Visual Sounds: Graphic Notation in Theory and Practice
MUSC 116
Spring 2017
| Section:
01
|
There are many different kinds of graphic scores, some providing very minimal performance instruction, and therefore requiring considerable interpretative strategies, others replete with detailed instructions, differing from conventional scores more in layout than in concept. Are these scores art or music, or some kind of fusion? How does indeterminacy relate to performance in comparisons with traditional notation?
This course will be a forum to study and analyse graphic scores by Mark Applebaum, Anthony Braxton, Earle Brown, Herbert Brün, John Cage, Cornelius Cardew, Anestis Logothetis, Roman Haubenstock-Ramati, Alvin Lucier, Robert Moran, Boguslaw Schäffer, and new generations of emerging composers. One of the reason composers started to experiment with graphic scores in the 1950s and '60s was to develop a kind of musical notation that could be read, and therefore performed, even by those who did not identify as musically literate. This course is, accordingly, open to all students; no prior knowledge or instrumental expertise is required. |
|
| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA MUSC |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
|
Fulfills a Requirement for: (MUSC) |
|
Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Beal, A. C. 2002. 'TIME CANVASSES': MORTON FELDMAN AND THE PAINTERS OF THE NEW YORK SCHOOL, in Music and Modern Art. Edited by J. Leggio, pp. 227-245. New York: Routledge.
Behrman, D. 1965. WHAT INDETERMINATE NOTATION DETERMINES. Perspectives of New Music 3:58-73.
Bryars, G. 1976. NOTES ON MARCEL DUCHAMP'S MUSIC. Studio International 192:274-279.
Burroughs, W. S. 1967. THE INVISIBLE GENERATION, in The Ticket That Exploded. New York: Grove Press.
Cardew, C. 1976. WIGGLY LINES AND WOBBLY MUSIC. Studio International 192:249-255.
Cooper, H. 2002. POPULAR MODELS: FOX-TROT AND JAZZ BAND IN MONDRIAN'S ABSTRACTION, in Music and Modern Art.
Edited by J. Leggio, pp. 163-201. New York: Routledge.
Dennis, B. 1991. CARDEW'S 'TREATISE' (MAINLY THE VISUAL ASPECTS). Tempo:10-16.
Dorum, I. C. 1981. GRAINGER'S 'FREE MUSIC', in The Percy Grainger Companion. Edited by L. Foreman, pp. 155-167. London: Thames Publishing.
Kandinsky, W. 1926. POINT AND LINE TO PLANE. Munich: Verlag Albert
Karkoschka, E. 1972. NOTATION IN NEW MUSIC: A CRITICAL GUIDE TO INTERPRETATION AND REALIZATION. New York: Praeger Publishers.
LeCorbusier. 1982. THE MODULOR 1 & 2. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Mondrian, P. 1993a. JAZZ AND NEO-PLASTIC (1927), in The New Art - The New Life: Collected Writings of Piet
Mondrian. Edited by H. J. Holtzman, Martin S., pp. 217-222. New York: Da Capo Press.
--1993b. NEO-PLASTICISM: ITS REALIZATION IN MUSIC AND IN FUTURE THEATER (1922), in The New Art - The New Life: Collected Writings of Piet Mondrian. Edited by H. J. Holtzman, Martin S., pp. 156-163. New York: Da Capo
Press.
O'Grady, T. J. 1981. AESTHETIC VALUE IN INDETERMINATE MUSIC. The Musical Quarterly 67:366-381. Pritchett, J. THE MUSIC OF JOHN CAGE. Cambridge [England]; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993. Smith, S. a. S. 1981. VISUAL MUSIC. Perspectives of New Music 20:75-93.
|
Examinations and Assignments:
Students will complete a short comprehension paper (1-2 pages), a midterm examination, and four research papers (3-4 pages). The scope and outline of each paper is to be approved by the writing tutor. The first paper must be submitted in draft form (by email attachment or paper copy in class) and revised in consultation with him/her.
Grading:
Short paper 5%
Mid-term exam 15%
Class participation 20%
4 papers 60% (15% each)
The criteria we will be looking for in papers include:
-informed use of primary sources
-refined analytical skills
-critical treatment of secondary sources
-well structured and convincing arguments
-correct use of footnotes and citations, organization of materials |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Using a wide selection of readings for guidance, students will uncover and articulate a scholarly context for these works. Discussion will be an important element throughout the course, and class participation will count for 20% of the final grade. With a writing tutor to assist you, there will be an enthusiastic emphasis on improving writing skills. |
| Instructor(s): Alden,Jane Times: .M.W... 02:50PM-04:10PM; Location: OLIN327B; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 19 | | SR major: 2 | JR major: 3 | | |
| Seats Available: 12 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 2 | JR non-major: 3 | SO: 4 | FR: 5 |
| Web Resources: Syllabus |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
|
|