Interpretation focuses on the intersection of music, voice, and text. We will begin by looking at issues of form, rhetoric, and narrative in instrumental Western art music of the 18th- and early 19th-centuries. How did Martines, Mozart, Beethoven, Sancho, and others create direction and closure in music with no text? We will then shift our focus to art songs in the 19th and 20th centuries, by studying the ways in which form, pitch, meter, and texture give rise to unique relationships between text and music in this repertoire. Lastly, we will delve into issues of intertextuality, vocal performance, and musical covers in the recorded music of 20th- and 21st-century popular singers. Through various writing assignments—concert reviews, liner notes, and analytical essays—students will hone their music analytical skills by interpreting the ways in which music, voice, and text are intertwined.
Class Notes
Who should take this class? This course is for musical performers, composers, and listeners who want to deepen their musical understanding and appreciation through music analysis. This iteration of Music Theory and Interpretation focuses on the intersection of music, voice, and text in three different repertoires. We will begin by looking at issues of form, rhetoric, and narrative in instrumental Western art music of the 18th- and early 19th-centuries. How did Martines, Mozart, Beethoven, Sancho, and others create direction and closure in music with no text? We will then shift our focus to art songs in the 19th and 20th centuries, by studying the ways in which form, pitch, meter, and texture give rise to unique relationships between text and music in this repertoire. Lastly, we will delve into issues of intertextuality, vocal performance, and musical covers in the recorded music of 20th- and 21st-century popular singers. Through various writing assignments—concert reviews, liner notes, and analytical essays—students will hone their music analytical skills by interpreting the ways in which music, voice, and text are intertwined.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
NOTE: This course requires additional sections; you will be prompted to choose secondary components during the Add to Cart process
