Music (B.A.)

First-Year Seminar

* MUSI 035b / CPSC 035b, Twenty-First Century Electronic and Computer Music Techniques  Scott Petersen

Exploration of twenty-first century electronic and computer music through the diverse subjects and issues at the intersection of technology and new music. How computers have changed and challenged the analysis, composition, production, and appreciation of music over the last fifty years. Knowledge of basic music theory and the ability to read Western musical notation is assumed. Enrollment limited to first-year students. Preregistration required; see under First-Year Seminar Program.
HTBA

MUSI 100b, Melody, Rhythm, and Notation in Global Context  Ian Quinn

This course develops skills in singing, hearing, and writing music through repertory-based case studies of improvised and written melody in global ritual song traditions. Modern Western music notation is introduced through a study of its historical development as a tool for vocal literacy. Topics include mode, scale, rhythm, meter, and form. Lectures introduce theoretical concepts in their epistemological, cultural, and historical contexts, and small-group recitation and improvisation sessions turn these concepts into musical intuitions. Principles of modal and tonal organization are introduced by modeling repertories including Vedic chant, Torah cantillation, Byzantine psalm intonation, and Carolingian chant. Interdependencies between melodic design, musical meter, and poetic prosody are explored through immersion in a repertory of folk hymnody from the Second Great Awakening, a major site of antebellum musical contact between Americans of European and African descent. Willingness to sing is essential for this course, though talent is not a prerequisite. No experience with musical notation is required.
HTBA

MUSI 110a or b, Introduction to the Elements of Music  Staff

The fundamentals of musical language (notation, rhythm, scales, keys, melodies, and chords), including writing, analysis, singing, and dictation. Intended for students who have no music reading ability.
HTBA

MUSI 131a, Introduction to the History of Western Music: 1800 to the Present  Gundula Kreuzer

A survey of nineteenth- and twentieth-century composers, genres, and styles of music in Europe and America, with an emphasis on ways of listening. No prerequisites.  HU
TTh 1pm-2:15pm

MUSI 180b, History of Rock Music  Daniel Harrison

A survey of major styles, genres, and artists in popular commercial music ca. 1960–2010. Analysis of individual songs, albums, and repertories, supported by study of cultural contexts, careers and biographies, and developments in the recording industry.  HU
HTBA

* MUSI 185a / THST 236a, American Musical Theater History  Daniel Egan

Critical examination of relevance and context in the history of the American musical theater. Historical survey, including nonmusical trends, combined with text and musical analysis.  WR, HU
W 1:30pm-3:20pm

MUSI 200b / PHYS 118b, The Physics of Music  Sarah Demers

Basic concepts in physics introduced through study of the interplay between physics and music. The mathematics of harmony; tone production by musical instruments; sound propagation through spaces such as concert halls.  QR, SC
MW 1pm-2:15pm

* MUSI 210a or b, Elementary Studies in Analysis and Model Composition I  Staff

Practical investigation of the basic principles of tonal harmony, counterpoint, and composition through exercises in analysis, motivic development, phrase rhythm, texture, form, performance, and model composition. Recommended to be taken concurrently with MUSI 218 or 219. Admission after MUSI 110 or by the music theory placement test. See the Calendar for the Opening Days or the Music department Web site for information about the placement test. To be followed by MUSI 211.  HU
HTBA

* MUSI 211a or b, Elementary Studies in Analysis and Model Composition II  Staff

Continuation of MUSI 210. Recommended to be taken concurrently with MUSI 218 or 219. Admission after MUSI 210 or by the music theory placement test. See the Calendar for the Opening Days or the Music department Web site for information about the placement test.  HU  RP
HTBA

* MUSI 218a or b, Elementary Musicianship I  Staff

Exercises in melodic and harmonic dictation, sight-singing, keyboard harmony, and aural analysis Admission after MUSI 110 or by the music theory placement test. See the Calendar for the Opening Days or the Music department Web site for information about the placement test  RP  ½ Course cr
HTBA

* MUSI 219a or b, Elementary Musicianship II  Staff

Continuation of MUSI 218. Prerequisite: MUSI 218. Recommended to be taken concurrently with MUSI 210 or 211.  RP  ½ Course cr
HTBA

* MUSI 318b, Intermediate Musicianship  Richard Lalli

Training in advanced aural perception, sight-singing, and keyboard skills. Prerequisite: MUSI 219 or equivalent.
MW 1pm-2:15pm

* MUSI 220a and MUSI 221b, The Performance of Chamber Music  Wendy Sharp

Coached chamber music emphasizing the development of ensemble skills, familiarization with the repertory, and musical analysis through performance. Admission by audition only. May be repeated for credit. For audition information e-mail Credit for MUSI 220 only on completion of MUSI 221.  ½ Course cr per term
T 4:30pm-6pm

