Fall 2010
MUTH 2500/Theory 4
Monday/Wednesday
Sections 1 8-850 Rm. 250
2 10-1050 Rm. 287
Instructor: Stephen Slottow
Telephone: (940) 369-7215
E-mail:
Office: Main Music Building 228
Office hours: MW 11-12, F 315-415. Other times by appointment.
Materials: Required text: Edward Aldwell & Carl Schachter/Harmony & Voice Leading. 4th edition preferable, 3rd edition acceptable. I will provide copies of materials for the first week, but thereafter will expect each student to bring a copy of the book to every class until we move on to post-tonal theory, for which I will provide all materials. I use the book and great deal in class and will feel free to jump around between different sections.
Assorted handouts—bring ones on current topic to each class.
Music paper and pencil.
Objectives: -In the first half of the course, to develop or strengthen the ability to write
and analyze chromatic harmony and voice leading in tonal music.
-In the second half of the course, to learn atonal and twelve-tone usage and
analytic techniques.
Course work: The first half of the course will begin with a basic review of part-writing norms (AS Chapter 5), figured bass, nonharmonic tones (AS Chapters 20-21), tendency tones, & 6/4 chords (AS Chapters 10&19). Then we'll touch briefly on voice-leading aspects of the Neapolitan chord (AS Chapter 27), spend more time on the augmented 6th chord (AS Chapter 29) and dominant 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths (AS Chapter 27), and proceed to other chromatic chords (AS Chapter 30), chromatic voice-leading techniques (AS Chapter 31), and, possibly, chromaticism in larger contexts (AS Chapter 32).
The second half of the course will introduce atonal and serial theory, covering such topics as impressionism, different types of scales (whole-tone, pentatonic, & octatonic), basic set theory (pitch space, pitch-class space, pitch-class sets, set classes, transposition/inversion between p.c. sets), and 12-tone theory.
Grading: Homework and quizzes 55% (two lowest HW grades dropped)
Midterm 20%
Final Exam 25%
If your final grade is less than a C (70%), you must repeat the course. D is not a
passing grade.
Late work: Assignments are due at the class period on the assigned date. Late assignments will be graded down a full letter grade and accepted no later than one class after the due date. Moreover, if I’ve already gone over the assignment in class, I will accept no late homework on it at all. That’s the risk you take if you hand in late work. Excuses for late homework will be considered only if you contact me before or on the date the homework is due, or at the latest at the very next class session. Whether I accept your excuse is up to me. After that time period, no excuse will be considered unless you tell me why it was not possible to contact me before. This policy is strictly enforced. On the other hand, if you do have an excuse for late homework, don’t neglect to tell me what it is, on the assumption that I won’t accept it. Leave that decision to me.
Absences:
Excused: Absences are excused for natural disasters, transportation problems beyond your control, medical emergencies (concerning you or members of your immediate family), and official College of Music musical activities. For the latter, you are responsible for informing me--don't assume that I'll get an email with a list of excused students. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. If you feel that an absence for any other reason should be excused, discuss it with me; whether I accept it or not is my decision. Don’t assume that I will or won’t accept it: leave that decision to me. For all excused absences I must be informed at the latest by the next class session.
Unexcused:You are also allowed 3 unexcused absences. Every additional unexcused absence deducts 3 points from the final course grade. I will take attendance at the beginning of each class. If you arrive after I’ve taken attendance, it’s YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to make sure you are marked as present BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE CLASS ROOM. Otherwise, you will be marked absent. Keep track of your absences; if you’re unsure, ask me.
If you miss a class, you are still responsible for the assigned homework and for knowing what was covered in class. Get the information from me or another class member. Generally the best way to contact me is through email.
Plagiarism: Since the course grade is largely based on individual homework assignments, it is essential that those assignments represent your own work and not someone else’s. Plagiarism will be dealt with in accordance with the policies set out at http://vpaa.unt.edu/academic-integrity.htm.
Americans with Disabilities Act:
The College of Music complies with the ADA, making reasonable
accommodation for qualified students with disabilities. If you have an established
disability as defined in the ADA and would like to request accommodation, please see me as soon as possible. I cannot make any accommodation without proper
notice and documentation, nor can I make accommodation retroactively.
