MU1208: Composition 1B

School Cardiff School of Music
Department Code MUSIC
Module Code MU1208
External Subject Code 100070
Number of Credits 10
Level L4
Language of Delivery English
Module Leader DR Pedro Faria Gomes
Semester Spring Semester
Academic Year 2015/6

Outline Description of Module

(MU1107 Composition 1A is a pre-requisite for this module. Note that this module is a prerequisite for the study of studio techniques and composition modules in following years)

This module is designed to further develop and extend the set of compositional tools (techniques, materials, structures and skills) introduced in MU1107 Composition 1a to enable young composers to express themselves effectively in small-scale works for 2–3 players.

It also aims to

  • encourage musical creativity and imagination;
  • develop notational skills further, with greater focus on using notation software correctly and neatly;
  • further enhance and develop students’ knowledge and understanding of early 20th-century composers, their musical language, techniques and style;
  • introduce students to more instruments and their technical capabilities;

continue to encourage a habit of active, analytical listening.

On completion of the module a student should be able to

  • compose short works using a range of early 20th-century materials and developmental techniques;
  • compose idiomatically for a number of instruments;
  • create effective textures and structures using 2 or 3 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
  • attendance at (at least) three of the School’s chamber concerts including 20th-century and contemporary music

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

Approx. date of Assessment

Summative assessment

25

Assignment 1 (Song for voice and harmonic instrument)

End of Week 4

Summative assessment

25

Assignment 2 (Piece for two string instruments)

End of Week 8

Summative assessment

50

Assignment 3 (Trio for mixed ensemble)

End of Guided Study Week

The potential for reassessment in this module

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

Assessment Breakdown

Type % Title Duration(hrs)
Portfolio 25 Composition 1b Assignment 1 N/A
Portfolio 25 Composition 1b- Assignment 2 N/A
Portfolio 50 Composition 1b- Assignment 3 N/A

Syllabus content

Three assignments are completed across the semester, with two-three lectures and two-three small group tutorials (4-5 students) supporting each assignment.

The assignments are divided across the semester as follows:

Week 1–3: Song for solo voice and accompanying instrument

Weeks 4–7: Piece for two string instruments

Weeks 8–11: Trio for mixed ensemble

Essential Reading and Resource List

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

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

Griffiths, Paul, Modern Music and After (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995)

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

Lester, Joel, Analytic Approaches to Twentieth-Century Music (New York: Norton, 1989)

Morgan, Robert P., ed., Anthology of Twentieth-Century Music (New York: Norton, 1992)

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

Background Reading and Resource List

None


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