On the last day of Theory class (Thursday 4/29), we will have a
composition recital of pieces composed by you! Tuesday will be a
workshop day, so the closer your piece is to being complete, the better.
Criteria for your compositions/performances:
- Performance
- Each student must perform on at least one piece (your own or a classmate's)
- Each piece must have at least one student performer from our class.
Other performers are welcome if you would like to invite them
- Be sure to get a commitment from your performer(s) before deciding on your instrumentation
- Composition
- Your piece should be a minimum of 16 measures and two phrases long.
Longer is acceptable (within reason; 5 minutes maximum length)
- It should conform to common-practice norms ... one goal for this
project is for you to demonstrate your understanding of these norms
- (If you want to write and perform a non-common practice piece, you
may do so, but only IN ADDITION to your common-practice piece. Grading
will be based on the common-practice piece)
- The piece should contain at least three concepts covered this
semester. These may be harmonic (for example, mediant or submediant
triads, diatonic seventh chords), phrase-structural (e.g., sentence
structure, parallel interrupted period), thematic (diminution,
inversion, etc.), or harmonic sequences. At least one of these concepts
should be harmonic, and at least one should be something other than
harmonic. As you see, we did a lot this
semester! (See list at bottom of this post.)
I suggest you start with a framework in which you sketch out the
harmonic progression and phrase structure, possibly with some main
melody notes, and subsequently work these into a melody. Feel free to choose
whatever meter and key you find appropriate. It would be a good idea to
work with your performers to get feedback about what is idiomatic for
their instrument/voice type.
One of the learning
objectives of the composition project is to help you develop your
written communication skills. Therefore, the project includes two
written components.
For the performances on Thursday, you should also write at least one paragraph of
Program Notes.
This should be written in a relatively formal style similar to program
notes you have seen on student or guest recitals. Program notes are written for a
lay audience
(assume your readers are intelligent people, but not necessarily
trained musicians; therefore, program notes don't include
musico-technical vocabulary). Ideas that may be included are: the mood
you hope to
evoke with
your piece; specific instrumental or vocal techniques that you use; your
reasons for choosing the particular key and meter you did; and the
style or styles you are referring to with your composition. Program
notes should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 words. A bit more
or less is OK within reason (500 words or 20 words are not acceptable
lengths).
Additionally, write a
brief analytical paragraph
(for
me, not for public distribution) explaining your use of the theoretical
concepts. This will not duplicate the content in the program notes (but
may refer to some of the same ideas). This represents a different kind
of writing, where you will demonstrate skill in explaining musical
concepts to a specialized audience, your professor, who understands
musical terminology and concepts. You will hand in an annotated score
(showing the concepts); your analytical paragraph may refer to this.
What/when to submit:
- Due Tuesday, April 27 12:25 PM:
- A draft of your composition. Bring these to class (one copy should
be enough, also post a picture to the blog, so that all class members
can provide feedback), as well as uploading picture(s) to Sakai.
- Due Thursday, April 29, 8:00 AM:
- Final version of composition. You should have at least two hard
copies. One will be the annotated score, which will be handed in to me.
(Annotations will be things like a roman numeral analysis, markings
showing any motivic relationships, sequences, phrase structure,
cadences, etc.) The other one(s) will be used for your performer(s) to
read off. Also hand in the brief analytical essay at this time. (I will probably make an assignment in Sakai for the essay.)
-
List of concepts we studied in Music Theory 3:
Harmonic
Diatonic seventh chords
Mediant
Submediant
Subtonic
Harmonic sequences
Descending fifths
Descending thirds
Ascending 5-6
Form
New cadences
Deceptive
Phrygian
Plagal
Phrase structure – period (parallel or contrasting;
interrupted, continuous, sectional, or modulating)
Sentence structure (2+2+4 or equivalent proportions; basic
idea (x2), continuation➤cadential)
Compound melody
Thematic transformation
Repetition
Transposition
Melodic Sequence (tonal or real)—also modified sequence
Imitation
Intervallic contraction/expansion
Inversion
Augmentation
Diminution
Change of mode
Melodic Retrograde
Fragmentation