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MUSI1211: Historical Composition Techniques

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Type Tied
Level 1
Credits 20
Availability Available in 2023/24
Module Cap
Location Durham
Department Music

Prerequisites

  • A-Level Music or equivalent.

Corequisites

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • Students will gain a basic understanding of contrapuntal principles and the resources of common-practice harmony as employed by composers of Western art music from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, as well as an insight into a range of musical styles from this historical period.

Content

  • The range of topics covered in any one year may include (but will not necessarily be restricted to) the following: (a) strict counterpoint; (b) sixteenth-century counterpoint (in the style of Palestrina and his contemporaries); (c) figured bass and the Baroque trio sonata; (d) eighteenth-century keyboard genres.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • Students will acquire a basic theoretical and practical knowledge of harmony and counterpoint, as well as the ways in which composers employed these resources during the historical period specified.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • Students will develop a deeper understanding of musical styles and an insight into the craft of composition during the historical period in question.

Key Skills:

  • Students will acquire an understanding of the fundamentals of musical grammar and syntax as employed by composers during this historical period, gaining practical experience through regular assignments in pastiche composition.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Teaching will be by weekly lectures and tutorials distributed throughout the year. Students will be asked to do formative exercises to develop their fluency in composing in various historical styles and to deepen their stylistic understanding. Summative assessment will take the form of a portfolio of composition exercises.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Lectures20Weekly during terms 1 and 290 minutes30Yes
Group tutorials/seminars4Throughout the year 30 minutes2Yes
Reading and preparation168 
TOTAL200 

Summative Assessment

Component: Portfolio of worksComponent Weighting: 100%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Portfolio  100Yes

Formative Assessment

Formative assignments will be set regularly.

More information

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