Musical Systems
MUSIC 297R
Subject & Catalog Number
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Course Information
Description
Music has always combined inspiration with organization. In fact, inspiration is often spurred by the constraints the composer sets for her/himself, whether they be medieval isorhythm, rules of strict counterpoint, tonal relations, or formal conventions. This seminar will focus on influential and widespread musical systems developed in the 20th century, including pitch collections, ordered sets (including twelve-tone rows), generative systems (such as the Schillinger system), serial systems for pitch and other parameters (broadly conceived), as well as other ordering principles. Composers include Nikolai Roslavets, Juan Carlos Paz, Henry Cowell, Arnold Schoenberg, Ruth Crawford Seeger, George Gershwin, John Cage, Pierre Boulez, Elisabeth Lutyens, Ursula Mamlok, and Jeffrey Mumford.
The focus will be on listening and analysis of selected examples from different national traditions, plus readings on the selected works. While some familiarity with basic music analysis is expected, you do not need graduate-level theory skills to take this course.
Class Notes
This course is for graduate students in Music as well as undergraduates and graduates from other departments with musical literacy and some music theory experience (Music 150-level at Harvard or equivalent).
Undergraduates by permission of instructor.
School
Faculty of Arts & Sciences
Credits
4
Cross Reg
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
Department
Music
Course Component
Seminar
Subject
Music
Grading Basis
FAS Letter Graded
General Education
N/A
Quantitative Reasoning with Data
N/A
Divisional Distribution
Arts and Humanities
Course Level
Primarily for Graduate Students