* MUSI 221b, The Performance of Chamber Music  Wendy Sharp

Preparing and performing chamber music works, including rehearsal techniques, leading, developing musical concepts, learning to work effectively in a small group, and performing. Weekly coaching and rehearsals, bimonthly studio classes, and end-of-term recitals. Open to qualified Yale College instrumentalists and pianists by audition only. Prerequisite: MUSI 220. May be repeated for credit. For audition information e-mail  RP  ½ Course cr
T 4:30pm-6pm

* MUSI 222a or b, The Performance of Vocal Music  Richard Lalli

A course for singers and pianists that emphasizes the analysis and musical preparation of classical solo song and operatic repertoire. Examination of structure (poetic, harmonic, motivic), discussion of style, exploration of vocal techniques, and introduction to the International Phonetic Alphabet. Students are strongly encouraged to supplement the course with individual voice instruction. Admission by audition only. May be repeated for credit. For audition information e-mail  HU
HTBA

* MUSI 229b / THST 226b, Musical Theater Performance II  Staff

The collaborative process and its effect on musical theater performance. Choreography, music direction, and origination of new works. Analysis of texts, scripts, and taped or filmed performances; applications in students' own performance. May be repeated for credit. For audition information e-mail  RP
F 1:30pm-3:20pm

* MUSI 230a, Composing for Musical Theater  Joshua Rosenblum

Introduction to elements of music- and lyric-writing for theater songs. Focus on the development of compositional proficiency in the musical theater idiom and on the refinement of each student's compositional voice as composer and/or lyricist. Prerequisite: MUSI 110 or equivalent. Enrollment limited to 12.  HU  RP
F 1:30pm-3:20pm

* MUSI 232a or b, Central Javanese Gamelan Ensemble  Maho Ishiguro

An introduction to performing the orchestral music of central Java and to the theoretical and aesthetic discourses of the gamelan tradition. Students form the nucleus of a gamelan ensemble that consists primarily of tuned gongs and metallophones; interested students may arrange for additional private instruction on more challenging instruments. The course culminates in a public performance by the ensemble. No previous musical experience required.  RP
HTBA

* MUSI 233b, Cultures and Performing Arts of Central Java  Maho Ishiguro

This course explores how music and theatre traditions engage with culture, history, and tradition of performing arts in central Java with a particular focus on the role of the gamelan ensemble. Students gain first-hand experience in Javanese Wayang theater, a traditional shadow puppet performance in which the gamelan serves as a musical accompanist. This course is designed to not only give performative and practical experience of central Javanese gamelan in the traditional style, but also presents opportunities for students to examine cultural and historical aspects of the shadow puppetry tradition and gamelan music in central Java. We focus specifically on 1) the musical language and structure of central Javanese gamelan music in the context of shadow puppetry performance, 2) the historical tradition and practice of shadow puppetry, and 3) livelihood of traditional performing arts in contemporary sociocultural and religious contexts. Prerequisite: MUSI 232 or permission of the instructor.
MW 11:35am-12:50pm

* MUSI 240a or b, The Performance of Early Music  Grant Herreid

A study of musical styles of the twelfth through early eighteenth centuries, including examination of manuscripts, musicological research, transcription, score preparation, and performance. Students in this class form the nucleus of the Yale Collegium Musicum and participate in a concert series at the Beinecke Library. Admission by audition only. May be repeated for credit. For audition information e-mail  HU  RP
HTBA

* MUSI 320a, Composition Seminar I  Kathryn Alexander

Intermediate analytic and creative projects in music composition, instrumentation, and scoring for visual media. Study of compositional procedures and techniques in different genres and styles. Group and individual lessons to supplement in-class activities. Enrollment limited to 20. Students with questions should contact the instructor at Prerequisite: MUSI 210 or 211 or equivalent.  WR, HU  RP
Th 2:30pm-4:20pm

* MUSI 321b, Composition Seminar II  Konrad Kaczmarek

Intermediate analytic and creative projects in music composition and instrumentation, with a focus on jazz harmony and voice-leading. Study of compositional procedures and techniques in different ensemble settings. Group and individual lessons to supplement in-class lectures. Enrollment limited to 20. Students with questions should contact the instructor at Prerequisite: MUSI 210 or MUSI 211 and/or MUSI 312.  RP
Th 2:30pm-4:20pm

* MUSI 328a, Introduction to Conducting  William Boughton

An introduction to conducting through a detailed study of the problems of baton technique. Skills applied to selected excerpts from the standard literature, including concertos, recitatives, and contemporary music.
TTh 1pm-2:15pm

* MUSI 329b, Intermediate Conducting  William Boughton

Intermediate studies in baton technique and score preparation. After MUSI 323.
TTh 1pm-2:15pm

