Readings assigned for each class session are given in the following table.
Duckworth = Duckworth, William. Talking Music: Conversations with John Cage, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson and 5 Generations of American Experimental Composers. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 1999. ISBN: 0306808935.
Ford = Ford, Andrew. Composer to Composer: Conversations About Contemporary Music. Australia, Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin, 1994. ISBN: 1863734430.
Griffiths = Griffiths, Paul. Modern Music and After: Directions Since 1945. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1996. ISBN: 0198165110.
New sounds = Griffiths, Paul. New Sounds, New Personalities: British Composers of the Nineteen Eighties. London, UK: Faber & Faber, 1985. ISBN: 0571100619.
Rockwell = Rockwell, John. All American Music: Composition in the Late 20th Century. New York, NY: Vintage/Knopf Publishing Group, 1984. ISBN: 0394722469.
Schwartz and Childs = Schwartz, Elliott, and Barney Childs. Contemporary Composers on Contemporary Music. 2nd ed (reprint). Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 1998. ISBN: 0306808196.
Schwartz and Godfrey = Schwartz, Elliott, and Daniel Godfrey. Music Since 1945: Issues, Materials and Literature. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 1993. ISBN: 0028730402.
Simms = Simms, Bryan. Composers on Modern Musical Culture. New York, NY: Schirmer Books, 1999. ISBN: 0028647513.
Course readings.
| LEC # |
TOPICS |
Readings |
| 1 |
Welcome
Ritual Reading of the Syllabus
Overview |
|
| Prelude: 1900-1960 |
| 2 |
Expressionism and Serial Technique
Arnold Schoenberg: Pierrot lunaire (1912), Variations for Orchestra (1928)
Alban Berg: Five Orchestral Songs (Altenberg-Lieder) (1912), Wozzeck (1922), Lulu (1935)
Anton Webern: Slow Movement for String Quartet (1905), Six Bagatelles for String Quartet (1913), Piano Variations (1936) |
|
| 3 |
Primitivism, Neoclassicism, Mavericks
Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (1913), The Rake's Progress (1951)
Maurice Ravel: Le tombeau de Couperin (1917)
Béla Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta (1936)
Olivier Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du temps (1940)
Edgard Varèse: Hyperprism (1923) |
|
| 4 |
Electronics and Other Developments after World War II
Pierre Boulez: Structures I (1952), Le marteau sans maître (1954)
Karlheinz Stockhausen: Gesang der Jünglinge (1956), Zyklus (1959)
Edgard Varèse: Poème électronique (1958)
Iannis Xenakis: Metastasis (1954) |
|
| Unit One: Order and Entropy |
| 5 |
Pierre Boulez: Pli selon pli [Fold upon Fold] (1957-62)
Ralph Shapey: Incantations (1961)
Luigi Nono: Canti di vita e d'amore (1962)
Igor Stravinsky: Requiem Canticles (1965-66) |
Griffiths. pp. 70-99 and 104-115.
Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 78-106.
Rockwell. pp. 60-70 (Shapey).
Simms. pp. 145-151 (Boulez). |
| 6 |
Donald Martino: Notturno (1973)
Elliott Carter: A Mirror on which to Dwell (1975)
Iannis Xenakis: Pleïades (1979)
Charles Wuorinen: Capriccio (1981) |
Ford. pp. 1-9 (Carter).
Griffiths. pp. 53-59 (Carter); 91, 198 (last paragraph), and 200 (Xenakis).
Rockwell. pp. 37-46 (Carter).
Schwartz and Childs. pp. 261-273 (Carter), and 367-375 (Wuorinen).
Simms. pp. 227-234 (Carter). |
| 7 |
Karlheinz Stockhausen: Samstag [Saturday] (1981-83) from Licht [Light]
Brian Ferneyhough: Intermedio alla ciccona (1986)
Pierre Boulez: Sur incises (1996-98) |
Ford. pp. 17-28 (Boulez), 137-146 (Stockhausen), and 147-155 (Ferneyhough).
