HIMUS 613-614 — Historical Music Theory

Historical Music Theory is a yearlong study of theoretical ideas about music from the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Through readings from primary and secondary sources and the close analysis of musical works, the course explores the ancient and medieval background to Baroque ideas about music: the Greek science of harmonics; the use of the monochord; theories of consonance and dissonance; and theories of mensural rhythm and proportion. The first semester proceeds to the classic theory of species counterpoint, practicalities of tuning and temperament, the theory of modes, and the emergence of chordal harmony in the 17^th century. The second semester surveys theories of musical rhetoric, basso continuo and partimento as compositional tools, 18^th-century tonality, Rameau’s theory of the fundamental bass, theories of phrase construction and rhythm, and theories of schemata.