(Music 173/3)
Music Literature and Appreciation
(Music 173/3)
Dr. James William Sobaskie
Music Appreciation and Literature (Music 173, Lecture 3) meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. at the University of Wisconsin, Marathon Center, in North Hall 350. This three-credit course is taught by Dr. James William Sobaskie and is open to auditors as well as those pursuing degrees. There are no prerequisites.
Music Appreciation and Literature will acquaint you with a wide range of interesting music, increase your grasp of its structure, and enhance your powers of aural perception. More specifically, you'll become familiar with a variety of voices and instruments, learn about the basic elements of music, understand some of the common musical forms, and be able to distinguish the main historical styles. We will accomplish this through a combination of in-class discussion, readings, and outside listening.
Lecture Topics
9/6 Introduction to the course, listening, and listening facilities
9/11 Basic characteristics of musical sound
9/13 Voice types; string and wind instruments
9/18 Percussion, keyboard, and electronic instruments
9/20 Solo, chamber, and choral media
9/25 Band, orchestral, and other media
9/27 Quiz I
10/2 Rhythm, meter, and tempo
10/4 Melody, harmony, and tonality
10/9 Dynamics and color; musical textures
10/11 Basic structural elements: motive, phrase, cadence, theme
10/16 Musical form; one part form; ternary form
10/18 Binary form; minuet and trio
10/23 Sonata form; rondo form
10/25 Quiz II
10/30 Polyphonic forms; variation forms
11/1 Multimovement forms; miscellaneous forms
11/6 Program music
11/8 Opera and ballet
11/13 Song forms
11/15 Choral music forms
11/20 Quiz III
11/22 Early and Renaissance styles; sacred vs. secular purposes
11/27 Baroque style; vocal and instrumental melody
11/29 Classical style; humor in "serious" music
12/4 Romantic style; performers and musical expression
12/6 French music; modernism
12/11 20th century music; composers and individuality
12/13 Recent music; new directions for today's composers
12/18 Music in today's culture; art and popular musics
12/21 Final Exam (6:00 to 8:00 p.m.)
Textbook
The Listener's Guide to Musical Understanding , 8th ed., by Leon Dallin, is required for the course and available at the UWMC bookstore. Reading assignments are listed on our schedule and should be done before the corresponding class meeting so you can ask discuss the material and ask questions.
Listening
Listening is central to this course, a form of study you'll do both in and out of class. Separate handouts describe the listening assignments of each unit of the course and are distributed in class. Listening facilities are located in the Student Lab (North Hall 221). Hours are Monday though Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., on Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and on Sunday from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Listening assignment tapes are available at the desk. To check out a tape, just specify Music 173 / Lecture 3 and the number of the tape you want.
The Orchestra CD-ROM
A special component of this course is a CD-ROM program for the Macintosh computer called The Orchestra . This interactive multimedia experience will enhance your understanding of concepts presented in class and in the text. It also will provide an exciting opportunity for you to use what you've learned. A hands-on introduction to this program will take place during class time, and the associated exercises are described on a separate handout.
Additional Computer Resources
Numerous computer programs created by the instructor especially for this class will be available for the Macintosh computer. These include vocabulary practice drills, lecture outline stacks, tutorials on special topics, and review quizzes. All provide opportunities to explore musical concepts in greater depth, apply what you've learned, and assess what you've accomplished. Details on these study aids will be provided in class as they are introduced.
Office Hours
The hour from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Monday, plus the time immediately after each class, is available for you to ask questions about anything you don't understand, inquire about how you're doing in the course, or talk about the music! In addition, daytime office hours are available by appointment, so just ask! You can stop by my office, which is in North Hall 350, or leave me a message at UWMC (715/845-9602) or at home (715/359-5920).
Attendance
Class meetings usually will feature guided listening exercises and discussion, so regular attendance is extremely important. Attendence will be considered in determining your final grade.
Examinations
Each of the quizzes and the final examination will contain listening questions based on excerpts drawn from the taped assignments. In addition, there will be objective questions of various types, including multiple choice questions, completions, and short answer items, all of which will assess your understanding of the ideas presented in class and in the textbook. Quiz makeups are possible only by advance permission and must be completed before test papers are scheduled to be returned to the class.
Evaluation
Grading is organized around a 500 point system. Quizzes I, II, and III are 90 points each, the final examination is 200 points, and class attendance represents 30 points (1 point earned per scheduled class meeting). Mastery will be measured via the following criteria: As = 450-500 points, Bs = 400-449 points, Cs = 350-399 points, Ds = 300-349 points, and Fs = 299 points and below. Details of an extra-credit essay opportunity will be announced later in the semester.
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