Spring 2010 Courses

Department of Music Course Requirements

Fall 2009 Courses

MUS 104
When Music is Made
Paul Lansky
An introduction to the fundamentals of music theory through exercises in songwriting harmony, notation, ear-training, transcription, composition and analysis. A variety of musics will be studied. Students should have some knowledge of notation. The main emphasis in the course will be on song-writing as a means to master rudiments. Reading/Writing Assignments: Most assignments will involve listening to, and writing, music: all web-based.

Prerequisite: Students should have rudimentary skills in reading music. Open to freshmen.

MUS 105
Music Theory through Performance and Composition
Dmitri Tymoczko
Music 105 is a comprehensive introduction to music theory, covering the basic principles of a wide range of Western musical styles, including medieval music, Renaissance music, Classical music, jazz and rock. The emphasis throughout is on learning by creating, performing, and listening to music. Though this is an academic course, we try not to lose sight of the fact that music is something that brings us joy.

Prerequisite: The ability to read music in soprano and bass clef. Basic familiarity with some instrument.

MUS 205
Tonal Syntax
Daniel Trueman
To lay the foundations for a thorough understanding of the principles of linear structure and voice-leading through the study of species counterpoint. Twice weekly exercises will lead to complete 4-5 voices Mass Movement as a final project. Class attributes: The course is required for Music concentrators.

Prerequisite: MUS 106 or permission of the instructor.

Instructor’s contact information: E-mail: dtrueman@princeton.edu; Office telephone: 609-258-4245. Course is open to freshmen.

MUS 215
Projects in Jazz Performance
 
A performance course that focuses on the development of style, concept, and repertoire in the jazz idiom. Students are coached by faculty in extended projects in performance. Students will be expected to present material for in-class performances and a final public recital.

MUS 308
Contemporary Music through Composition and Performance
Michael Pratt, Barbara White
This course is aimed at performers and composers interested in deepening their understanding of the techniques and philosophies of contemporary and early modern music. Activities will include performing, analyzing, and composing.

Prerequisite: Enrollment by application or interview. Departmental permission required.

Students interested in composition should contact Prof. Barbara White, and students interested in performance should contact Michael Pratt.

Vocalists are encouraged to apply.

MUS 310
Advanced Workshop in Musical Composition
Dmitri Tymoczko
This course focuses on individual composition projects: each week, students are expected to compose some music and present it to the group. At the end of the semester, there will be a concert at which the final projects are performed. There may be additional reading and listening assignments, depending on student interest. The course is designed for students with some previous compositional experience, and admission is by application only. Performers interested in performing works written by the participants of the class are also invited to enroll.

Prerequisite: Enrollment by application or interview. MUS 220 or MUS 206 or Permission of Instructor. Departmental permission is required.

Application can be picked up in Woolworth Room 310.

MUS 366 / THR 366
American Musical Theater History
Stacy Wolf
This seminar explores one of the most quintessentially "American" forms of performance- the Broadway musical theater- in the context of U.S. culture from the mid- 20th-Century until today. We will begin in 1949 with Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, move through the "Golden Age" of the "integrated" Broadway musical in the 1950s, the "concept" musicals of the mid-1960s, the so-called "death" of the musical in the 1970s, megamusicals of the 1980s, and end with some contemporary musicals.

MUS 534
Ends and Means: Issues in Composition
Paul Lansky, Daniel Trueman
A hands-on seminar exploring composition "in-response" to a range of music, from specific concert pieces (TBD) to un-notated popular and traditional musics. Not Open to Freshmen