Practice dictation final answer key

 

 

Hunter Ramsey Mini Lesson No. 3 Score ( If time is available)

 

Hunter Ramsey Mini Lesson No.2 Score

 

Composition recital

 We will have a composition recital on the last day of classes. Since you've done similar projects for the last two semesters, we won't have a multi-phase process of composition; you'll just write your composition on your own and arrange for its performance with one or more class members (other guests are allowed too).

A note about personnel: if you would like a live accompanist, it's up to you to arrange that. Make sure that the person (people) can commit to the performance time (our class time on Tuesday) as well as as much rehearsal time as will be necessary for a decent performance. It would be acceptable to use an electronic accompaniment. I would be willing to accompany some of you if the piano part is reasonably easy, and if you get it to me 2 days in advance.

I'd like you to be creative and enjoy the project, so I am leaving the specifications open to a large degree. However, your composition should meet the following criteria:

Form:
You may write your piece in any form we have studied (Binary, ternary, rondo, sonata, sectional variations). If you choose variation form, you may write an original theme and two variations, or you may write three variations on a pre-existing theme).

Length
At least 32 measures. This may contain some degree of repetition (for example, if you write a parallel period, the first 2 measures of each phrase might be the same). However, an 8-measure phrase that is repeated exactly will count as 8, not 16 measures.
There should be at least 4 different phrases.

Harmonic content--include at least three different ones of the following:
Applied dominant
Applied leading-tone chord
Modal mixture chord
Augmented sixth chord (specify Italian, French, German)
Neapolitan chord
Change of mode
Modulation

You will also write program notes for your piece. These should be about 100 words long (minimum), and can explain your inspiration for the piece. There should also be some discussion of the musical elements you have included. The musical discussion can have some technical elements, but should be written for a lay audience (that is, assume that the readers are smart and educated, but don't necessarily know all the specific musical vocabulary that you have learned over the last five semesters).

Finally, in addition to your program notes, write a brief analysis that addresses any specific musical content that you included, but is not appropriate to include in your program notes. This should also be about 100 words (minimum), and should be specific. For example, if you include a Neapolitan chord, identify the chord, the measure in which it appears, how it acts within the phrase, etc. This analysis should be supplemented with an annotated score.

Program notes and brief analysis should be submitted electronically (on SAKAI). These are due on Thursday, Dec. 2 at 8:00 AM, along with information for the program (title and personnel). This will give me enough time to compile a program. The hard copy of the score is to be handed in at the beginning of the class period (you will want your own copy to read off for your performance too).

Hunter Ramsey Mini-Lesson No. 1 score

 

PDF for Emma's 3rd Mini Lesson

This is a Google Drive Link to the PDF of Handel's "Da tempeste il legno infranto" from Giulio Cesare. Everyone should have access: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eJiwV2irNcinoIlxyvIMgjTQsTf-e9RW/view?usp=sharing

Hunter Ramsey - Variations Seven and Eight

For this theory homework, I was assigned the seventh and eighth variations of  Mozart’s Piano Sonata in D Major to analyze aswell as compare and contrast them both to the original theme. I think it may be easiest to first discuss how all three are similar in some aspects. Both variations as well as the theme, are in some variety of the key of D. Variation eight ,as well as the theme are in D Major while variation seven is in D Minor. All three of the excerpts are sixteen measures long with two eight measure phrases as well four half measures at both the beginning and the end of the eight-bar phrase to act as a pickup into the subsequent melody. 

Moving onto how each variation compares to the original theme, I would like to begin with discussing variation seven. It’s first and easily the most recognizable difference between the two is the seventh variation being in the parallel minor of the key of the original theme, that being D Minor and D Major respectively. The harmonic rhythm of each piece differs as well. In the theme, the chord changes just about once every strong beat, barring specific measures like seven, nine, and eleven where the chord changes for each quarter note. Whereas in variation seven, the chord changes about once per measure for the first eight measures and then typically twice or four times per measure for the following eight measures. The variation holds a much more somber mood and an overall modally unstable feeling from the prevalent use of chromaticism in both the melody and harmony in variation seven compared to the theme. Speaking of which, both the melody and harmonies see a slight reduction in overall content but see significant change with the use of ornamentation like trills. I believe that Variation VII was written to be an ornamental variation.

As mentioned earlier, the second variation I had been assigned was variation eight which is in the key of D major like the original theme. I believe that variation eight is a figural variation based around an elaboration of the two quarter note motive that occurs as a pickup to each melodic melodic statement in the original theme. Instead of a two quarter note pick up into the ensuing melodic material, variation eight utilizes a quarter note followed by two eighth notes which give the pick-up a further sense of forward motion that is reflected in the contrapuntal style of the variation. The harmonic rhythm of the variation is one chord per each measure in the first eight-measure except for the penultimate measure in which the chord changes for each beat in the measure. In the second eight measures of the piece, the harmonic rhythm speeds up to about two to four chord changes per measure for all measures except those which end melodic statements. Where variation seven very lyrical, variation eight is much more fanfare-like with its short, repeated, and articulate motives. There is also much less chromaticism within variation eight when compared to variation seven