MUSC 200:
Chromatic Harmony and Voice Leading
Fall 2006 (session 06W,
term 1)
In
MUSC 101 (prerequisite for MUSC 200), you learned basic principles and
conventions of diatonic harmony and
voice-leading, using chords built from 3 or 4 of the 7 diatonic scale degrees
in a given key. In MUSC 200, you will learn about:
·
chords that include not only diatonic but also chromatic scale degrees
·
BIGGER chords containing 5, 6, or even all 7 diatonic
scale degrees (conceptually, at least)
·
motion between two
different keys, often within a single phrase
In
other words, this is a course on expansions of diatonic harmony. The course is designed to help enrich
your understanding of compositional idioms used by (mostly) European composers
of the 18th and 19th centuries (the “Common Practice Period”).
The
main topics to be covered are:
·
diatonic sequences and 6/4 techniques (review)
·
functional progression and prolongation
·
tonicization
·
modal mixture
·
Neapolitan sixth and augmented sixth chords
·
chromatically altered dominants, and dominants with added
dissonance
·
chromatic mediants and submediants
·
chromatic sequences
·
modulation techniques: pivot-chord, common-tone,
enharmonic
You will gain
familiarity with these topics through various compositional and analytical
exercises done in tutorials and on weekly assignments; and you will work on important
reading, listening, and performance skills in musicianship labs.
Course
website
Audio
examples for assignments, music notation software, a series of flash drills on
chord reading, and other resources are available at http://theory.music.ubc.ca/courses/200/index.htm.
Instructors
course coordinator teaching assistants
Dr. Alan Dodson Mustafa
Bor
office: Music
Bldg., Rm. 415 email:
mbor@interchange.ubc.ca
email: alan.dodson@ubc.ca
phone: 604 822-5287
(work) Scott
Cook
604
649-7872 (home) email: salexcook@yahoo.ca
office hours: M
10-11 (after lectures)
Th
12-1 and 4-5 shared
office: Old Aud., Rm. 203
or
by appointment office
hours: by appointment
Weekly schedule
Changes
of registration
Students with a valid reason to change to a
different lab or tutorial should attend their desired lab or tutorial on Thurs., Sept. 7. We will try our best to
accommodate such requests, but the classrooms can only hold a limited number of
students, and students who registered early will not be evicted in order to
make room for students who registered late.
Changes of registration are possible only until Tues.,
Sept. 19.
You may withdraw from the course without a W on your
transcript until Sept. 19.
You may
withdraw with W standing between Sept. 20 and Oct. 13.
Withdrawal
after Oct. 13 is only permitted under exceptional circumstances.
Required course materials
The following materials are required for the course
(available at UBC bookstore):
(1) Karpinski & Kram, Anthology for Sight Singing
(2) MacGAMUT software (works on PC or Mac)
Handouts will also be provided in lectures, tutorials,
and labs, and other resources will be made
available online on the course website (see p. 2). Come to class
equipped with a pencil and eraser, manuscript paper, a ruler (optional), and
handouts from previous sessions.
Supplementary
materials (course reserve)
The following supplementary materials have been placed on
course reserve:
(1)
Kostka
& Payne, Tonal Harmony
-basic explanations, easy to understand
(2) Aldwell
& Schachter, Harmony and Voice
Leading
-very
thorough, excellent for students who already have a strong foundation
(3)
“Harick
& Hird,” ed. by Dr. Kurth, A Synopsis
of Diatonic Harmony
-course pack for MUSC 101 at UBC,
especially useful for transfer students
Policies on Graded Work
Basic grading formula
1. writing & analysis
skills 70%
2. ear training 20%
3. musical literacy 10%
100%
breakdown:
1. writing & assignments
(5% ea, best 7 out of 8) 35%
analysis skills midterm 15%
final
exam (must pass) 20%
70%
2. ear training MacGAMUT
assignments 8%
dictation
tests (2% ea) 4%
oral
tests (4% ea) 8%
20%
3. musical chord
reading lab quizzes 10%
literacy 10%
Information
on these 3 categories of graded work is given below (pp. 4-5).
1. Writing and analysis skills
(assignments and exams)
(a) General information on assignments
Course assignments focus mainly
on the composition of short, idiomatic harmonic progressions, generally about one
phrase in length and in chorale style. Analysis questions will appear on some
assignments; for these you will be given the score, a reduction (simplified
version), and a recording. Weekly tutorial exercises are designed specifically
to help you prepare for each assignment.
(b) Completing your assignments
Use of notational software is
not required, but it is highly recommended. Notational software allows you to
listen as you compose, and to fix your mistakes very quickly and neatly. Finale
NotePad is available at the MUSC 200 website (see p. 2).
(c) Submitting
your assignments
Graded assignments will be returned in a public
space. In the interest of privacy, write your student number, NOT your name, on
the first page of each assignment. Make a backup copy of your assignment before
submitting it, and keep all your graded assignments.
Submit your
assignments through the School
of Music Reception Desk
Collect your
graded assignments outside of my office door (Rm. 415).
Deductions for
lateness will be made according to the following formula:
submitted
Mon. 12:00-12:30 no deduction (grace
period)
Mon.
after 12:30 -5%
thereafter -10% per day
Assignments will be returned as promptly as we can manage.
Late assignments will be returned late, and will NOT be accepted after graded
assignments have been returned. Do not try to submit an assignment by fax or
email; you may submit it at the Repection Desk only.
(d) Midterm and final examination
The midterm covers the content of
assignments 1-4, and the final exam covers the content of assignments 1-8 but
with an emphasis on assignments 5-8. You must pass the final exam in order to
pass the course. You have the right to go over your graded examinations with me
(Dr. Dodson), provided you apply to do so within a month of receiving your
final grade. This review is for pedagogical purposes only, and the examination
remains the property of the university.