* MUSI 330b, Musical Theater Composition II  Jeanine Tesori

Intermediate and advanced project-oriented studies in composition of musical theater. Prerequisite: MUSI 210. May be repeated for credit. Enrollment limited to 12.  HU  RP
F 1:30pm-3:20pm

* MUSI 340b / THST 318b, Analyzing, Directing, and Performing Early Opera  Grant Herreid

Study of a seventeenth-century Venetian opera, with attention to structural analysis of text and music. Exploration of period performance practice, including rhetorical expression, musical style, gesture, dance, Italian elocution, and visual design. Production of the opera in conjunction with the Yale Baroque Opera Project. Open to all students, but designed especially for singers, instrumentalists, and directors. Admission by audition only. May be repeated for credit. For audition information e-mail  HU  RP
Th 3:30pm-5:20pm

* MUSI 345a or b, Lessons  Richard Gard

Individual instruction in the study and interpretation of musical literature. No more than four credits of lessons can be applied towards the 36-credit degree requirement. Auditions for assignment to instructors (for both credit and noncredit lessons) are required for first year and some returning students, and are held only at the beginning of the fall term. For details, see the Music department's program description in the YCPS.
HTBA

* MUSI 350a, History of Western Music: Middle Ages and Renaissance  Henry Parkes

A detailed investigation of the history of musical style from A.D. 900 to 1600. Preference to Music majors according to class.  HU
TTh 11:35am-12:50pm

* MUSI 351b, Music in European Court, Church, and Theater, 1600-1800  Staff

A detailed investigation of the history of musical style from 1600 to 1800. Preference to Music majors according to class.  HU
HTBA

MUSI 370b / ART 371b, Sound Art  Martin Kersels

Introduction to sound art, a contemporary artistic practice that uses sound and listening as mediums, often creating psychological or physiological reactions as part of the finished artwork. The history of sound art in relation to the larger history of art and music; theoretical underpinnings and practical production; central debates and problems in contemporary sound art. Includes creation and in-class critique of experimental works. Materials fee: $25.  HU
Th 1:30pm-5:20pm

* MUSI 418a, Advanced Musicianship  Michael Friedmann

Development of students' ability to recognize and generate structures and processes particular to music of the twentieth century. Student composers and advanced performers of post-tonal music expand their perceptive skills. Course activities include singing (and playing), dictation, identification, improvisation, and recognition. Musical examples from the works of Schoenberg, Bartók, Debussy, and Stravinsky. Enrollment limited to 14.
MW 10:30am-11:20am

* MUSI 420a, Composition Seminar III  Konrad Kaczmarek

Advanced analytic and creative projects in music composition and instrumentation, with a focus on writing for chamber ensembles. Ongoing study of evolving contemporary procedures and compositional techniques. Group and individual lessons to supplement in-class lectures. Admission by audition only. May be repeated for credit. Enrollment limited to 10. To audition, students should upload two PDF scores and MP3 recordings in a single zip file by 4 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the semester, to the designated Music 420 audition assignment page at the Canvas site. Students with questions should contact the instructor at Prerequisites: Both MUSI 312 and 313.  RP
Th 2:30pm-4:20pm

* MUSI 421b, Composition Seminar IV  Kathryn Alexander

Advanced analytic and creative projects in music composition and instrumentation, including short exercises on scoring for performers with interactive audio and visual media playback. Individual lessons to supplement in-class lectures. Admission by audition only. May be repeated for credit. Enrollment limited to 10. To audition, students should upload two PDF scores and MP3 recordings in a single zip file by the first Friday of the semester to the designated Music 421 audition assignment page at the Canvas site. Prerequisites: Both MUSI 320 (formerly 312) and 313.  RP
Th 2:30pm-4:20pm

MUSI 427b / CPSC 432b, Computer Music: Sound Representation and Synthesis  Scott Petersen

Study of the theoretical and practical fundamentals of computer-generated music, with a focus on low-level sound representation, acoustics and sound synthesis, scales and tuning systems, and programming languages for computer music generation. Theoretical concepts are supplemented with pragmatic issues expressed in a high-level programming language. Ability to read music is assumed. After CPSC 202 and 223.  QR
HTBA

MUSI 428a / CPSC 431a, Computer Music: Algorithmic and Heuristic Composition  Scott Petersen

Study of the theoretical and practical fundamentals of computer-generated music, with a focus on high-level representations of music, algorithmic and heuristic composition, and programming languages for computer music generation. Theoretical concepts are supplemented with pragmatic issues expressed in a high-level programming language. Ability to read music is assumed. After CPSC 202 and 223.  QR
HTBA

* MUSI 445a or b, Advanced Lessons  Richard Gard

. Individual instruction for advanced performers in the study and interpretation of musical literature. No more than four credits of lessons can be applied towards the 36-credit degree requirement