DRMUS 811-812 — Analytical Methods

2 credits per semester
Fall and Spring
Philip Lasser, Jonathan Dawe

A seminar devoted to the study of analytical approaches to modal, tonal, and non-tonal music through a careful examination of seminal theoretical treatises and their relevance to music from the early Middle Ages up to the present. Topics will include proportional and tetrachordal thinking of early composers as reflected by Boethius and the Musica Enchiriadis, polyphony and the rise of thoroughbass conceptions of composition as discussed by Tinctoris, Zarlino, and Rameau. Second semester will focus on analysis of major works from Bach to contemporary composers using modern analytical techniques including Schenkerian and contrapuntal analysis as well as 12-tone theory. The course is designed to provide the opportunity for students to gain experience analyzing music and presenting their analyses both in written form and through oral presentations. Required of all first-year DMA students.