Tentative Course Schedule
Note: Chapter numbers 1-4 are identical in both the 3rd and 4th editions. However, the 4th ed. contains a new 5th chapter on species counterpoint. Therefore, after Chapter 4 numbers for identical chapters are 1 higher in the 4th than in the 3rd ed. For example, As7/8 means Aldwell Schachter Chapter 7 (3rd ed.)/Chapter 8 (4th ed.). All readings and written assignments are due on the following class day.
AUGUST
30/M Go over syllabus, fill out questionnaire, begin review of part-writing norms.
READ: AS 5/6 (Procedures of Four-Part Writing), AS 20/21 (Melodic Figuration)
SEPTEMBER
1/W End review of part-writing norms, review figured bass, begin review of embellishing
tones (P, N, IN).
READ: AS 21/22 (Rhythmic Figuration)
WRITE: Figured bass/part-writing assignment.
6/M Labor day. No class.
8/W Finish review of P, N, IN; start review of anticipations/suspensions.
READ: AS 28/29 The Phrygian II [Neapolitan])
WRITE: Embellishing-tone assignment.
13/M End review of suspensions. Neapolitan chord.
READ: AS 29/30 (Augmented Sixth Chords).
WRITE: Neapolitan chord assignment.
15/W Augmented 6th I.
WRITE: Augmented 6th assignment I
20/M Augmented 6th II. (dim 3rd, use in modulation)
READ: AS26/27 (Seventh Chords with Added Dissonance), write augmented 6th HW
22/W 9ths, 11ths, 13ths.
READ: AS 30/31 (Other Chromatic Chords); AS
WRITE: 7th chords with added dissonances assignment
27/M Mixture: Simple, secondary, double
Augmented triads/7th chords
Pedal points
WRITE: Augmented triad, pedal point assignment.
29/W Common-Tone & Appoggiatura Diminished Seventh Chords, Common-Tone Augmented 6th chord
READ: AS 31/32 (Chromatic Voice-Leading Techniques)
WRITE: CT dim. 7th assignment
OCTOBER
4/M Chromaticized parallel 6/3 chords, 7-6 suspension series, 5-6 sequences, parallel dim. 7th chords
READ: AS 32/33 (Chromaticism in Larger Contexts)
WRITE: Chromatic VL assignment
6/W New modulatory techniques
11/M Chromaticism in Larger Contexts
13/W Midterm
READ: Post-tonal intervals handout
18/M Pitch and pitch-class space. Post-tonal intervals
READ: Pitch-class sets/normal form handout
WRITE: Post-tonal interval assignment
20/W PC sets/normal form
READ: Transposition handout
WRITE: Normal form assignment
25/M Transposition
READ: Inversion handout
WRITE: Transposition assignment
27/W Inversion
WRITE: inversion assignment
NOVEMBER
1/M Inversion, continued
READ: Set classes handout
WRITE: inversion assignment 2
3/W Set classes/prime form
READ: Collections handout
WRITE: Set class/prime form assignment
8/M Collections I (Whole-tone, Hexatonic)
READ: Octatonic handout
WRITE: Collections assignment I
10/W Collections: Octatonic
READ 1nterval cycles handout
WRITE: Octatonic assignment
15/M Interval cycles
READ: 12-tone handout
WRITE: Interval cycles assignment
17/W 12-tone: TTO's/Matrix I
READ: Subsets/invariants handout
WRITE: TTO/Matrix assignment I
22/M 2-tone: TTO's/Matrix II
READ: Subsets/invariants handout
WRITE: TTO/Matrix assignment II
24/W Subsets/Invariants/Derived Series
READ: Combinatoriality handout
29/M Combinatoriality I
WRITE: Combinatoriality assignment I
DECEMBER
1/W Combinatoriality II
WRITE: Combinatoriality assignment II
6/M Later developments.
8/W Review
15/W Final Exam for 10:00 Section (2): 8-10am, Rm. 287
17/F Final Exam for 8:00 Section (1): 8-10am, Rm. 250
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