MU1127: The Full Works

School Cardiff School of Music
Department Code MUSIC
Module Code MU1127
External Subject Code 100664
Number of Credits 10
Level L4
Language of Delivery English
Module Leader Dr Charles Wilson
Semester Autumn Semester
Academic Year 2014/5

Outline Description of Module

(Note that this module is core, i.e. compulsory, for BMus students)

In this module students are given the opportunity to focus on single work in the Western art music canon in the context of a seminar class.  Drawing examples from scores and recordings of these works, as well as the primary and secondary literature on them, the module provides:

  • an introduction to the work, its background and context, and the factors that might explain its status in the canon;
  • a consolidation of generic study skills demanded by undergraduate courses in the humanities (identifying relevant research materials, forms of reference and citation, bibliography, the avoidance of plagiarism, planning an essay) as well as writing skills and style protocols specific to music (the appropriate use of musical terminology, the correct citation of work-titles, etc.);
  • a sample of scholarly approaches to the study of music, which might include biography, theory-based analysis, sketch study, performance practice, reception history and relevant interdisciplinary approaches.

On completion of the module a student should be able to

  • provide evidence of their knowledge of the set works and an understanding of their background and context;
  • show an awareness of characteristic scholarly approaches to music (e.g. performance practice, sketch study, reception history);
  • demonstrate their practical familiarity with both generic scholarly protocols and those specific to the study of music;
  • report succinctly and accurately the work of others, comparing and contrasting the work and approaches of different scholars;
  • formulate a critical assessment of an existing body of scholarship, recognizing the possibility of (and, where possible, articulating) alternative interpretations and hypotheses;
  • show a reflective understanding of processes of learning and research, at both a general and a personal level.

How the module will be delivered

The module is delivered in up to ten (usually 50-minute) seminars, which are variously lecturer- and student-led.  One or more of these sessions may take the form of an Information Literacy seminar, conducted by a subject librarian or information specialist.

Skills that will be practised and developed

Discipline-specific skills

The ability to

  • offer effective verbal characterisations of music, as encountered in both notated and recorded form, using appropriate vocabulary and terminology;
  • generate a critical response to a musical stimulus, citing as evidence observable features of its structure, content and articulation.

Generic skills

The ability to

  • absorb concepts, build upon them and communicate the relevant synthesis accurately, convincingly and imaginatively in a coherent and communicable form;
  • plan and carry through an effective method of research, and structure a written argument in a way that reflects its origin in the research process;
  • with clarity and precision and present their work in accordance with accepted academic style conventions.

How the module will be assessed

Type of assessment

%Contribution

Title

Duration
(if applicable)

Approx. date of Assessment

Summative assessment

40

Annotated bibliography (learning outcomes 3, 4 and 5)

 

Week 6 (Autumn)

Summative assessment

60

Essay (learning outcomes 1–5)

 

Week 11 (Autumn)

The potential for reassessment in this module

Either summative assessment can be retaken in the resit period subject to the approval of the Undergraduate Examination Board.

Assessment Breakdown

Type % Title Duration(hrs)
Written Assessment 40 Coursework N/A
Written Assessment 60 Project N/A

Syllabus content

In this module students are given the opportunity to focus on single work in the Western art-music canon in the context of a seminar class.  The current options are Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony, Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin, Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique and Britten’s Peter Grimes: students may choose their option subject to availability. The module introduces a range of scholarly approaches to the historical study of music (e.g. biography, sketch study, performance practice, reception history), and students may choose to focus on one of these through their selection of essay question for the annotated bibliography and final assessment.  The module also consolidates core writing, information literacy and referencing skills.

Essential Reading and Resource List

Barnes, Rob, Successful Study for Degrees, 2nd edn (London: Routledge, 1995)

Cook, Nicholas, Music: a Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998)

Harper-Scott, J. P. E. and Jim Samson, eds., An Introduction to Music Studies (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009)

Herbert, Trevor, Music in Words: a Guide to Researching and Writing about Music (London: ABRSM, 2001)

Peck, John and Martin Coyle, The Student’s Guide to Writing, 2nd edn (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005)

Stott, Rebecca, Anna Snaith and Rick Rylance, eds., Making Your Case: a Practical Guide to Essay Writing (Harlow: Longman, 2001) [especially chapter 3, Rebecca Stott, ‘The Essay Writing Process’]

Other resources as indicated by group tutor

Background Reading and Resource List

None


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