Griffiths. pp. 244-248 (Stockhausen's Licht), and 294-303 (Ferneyhough).
New sounds. pp. 65-83 (Ferneyhough).
Schwartz, and Childs. pp. 379-383 (Stockhausen), and 469-480 (Ferneyhough).
Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 466-67. |
| Unit Two: Mavericks |
| 8 |
Krzysztof Penderecki: Threnody (1960)
György Ligeti: Atmosphères (1961)
Witold Lutoslawski: Trois poèmes d'Henri Michaux [Three poems by Henri Michaux] (1963)
Karel Husa: Music for Prague (1968)
Giacinto Scelsi: Khoom (1962)
Harry Partch: And on the Seventh Day Petals fell in Petaluma (1964) |
Griffiths. pp. 100-101, 134-136, and 254-256.
Schwartz and Childs. pp. 209-220 (Partch), and 388-402 (Ligeti).
Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 181-191. |
| 9 |
George Crumb: Ancient Voices of Children (1970)
György Kurtág: Messages of the Late R.V. Trussova (1976-80)
Harrison Birtwistle: Secret Theatre (1984) |
Ford. pp. 51-59 (Birtwistle).
Griffiths. pp. 162 (Crumb), 281-288 (Kurtág), 218-221, and 320-324 (Birtwistle).
Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 233-235 (Ancient Voices...), and 428-429 (just the paragraph on Kurtág). |
| 10 |
Conlon Nancarrow: Selected Studies for Player Piano
György Ligeti: Selected Études for Piano Solo (1985-)
Henri Dutilleux: Mystère de l'instant (1989)
Harrison Birtwistle: Selected movements from Harrison's Clocks (1997-98) |
Duckworth. pp. 29-51 (Nancarrow).
Griffiths. pp. 100-03, and 276-281.
Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 176 (Nancarrow). |
| Unit Three: New Sounds, New Technologies |
| 11 |
John Cage: Aria (1958)
Milton Babbitt: Phonemena (1969-70)
Luciano Berio: Sequenza III (1966)
Mario Davidovsky: Synchronisms no. 3 (1965)
Mario Davidovsky: Synchronisms no. 6 (1970) |
Duckworth. pp. 3-28 (Cage), and pp.52-93 (Babbitt).
Ford. pp. 171-184 (Cage).
Griffiths. p. 69 (Babbitt), pp. 140-147 (Stockhausen), and pp. 191-194 (Berio).
Rockwell. pp. 25-36 (Babbitt), and pp. 47-59 (Cage).
Schwartz, and Childs. pp. 243-250* (Babbitt), and 335-348 (Cage).
Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 120-134 (survey of electronic music, ca. 1960-1985), and pp. 411-412 (Cage).
Simms. pp. 160-167 (Cage), and 152-159* (Babbitt).
*These are the same essay by Babbitt ("Who cares if you listen?/The composer as specialist"). |
| 12 |
Paul Lansky: Six Fantasies on a Poem by Thomas Campion (1978-79)
Pierre Boulez: Répons (1981-84)
George Benjamin: Antara (1985-87)
Mario Davidovsky: Synchronisms no. 9 (1988) |
Griffiths. pp. 310-312 (Benjamin), and 318-320 (Boulez).
New sounds. pp. 22-30 (Benjamin).
Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 342-369 (survey of computer music), and pp. 445-446 (Benjamin). |
| 13 |
Kaija Saariaho: Noa noa (1992)
Jonathan Harvey: Song Offerings (1985)
Tristan Murail: Allégories (1989)
Joan La Barbara: Shamansong (1992)
John Oswald: Plunderphonic
Richard D. James (a.k.a. Aphex Twin): Selected pieces arranged for chamber orchestra |
Griffiths. pp. 248-249 (Murail).
New sounds. pp. 46-53 (Harvey).
Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 425 (Saariaho), and 444 (Harvey). |
| Unit Four: Quotation and Polystyle |
| 14 |
Stockhausen: Hymnen (1966-67)
Luciano Berio: Sinfonia (1968)
Peter Maxwell Davies: Eight Songs for a Mad King (1969) |
Griffiths. pp. 160-170 (Quotation, Berio, Stockhausen).
Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 230-232 (Davies), 242-262 (collage and quotation), and 375-378 (Berio).
Simms. pp. 182-187 (Berio). |
| 15 |
The Beatles: Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Leonard Bernstein: Mass (1971)
HK Gruber: Frankenstein!! (1971-78)
William Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and Experience (1981-84) |
Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 259 (Gruber), and 306-307 (Bernstein). |
| 16 |
Alfred Schnittke: String Quartet no. 3 (1983)
John Harbison: November 19, 1828 (1988)
John Zorn: Cat-o'-nine-tails (1988)
Osvaldo Golijov: Ayre (2004) |
Griffiths. pp. 252-254 (Schnittke).
Schwartz and Godfrey. p. 472 (Schnittke). |
| Unit Five: The Minimalist Impulse |
| 17 |
Terry Riley: In C (1964)
Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians (1976)
Philip Glass: Einstein on the Beach (1976)
John Adams: Shaker Loops (1978)
King Crimson [Robert Fripp et al.]: Discipline (1981)
Laurie Anderson: United States, parts I-IV (1981) |
Ford. pp. 61-67 (Reich).
Griffiths. pp. 209-214 and 260-263 (Reich).
Rockwell. pp. 109-122 (Glass), and pp. 123-132 (Anderson).
Schwartz and Childs. pp. 421-424.
Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 315-341. |
| 18 |
Henryk Górecki: Symphony no. 3 (1976)
Louis Andriessen: De staat (1972-74)
Arvo Pärt: Berlin Mass (1992)
John Adams: Nixon in China (1985-87) |
Ford. pp. 79-85 (Andriessen).
Griffiths. pp. 274-276, 267, 289 (Adams), and 309.
Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 429-431 (Górecki, Pärt), and 436 (Andriessen). |
| 19 |
Meredith Monk: Atlas (1987-91)
Michael Torke: Adjustable Wrench (1987)
Elena Ruehr: Shimmer (1994)
Julia Wolfe: Lick (1994)
Evan Ziporyn: Partial Truths (1997)
John Adams: On the Transmigration of Souls (2002)
Brian Robison: The Congress of the Insomniacs (2003) |
Griffiths. pp. 274-275 (minimalism).
Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 338-339 (Torke). |
| Unit Six: The Persistence of Tonality |
| 20 |
Dimitri Shostakovich: String Quartet no. 8 in C Minor (1960)
Benjamin Britten: War Requiem (1961)
George Rochberg: String Quartet no. 3 (1972)
David Del Tredici: Final Alice (1976)
Joan Tower: Petroushskates (1980)
Joan Tower: Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman (1986) |
Rockwell. pp. 71-83 (Del Tredici).
Schwartz and Childs. pp. 403-407 (Rochberg).
Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 263-288 ("The resurgence of tonality"), and 382-385 (Del Tredici).
Simms. pp. 190-197 (Rochberg). |
| 21 |
John Harbison: Mirabai Songs (1982)
Stephen Albert: Symphony: RiverRun (1983)
Astor Piazzolla: Hora cero (1965), Sex-tet (1989)
Ellen Taafe Zwilich: Clarinet Quintet (1990)
John Corigliano: Symphony no. 1 (1990) |
Ford. pp. 11-16 (Zwilich).
Simms. pp. 198-205 (Harbison). |
| 22 |
Libby Larsen: Marimba Concerto: After Hampton (1992)
Aaron Jay Kernis: Still Movement with Hymn (1993)
Tan Dun: Ghost Opera (1994)
Jennifer Higdon: Running the Edge (1996)
Peter Child: Fantasia (2003)
Charles Shadle: The Penny Ballad of Elvious Ricks (2005) |
|
| Unit Seven: Agora |
| 23-26 |
Student Presentations of Term Papers |
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Final Exam |
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