THEORY AND COMPOSITION
The Department of Music offers courses in music theory and composition. Music theory serves the basics for all music disciplines. Students learn the vocabulary of music, harmonic analysis and formal structures of music in different musical periods, the writing of contrapuntal techniques and choral texture, and the speculation beyond composers’ minds. In conjunction with music theory, students learn aural skills (also known as applied theory) on which they apply their knowledge of theory into singing, sight singing, hearing, and dictation. Built upon the foundations of music theory and ear training, students who are creative in musical writing can take composition. Private composition lessons let students begin with modeling on major composers’ repertoire and then compose their original works. Composition students can also learn to use music technology in aid of their creative writing.
For more information, please contact Godwin Chou at Godwin Chou
MUS 100 Fundamentals of Music
MUS 101 Theory I
MUS 102 Theory II
MUS 103 Ear Training and Sight Reading I
MUS 104 Ear Training and Sight Reading II
MUS 156 Private Beginning Composition
MUS 201 Theory III
MUS 202 Theory IV
MUS 205 Ear Training and Sight Reading III
MUS 206 Ear Training and Sight Reading IV
MUS 225 Introduction to Music Technology
MUS 256 Private Intermediate Composition
MUS 100 Fundamentals of Music (3, 3)
(Fall, Spring, Summer) Fee $15.
An introductory music theory course for non-music
majors. It covers rudiments of music
such as music notation, rhythm, meter, time signature, key signatures, major
scales, minor scales, intervals, transposition, and chords. Each student has access to an electronic
keyboard for direct application of classroom work.
MUS 101 Theory I
(3, 3) (Fall, on demand)
First four-semester theory course for all music majors. It covers melodic axioms and diatonic harmonic idioms of the common-practice period music, harmonic analysis of tonal music, realization of the Figured Bass, and melodic harmonization in piano and homophonic texture by using diatonic harmony. Concurrent enrollment in MUS 103 is required.
MUS 102 Music
Theory II (3, 3) (Spring, on demand)
Prerequisite: MUS 101 and/or permission of instructor.
Continuation of MUS 101 with an addition of secondary dominant, chords of modal mixture, and basic form analysis. Concurrent enrollment in MUS 104 is required.
Prerequisite: MUS 100 and/or permission of instructor.
First four-semester aural skills course for all music majors. This course is known as an applied music theory course in which students apply what they learn in music theory to ear training and sight singing. Concurrent enrollment in MUS 101 is required.
The course is divided into two parts: singing and writing. The first part consists of different kinds of basic signing exercise materials that help students improve their proficiency in tonal retention, visual recognition and tonal reference, and vertical perception. The drills include singing of tonicization patterns, intervals, tonal indexing, memorized melodies, dyadic progression, and harmonic progression. Once students attain satisfactory proficiency, they sing simple melodies at sight. The written part focuses on speedwriting of memorized melodies and simple dictation of interval, rhythm, melody, and harmony.
Prerequisite: MUS 103 and/or permission of instructor.
Continuation of MUS 103 with addition of singing and dictations in secondary dominant and chords of modal mixture. Concurrent enrollment in MUS 102 is required.
MUS 156 Private Beginning Composition (2, arranged) (Fall, Spring) Fee $300
Prerequisite: MUS 100, MUS 101, and/or permission of
instructor.
Music composition in its beginning stages. Areas of concentration include organization of pitch, rhythm, and harmony from phrase to section to short form construction in tonal music; analysis of the common-practice period composers’ repertoire; instruction in range, characteristics, and idiom of instruments and voice; and writing of small musical forms for simple media.
Prerequisite: MUS 102 and/or permission of instructor.
Continuation of MUS 102 with an addition of chromatic harmony and basic form analysis. Concurrent enrollment in MUS 205 is required.
MUS 202 Theory IV
(3. 3) (Fall, on demand)
Prerequisite: MUS 201 and/or permission of instructor.
Continuation of MUS 201. The course covers harmonic materials of post-tonal music, set theory, twelve-tone techniques, and other twentieth-century compositional techniques. Concurrent enrollment in MUS 206 is required.
Prerequisite: MUS 104 and/or permission of instructor.
Continuation of MUS 104 with an addition of singing and dictations in chromatic harmony. Concurrent enrollment in MUS 201 is required.
MUS 206 Ear Training and Sight Reading IV (1, 2)
(Spring, on demand) Fee $15
Prerequisite: MUS 205 and/or permission of instructor.
Continuation of MUS 205 with the focus on singing and dictations in post-tonal and atonal melodic and harmonic materials. Concurrent enrollment in MUS 202 is required.
Prerequisite: MUS 100 or equivalent music reading skill
An introduction to the world of electronic music, with an emphasis on digital synthesis, microcomputer applications, and the MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) standard. Students will study the principles of sound synthesis, learn to operate standard components of a MIDI studio and use computer software to record and play MIDI sequences. Students will be expected to schedule two hours per week in the Music Technology Studio.
MUS 256 Private Intermediate Composition (2, arranged) (Fall, Spring) Fee $300
Prerequisite: MUS 101, MUS 102, MUS 103, MUS 104, MUS 152, and/or permission of instructor.
Continuation of MUS 152. Composition at the secondary stages. Areas of concentration include organization of pitch, rhythm, and harmony from phrase to section to short form construction in post-tonal and atonal music; analysis of the late Romantic and twentieth-century composers’ repertoire; instruction in range, characteristics, and idiom of instruments and voice; and writing of short musical forms for simple media.