Use the Tab and Up, Down arrow keys to select menu items.
An exploration of various 20th and 21st century Western art music styles and techniques. The course includes score analysis and aural recognition, and covers technological developments, political and social upheavals and the effects of these on composers and their output.
MUSA334 offers students an in-depth exploration of the trends and developments in western art music from 1945 to the present day. It situates the music itself and the various 'schools' of composition within the wider socio-cultural and intellectual framework of the era.COURSE CONTENTLectures will cover the following topics:Week 1: Order and chance: Two banks - same riverWeek 2: Raising the bar: The role of the performer in advancing post-war compositionWeek 3: "Zero Hour" and resistance: Electronic music and Musique ConcrèteWeek 4: Texture, timbre, and loopsWeek 5: The percussion/rhythmn explosionWeek 6: Almost noise, almost repetitionWeek 7: "Nothing is true; everything is permitted": The Cage of Freedom?Week 8: Two-way streets?: The influence of popular musics on art-music composition - and vice-versaWeek 9: Going to ExtremesWeek 10: Minimalism/Post-minimalismWeek 11: Fluidity and Flexibility: some active composers todayWeek 12: Writing Histories: what the textbooks do and don't tell us
Students who pass this course will be able to:* Describe specific developments in western art music from 1945 to the present day;* Discuss key trends, movements and 'schools' in postwar composition;* Discuss the relationship between socio-cultural change and music in this period;* Discuss the relationship between technological change and music in this period;* Analyse post-tonal music;* Demonstrate sophisticated skills in using library and information resources related to musicology, including library databases, bibliographic tools, and electronic resources;* Demonstrate high-level oral and written communication skills.
30 points of MUSI or MUSA at 200-level, orany 45 points at 200-level.
MUSA234
WORKLOADStudent workload (150 hours) will be allocated to:* 24 hours attending lectures* 12 hours attending tutorials* 24 hours researching, drafting, and writing essay 1* 24 hours researching and writing the blog post or imaginary interview* 28 hours researching, drafting, and writing essay 2* 18 hours completing assigned reading/listening/viewing in preparation for weekly tutorial discussions* 20 hours preparing for the listening test (in addition to assigned reading and listening)
James Gardner
Justin DeHart and Mark Menzies
ESSAY 1: 2,500 words on a topic covered during weeks 1–4 of the courseIMAGINARY INTERVIEW OR BLOGEither: (a) An imaginary interview with a composer/performer on a prescribed date. Prescribed people and dates will be given during the course. You will also suggest musical examples (scores and/or recordings) that should accompany the interview, and explain why they are appropriate.Or: (b) An imaginary blog post by a key figure in postwar art music in the wake of a significant event. A selection of scenarios will be given during the course. You will also suggest musical examples (scores and/or recordings) that coherently illustrate and enhance the blog post.In either case, while the interview or blog post itself is imagined, the facts and ideas in your assignment must be true-to-life and free from anachronisms. Your assignment should be fully referenced in either APA or MHRA style.ESSAY 2: 3,000 words on a topic covered during weeks 5–10 of the courseCONTRIBUTION TO CLASS DISCUSSION: The Wednesday tutorials (1–1.50 pm in Room 206) will focus on class discussion of the weekly topics, including assigned readings and listening. Students will be assessed o the quality of their contribution to these discussions.LISTENING TEST: Students will be expected to aurally identify excerpts of works covered in the course, and to provide details and answer questions related to these works and associated topics. Students will also be required to describe 'what comes next', ie, what happens musically/sonically after the played excerpt stops.
Paul Griffiths; Modern Music and After: Directions since 1945 ; 3rd; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010 (Available for 3-hour loan in the self-loan area on level 2 of the library at ML 197 .G76 2010 Available as an e-book in the library here: http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy.canterbury.ac.nz/lib/canterbury/detail.action?docID=716676).
Rutherford-Johnson, Tim; Music after the fall : modern composition and culture since 1989 ; (Available for 3-hour loan in the self-loan area on level 2 of the library at ML 197 .R94 2017).
Cox, Christoph,1965- , Cox, Christoph, Warner, Daniel; Audio culture : readings in modern music ; (Available for 3-hour loan in the self-loan area on level 2 of the library at ML 197 .A85 2013).
Ford, Andrew,1957-; Illegal harmonies : music in the modern age ; 3rd ed; Black Inc, 2011 (Available for 3-hour loan in the self-loan area on level 2 of the library at ML 197 .F67 2011).
Holmes, Thom. , Pender, Terence M; Electronic and experimental music : technology, music, and culture ; 4th ed; Routledge, 2012 (Available for 3-hour loan in the self-loan area on level 2 of the library at ML 1380 .H64 2012).
Ross, Alex,1968-; The rest is noise : listening to the twentieth century ; 1st ed; Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007 (Available for 3-hour loan in the self-loan area on level 2 of the library at ML 197 .R823 2007).
**********HARD COPIES OF BOTH OF THE TWO REQUIRED TEXTS ABOVE are available from the University Bookshop. Music After The Fall has an associated Spotify playlist here: https://play.spotify.com/user/timrj/playlist/7JBwqVosgh4g96LwsRZF7MAdditional readings will be provided in the course.
Use of TechnologyThis course assumes that you have sufficient information and technology skills to confidently use a computer to access material for your course. Your written work will be handwritten and submitted in class time.You will be required to access our learning management system – LEARN – and to become familiar with its tools. LEARN provides easily-accessible information about the course and assessments, topics and deadlines, and supports the learning you will gain from attending all lectures and tutorials. For help using LEARN, refer to: http://learn.canterbury.ac.nz/course/view.php?id=2157
The following shows how to translate grades to numerical scores:A+ 90–100; A 85–89; A- 80–84; B+ 75–79; B 70–74; B- 65–69; C+ 60–64; C 55–59; C- 50–54; D 40–49; E 0–39In a course at 100- or 200-level examiners may grant restricted credit (R) which will be equivalent to a pass for all purposes except as a prerequisite.
Domestic fee $817.00
International fee $3,525.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see Humanities .