Suffolk County Community College – Ammerman
Music Department
Spring 2007
UNDERSTANDING MUSIC – MU11
Goals
In this course, students will refine their listening skills, master music terminology,
and discover the wealth of styles and genres in Western classical music.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- define and identify the elements of music, recognize and describe them
in context, and show how they are integrated with other fields of
knowledge
- discuss how music is used in society and what important contributions it
makes in everyday lives
- identify musical instruments of the orchestra
- identify musical styles and genres from all periods of Western art music
and understand their social and cultural contexts
- engage in active, informed listening
-write critical analyses of music
- articulate the cultural and historical influences on a composer’s aesthetic
decisions and have an understanding of the composer’s
compositional process from its original idea to first performance
Procedures
These objectives will be accomplished through:
- daily listening and analysis
- daily reading assignments and class discussion
- attendance at concerts
- writing assignments.
Attendance
Class attendance and participation are expected. The college defines “excessive
absence” as missing more than one week of class. For each absence over the
two allowed, two points will be deducted from the final course grade. There
are no excused absences. You will receive written notice if points will be
deducted from your final grade.
You are responsible for material covered on the day of your absence. Make-up
tests must be scheduled no later than 1 week after the initial test date.
Failure to do so will result in a zero. Failure to come to your make-up exam time
will also result in a zero, unless you call ahead to reschedule. On all tests, the
listening examples will not be played again for latecomers.
Papers are due by 3:00 p.m. on the given due date. Late papers will be marked
down by one letter grade. Papers may be submitted via email in a Microsoft
Word attachment to <cavanaa@sunysuffolk.edu>. Do not consider your paper
submitted until you have received an email confirmation back from the professor.
Grading
Class attendance
Concert papers
Assignments
Tests
Quiz
Final exam (cumulative)
See policy above.
20%
20%
35%
5%
20%
There is no extra credit for this course.
If your name appears on the class roster after the Registrar’s withdrawal
deadline, you will receive a letter grade for the course, not a W.
Textbook
Required text:
Music: An Appreciation Fifth Brief Edition by Roger Kamien, McGraw Hill,
2002
You are not required to purchase the accompanying CD set. However, it is on
reserve in the Media Resource section of the library if you wish to use it.
Class Schedule and Assignments
Day 1: Monday, January 22
Today: Introduction
Homework: Read Elements p.3-5 (Introduction) p.6-8 (Sound,
Pitch), p.40-42 (Melody), p.46-50 (Key)
Day 2: Wednesday, January 24
Today: Sound, Pitch, Melody, Key
Homework: Assignment no. 1 “Melody Drawings”
Read p.43-45 (Harmony), p.50-53 (Texture), p.8-9 (Dynamics)
Day 3: Monday, January 29
Today: Assignment no. 1 due by 3:00 p.m.
Harmony, Texture, Dynamics
Homework: Read p.32-35 (Rhythm), p.54-58 (Form), p.58-59 (Style)
Day 4: Wednesday, January 31
Today: Rhythm, Form, Style
Homework: Read p.9-11 (Tone Color), p.11-30 (Voices and Instruments)
Day 5: Monday, February 5
Today: Tone Color, Instruments
Homework: Assignment no. 2 “Sentence Correction”
Day 6: Wednesday, February 7
Today: Assignment no. 2 due by 3:00 p.m.
In-class review for Test no.1
Homework: Study for Test no.1
Day 7: Monday, February 12
Today: Test no. 1
Homework: Read p.60-80 (Music in the Middle Ages)
Day 8: Wednesday, February 14
Today: Middle Ages
Homework: Read p.80-91 (Music in the Renaissance)
NO CLASS Monday, February 19th (Winter Break)
Day 9: Wednesday, February 21
Today: Renaissance
Homework: Read p.92-108 (Baroque Music), p.126-131 (Vivaldi)
Day 10: Monday, February 26
Today: Baroque, Concerto grosso, Vivaldi
Homework: Read p.112-126 (Opera)
Day 11: Wednesday, February 28
Today: Baroque Opera
Homework: Read p.109-112 (Fugue), p.132-149 (Bach, Handel)
Day 12: Monday, March 5
Today: Bach and Handel
Homework: Review for Test no. 2
Day 13: Wednesday, March 7
Today: Test no. 2
Homework: Read p.150-167 (Classical)
Day 14: Monday, March 12
Today: Classical Style
Homework: Read p.167-176 (Theme & Variations, Minuet & Trio, Rondo,
Symphony, Concerto, Chamber Music)
Day 15: Wednesday, March 14
Today: Classical Forms and Genres
Homework: Read p.176-194 (Haydn, Mozart)
Day 16: Monday, March 19
Today is the Registrar’s deadline to drop the course without receiving an F.
Today: Haydn and Mozart
Homework: Assignment no. 3 “Analyze favorite piece”
Day 17: Wednesday, March 21
Today: Assignment no. 3 due by 3:00 p.m.
Mozart
Homework: Read p.194-207 (Beethoven), p.208-219 (Romanticism)
Day 18: Monday, March 26
Today: Beethoven, Romanticism
Homework: Finish Concert Paper no. 1
Read p.219-232 (Art song)
Day 19: Wednesday, March 28
Today: Concert paper no. 1 due by 3:00 p.m.
Art Song, Schubert, Schumann
Homework: Read p.233-251 (Chopin, Liszt, Berlioz)
NO CLASS Monday, April 2 and Wednesday, April 4 (Spring Break)
Day 20: Monday, April 9
Today: Piano music, Program music
Homework: Read p.251-266 (Nationalism, Dvořák, Brahms)
Day 21: Wednesday, April 11
Today: Nationalism, Symphonic works
Homework: Read p.266-283 (Verdi, Puccini, Wagner)
Day 22: Monday, April 16
Beginning of Priority Registration.
Today: Romantic Opera
Homework: Review for Test no. 3
Day 23: Wednesday, April 18
Today: Test no. 3
Homework: Read p.284-316 (20th Century Music, Debussy, Stravinsky)
Day 24: Monday, April 23
Today: Twentieth Century style, Debussy, Stravinsky
Homework: Assignment no. 4 “Listening Guide”
Read p.316-332 (Expressionism, Schoenberg, Berg, Webern)
Day 25: Wednesday, April 25
Assignment no. 4 due by 3:00 p.m.
Today: Expressionism
Homework: Read p.332-347 (Bartók, Ives, Gershwin, Still, Copland) and
p.381-388 (Musicals and Film)
Day 26: Monday, April 30
Today: In America
Homework: Read p.348-365 (Music since 1945)
Day 27: Wednesday, May 2
Today: Post-1945
Homework: Read p.365-380 (Jazz), p.388-395 (Rock), 396-411 (NonWestern Music)
Study for open-note quiz on Twentieth Century.
Department concerts: Thursday, May 3, 7:00-9:30 p.m. Shea Theater
Friday, May 4, 7:00-9:30 p.m. Shea Theater
Day 28: Monday, May 7
Today: Quiz (open-note) on Twentieth Century
Jazz, Rock, Non-western Music
Homework: Finish Concert Paper no. 2
Review for Final Exam
Day 29: Wednesday, May 9
Today: Concert paper no. 2 due by 3:00 p.m.
Review for Final Exam
Homework: Review for Final Exam
Department concert: Today, 11:00-12:15, Southampton Room 20
Day 30: Monday, May 14
Today: Final Exam
Homework: None! Have a wonderful vacation.
Snow make-up day, if necessary: Tuesday, May 15
Wednesday, May 16
.