Mock tests will be administered and discussed in the tutorials
immediately preceding the midterm and final exam.
2. Ear training
(a) MacGAMUT assignments
The MacGAMUT software will enrich your training in
dictation skills. This software keeps statistics on your level of achievement
through a “.mgs” file. There will be regular MacGAMUT assignments; you will be
expected to complete these on your own and then email your “.mgs” file to your
lab instructor (TA). An overview of how to use MacGAMUT will be given in your
Sept. 12 lab, and detailed instructions are provided with the software (see the
“Help” menu).
(b) Dictation
tests
There will be two lab tests on
harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic dictation. These will be based on skills
covered in lab exercises and MacGAMUT assignments. By the end of the semester,
you will be trained to recognize various chromatic harmonies, chromaticism and
modulation in melodies, and simple cross-rhythms, among other things.
(c) Individual Oral tests
There will be two individual oral tests on performance
skills: singing a melody at sight, performing a rhythmic pattern at sight, and
performing a prepared melody using solfege syllables (“movable do”) or
scale-degree numbers. These tests will be evaluated on the basis of accuracy
and continuity. All these performance skills will be developed progressively
through lab exercises.
3. Musical literacy
(a) Quizzes
in chord reading
A challenging series of chord identification drills has
been used for decades at UBC to measure and help improve students’ speed in
reading music harmonically. A high standard is expected, and the quizzes are
progressive in difficulty. The intention is to bring your musical literacy closer
to the level demanded by long, complex, multi-voiced works (chamber works,
operas, symphonies, etc.), a skill of utmost importance to your development as
a musician. Speed quizzes in chord reading will
be administered at the beginning of several labs (dates TBA).
(b) Online reading
drills
To help you prepare for the reading quizzes, a series of
online drills will be available through the course website (see p. 2).
Practising these drills regularly is a good way to improve your reading speed
and accuracy, and there is always
room for improvement here.
Attendance and participation
(a) General
policy
Regular, punctual attendance and informed participation
will contribute immensely to your learning experience and your achievement on
graded work. Your attendance record will not directly affect your grade. In
keeping with university policies, however, students who routinely neglect their
work (e.g., fail to submit assignments or appear for lab tests) may be barred
from the final exam.
(b) Advanced students excused from tutorials
A questionaire administered in
the first tutorial (Sept. 7) will help me assess each student’s needs. On the
basis of this questionnaire, the most advanced students in the class will be
formally excused from the tutorial component of the course. Students who have
been excused from tutorials may nevertheless attend them if they so choose;
nobody will be banned. The aim of this policy, together with the addition of a
new (fourth) tutorial section, is to lower the student-teacher ratio in the tutorials
and thereby help students reach their learning goals more quickly and
effectively. The Sept. 7 questionnaire will also help to identify the students who
are most in need of extra individual or small-group instruction.
Optional sessions on advanced topics will be
scheduled a few times during the semester (dates TBA). Though geared mainly to
the abilities and interests of the most advanced students in the class, to help
such students prepare for upper-level courses in analysis, these sessions will
be open to all.
Important dates
assignments (8 in total): generally due on Mondays at noon
exception:
assignment 4 due Tues., Oct. 10 at noon
midterm: Mon., Oct. 16
dictation tests: Thurs., Oct. 19
Thurs.,
Nov. 23
oral tests: Oct. 23-26
Nov.
27-30
no lecture: Mon., Oct. 9 (Thanksgiving)
no labs/tuts.: Thurs., Nov. 2 (conference)
final exam: during final exam period (Dec. 5-19)
Various special situations
Remedial auditing
Graduate
students who are required to audit the course must attend the lectures and
tutorials, submit the assignments, and write the midterm. If progress is
satisfactory, auditors will not be required to write the final exam. Most auditors
are excused from labs and ear training tests.
If you miss a quiz, test, or exam
Every year, several students miss
scheduled individual oral tests, dictation tests, and lab quizzes. Missed
quizzes, tests, and exams will not be
made up unless you have a legitimate, documented excuse.
Disabilities, religious observances,
and non-degree commitments
The University accommodates students with disabilities
who have registered with the Disability Resource Centre (604 822-5844), as well
as students whose religious obligations conflict with attendance or with the
completion of tests or assignments. Please notify me (Dr. Dodson) immediately
if you will require any such accommodation. Students who plan to be absent for
varsity athletics, family obligations, or other similar commitments cannot
normally be excused and should discuss their commitments with me before the add/drop
deadline (Sept. 19).
Academic concession
Concessions can be made in the
case of medical, emotional, or personal problems. If you suffer an accident or
serious illness, please notify me directly as soon as possible and bring me a
doctor’s note when you are able. If you encounter a family problem or any other
emotional, psychological, or personal difficulty that has a serious impact on
your graded work, please contact Counselling Services (604 822-3811) and
arrange for an appointment. Your counsellor will then make recommendations to me
and other faculty members, as needed, regarding appropriate academic
concessions. Counselling Services protects students’ privacy.
Policy on academic misconduct (plagiarism)
Plagiarism is a form of academic
misconduct that occurs when someone claims to be the author of another’s work. Examples:
copying another student’s assignment, working with another student (or a tutor)
on an assignment, or having anyone double-check an assignment. Academic
misconduct of any kind is a serious academic offense punishabe by a grade of
ZERO and a permanent notation on the student’s academic record.
For further information on academic misconduct, please go
to www.askme.ubc.ca and type “academic
misconduct,” or see http://students.ubc.ca/calendar/index.cfm?tree=3,54,111,0.