MU1107: Composition 1A

School Cardiff School of Music
Department Code MUSIC
Module Code MU1107
External Subject Code 100070
Number of Credits 10
Level L4
Language of Delivery English
Module Leader Dr Louis Johnson
Semester Autumn Semester
Academic Year 2014/5

Outline Description of Module

(Note that this module is a prerequisite for MU1208 Composition Ib, which is required for the study of composition and studio techniques in following years. It (or MU1125 Elements of Tonal Music II) is also a prerequisite for MU3164 20th-Century Contrapuntal Practice)

This module is designed to introduce and employ a fundamental set of compositional tools (techniques, materials, structures and skills) to allow students to establish a confident basic compositional technique.

It also aims to

  • encourage musical creativity and imagination;
  • teach students how to notate ideas effectively and correctly by hand and using Sibelius software;
  • introduce students to a number of important early 20th-century composers, their musical languages, techniques and styles;
  • introduce students to a range of instruments and their technical capabilities;
  • encourage a habit of active, analytical listening.

On completion of the module a student should be able to

  • compose short works for solo instruments using a range of materials and developmental techniques, particularly those found in music written in the period 1900–45;
  • compose effectively for a range of solo instruments;
  • notate musical ideas correctly and effectively.

How the module will be delivered

The following teaching and learning activities will be used in this module:

  • seven 50-minute lectures and seven 30-minute small-group tutorials
  • a listening log worth 10% of the marks in each assignment, detailing works that have been explored in relation to the project and commenting reflectively on how these pieces have influenced the composer’s practice
  • an informal workshop/performance opportunity
  • attendance at (at least) two of the School’s contemporary music chamber concerts

See Appendix 5 of the Student Handbook (Guidelines for Composition Assignments)

Skills that will be practised and developed

Discipline-specific (including practical) skills

An ability to

  • apply compositional/technical skills and knowledge in composing short pieces
  • think analytically and reflectively about one's own music and the music of others
  • notate both conventional musical ideas correctly and neatly

Generic skills

An ability to

  • pursue independent creative work whilst building upon established methods
  • understand and explore how creativity and practicality intersect in the creation of new work
  • present creative work neatly, correctly, appropriately and attractively

How the module will be assessed

Type of assessment

%Contribution

Title

Duration
(if applicable)

Approx. date of Assessment

Summative assessment

20

Assignment 1

1–2 mins

End of Week 4

Summative assessment

30

Assignment 2

1–2 mins

End of Week 8

Summative assessment

50

Assignment 3

2–3 mins

End of Guided Study Week

The potential for reassessment in this module

All summative assessments with the exception of the attendance component can be retaken in the resit period subject to the approval of the Undergraduate Examination Board.

Assessment Breakdown

Type % Title Duration(hrs)
Written Assessment 20 Composition 1a - Assignment 1 N/A
Written Assessment 30 Composition 1a - Assignment 2 N/A
Written Assessment 50 Composition 1a - Assignment 3 N/A

Syllabus content

Three assignments are completed across the semester, with two lectures and two small group tutorials (5-6 students) supporting each assignment. The assignments are divided across the semester as follows:

Week 1: Introduction – Key concepts and issues

Weeks 2–4: A piece for solo percussion

Weeks 5–8: A piece for solo wind instrument

Weeks 9–11: A piece for solo piano, guitar or marimba

Essential Reading and Resource List

 Adler, Samuel, The Study of Orchestration, 3rd edn (New York: Norton, 2002)

Cooper, Grosvenor W.  and Leonard Meyer, The Rhythmic Structure of Music (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1960/1963)

Dallin, Leon, Techniques of Twentieth Century Composition, 3rd edn (Dubuque, IA: W. C. Brown, 1975)

Gould, Elaine, Behind Bars (London: Faber, 2011)

Kennan, Kent and Donald Grantham, The Technique of Orchestration, 5th edn (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1997)

Persichetti, Vincent, Twentieth-Century Harmony (New York: Norton, 1961)

Read, Gardner, Music Notation, 2nd edn (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1969)

Schoenberg, Arnold, Fundamentals of Musical Composition (London: Faber, 1967).


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