MUMH 5020: Introduction to Musicology

Spring 2015; Dr. Notley

Music Library Seminar Room; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30–10:50

Office: Room 319; Phone: (940)565–3751; E-mail:

Hours: Tues. 11–12, Thurs. 3–4, and by appointment: feel free to make an appointment for another time, and please note that the set hours may change because of committee meetings

COURSE OBJECTIVES: The goals of this course are for students to be able to do the following:

Understand, and be able to discuss and write about, musicology as a discipline

Understand, and be able to discuss and write about, approaches to writing music history

Understand, and be able to discuss and write about, changing conceptions of the object of studying music, with emphasis on a number of newer approaches

Think more critically about how they carry out their own work

PARTICIPATION:

Small classes like this work only if all students attend class and participate in the discussions regularly: you learn from preparing for class and engaging in discussion. Students are therefore expected to be well prepared for each class.

Please note that whether you participate adequately or not will largely determine your grade.

ATTENDANCE AND GRADING POLICY

A student will lose two (2) points from his or her grade (100 points to begin with) for each unexcused absence and will be dropped from the roll with a WF after four (4) unexcused absences or receive an F as a final grade. The university recognizes only two types of absences as excused: those for religious holidays or for school-sponsored activities. For an absence to be considered excused, I must receive proper documentation. Absences for auditions and other important events may be considered excused: you must check with me first. The university does not recognize illness as a reason for an absence to be excused.

A late arrival or early departure counts as a half or full absence, depending on how much of the class the student misses.

In addition to preparing for and participating in each class, students must complete several short papers—possibly other written assignments, as well—and take a final exam. Final grades will be determined as follows:

Attendance 6 %

Preparation for class and participation28 % (1 point per class)

(*may include additional short written assignments)

Several short papers50 %

Final exam16 %

ELECTRONIC DEVICES: It is the area’s policy that students must refrain from using electronic devices—laptops, tablets, cell phones, and audio players—during class. All electronic devices must be placed out of sight during class.

MATERIALS:

Students should acquire a copy of Carl Dahlhaus, Nineteenth-Century Music, which we will study from a number of different angles. Other materials are on the carrel for this class, 404.

Each Thursday I’ll distribute assignments for the following week and often, as well, copies of the assigned readings. At times I may post materials on Blackboard. If I do this, you must print them out because of the ban on the use of electronic devices during class.

You can access audio recordings at home through the library’s website: go to Electronic Resources and then to Naxos. I may place additional recordings on reserve for this class.

FINAL EXAM: The final exam will be an open-book exam, which means first of all that you will be allowed to bring your copy of Dahlhaus’s book to the exam.

NOTEBOOKS: You should also take careful notes and keep all the various readings and handouts in a well-ordered loose-leaf notebook. It would be a good idea to purchase a notebook for this purpose right away. The class will be developing a list of keywords. As I introduce each keyword, you should enter it in your notebook and take notes on readings and class discussions pertinent to it.

Approximate Weekly Schedule (subject to revision)

Week (by Tuesday)Topic

1 (1/20)Introduction; Music History and Music Historiography

2 (1/27)Approaches to Writing Music History

3 (2/3)Concepts of Genre and Reception;Approaches to Writing Music History

4 (2/10)Approaches to Writing Music History

5 (2/17)Approaches to Writing Music History

6 (2/24)Other Types of Writing about Music; Biographical Approaches

7 (3/3)Other Types of Writing about Music; Synchronic Approaches, Microhistories

8 (3/10)Other Types of Writing about Music; Hermeneutic and Formalist Interpretation

Week of March 17SPRING BREAK

9 (3/24)Language Models Applied to Music; Problems in Devising a Semiotics of Music

10 (3/31)Language Models Applied to Music; Meanings of “Narrative” in Music Research

11 (4/7)Recent Currents in Musicology; Subjectivity as a Historical Topic

12 (4/14)Recent Currents in Musicology; Representations of Gender, Race, and Ethnicity

13 (4/21)Recent Currents in Musicology; Performing Gestures and Performers’ Voices

14 (4/28)Recent Currents in Musicology; Performance vs. Score

15 (5/5)Recent Currents in Musicology; Review for Final Exam

FINAL EXAM: Thursday, 14 May, 8 a.m.–10 a.m.

SPECIAL NOTICES FROM THE ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS:

Office of Disability Accommodation

The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at You may also contact them by phone at 940.565.4323.

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress

A student must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to continue to receive financial aid. Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA in addition to successfully completing a required number of credit hours based on total registered hours per term. Students cannot exceed maximum timeframes established based on the published length of the graduate program. If a student does not maintain the required standards, the student may lose their financial aid eligibility.

If at any point you consider dropping this or any other course, please be advised that the decision to do so may have the potential to affect your current and future financial aid eligibility. Please visit for more information about financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress. It may be wise for you to schedule a meeting with an academic advisor in your college or visit the Student Financial Aid and Scholarships office to discuss dropping a course being doing so.

Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity is defined in the UNT Policy on Student Standards for Academic Integrity. Any suspected case of Academic Dishonesty will be handled in accordance with the University Policy and procedures. Possible academic penalties range from a verbal or written admonition to a grade of “F” in the course. Further sanctions may apply to incidents involving major violations. You will find the policy and procedures at:

Student Behavior in the Classroom

Student behavior that interferes with an instructor’s ability to conduct a class or other students’ opportunity to learn is unacceptable and disruptive and will not be tolerated in any instructional forum at UNT. Students engaging in unacceptable behavior will be directed to leave the classroom and the instructor may refer the student to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities to consider whether the student’s conduct violated the Code of Student Conduct. The university’s expectations for student conduct apply to all instructional forums, including university and electronic classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The Code of Student Conduct can be found at: