Music Composition
by Dr. Lai Sheung Ping
31st January, 2007
Content
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I. Importance of Music Composition in
Education
II. Principles of Compositional Studies
III. Procedure of Compositional Training in
Classroom
IV. A Good Composition Teacher
V. Materials for Early Composition Lessons
VI. 20th Century Music Vocabulary
VII. Musical References
I. Importance of Music Composition
in Education
a. Composition as a U. S. National Content
Standard for Music Education
b. Composition as a special type of intelligences
c. Composition as an intellectual investigation of
musical styles and languages
d. Composition as a problem-solving discipline
II. Principles of Compositional
Studies
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Motivation
Nature vs. nurture
Idea and craftsmanship
Style does not matter. Quality matters.
Life-long learning discipline.
III. Procedure of Compositional
Training in Classroom
1. Integration of listening, performing and creating
in a music classroom since the primary level.
2. Basic compositional skills taught at the senior
secondary level.
3. How much to teach depends upon the availability
of time, the musical background of the students,
and the learning process of the students.
4. Time needs to be reserved for tutoring of
individual compositions.
5. The writing process of each beginner’s
composition should be closely monitored.
When the student composer becomes more
experienced, they could be more
independent in their learning.
IV. A Good Composition Teacher
• A good composition teacher = a good composer and a
good teacher in one.
1. Be well-equipped: having a solid foundation of compositional
techniques.
2. Be caring and be able to communicate with the students.
3. Be able to evaluate students’ works based on objective criteria and
to offer solutions to compositional problems.
4. Be positive, encouraging and inspiring to students.
5. Be open-minded with musical styles and students’ ideas.
6. Be flexible and creative with teaching method.
7. Be patient with students’ progress.
8. Be willing to spend extra time to tutor students’ compositions
individually.
V. Materials for Early Composition
Lessons
• A. Melodic Writing
• Melodic Characteristics
• Tonality and Harmonic Implication in the
Melodic Line:
B. Melodic Form
1. Melodic Units
2. Phrase relationship
3. Phrases in Combinations:
C. Harmonic Writing
• Four-part writing is the standard training of
harmony, but it is limited to one musical
style, the Bach chorale style. Harmonic
writing in different styles should be
included in the training as well.
• 20th century harmony is based on different
types of scales (besides major and minor),
different harmonic progression (other than
cycle of 5ths) and different harmonic
systems (other than tertian). It is a different
area of study. Before getting into 20th
century harmony, students’ foundation on
traditional harmony must first be solid.
D. Form and Style
• Students should be encouraged to practise
with different standard formal structures
and styles, as well as to explore new forms
and styles.
E. Instrumental Writing
1. A variety of textures and patterns of piano writing
could be discussed.
2. Students should have a general of knowledge of
the range and timbral characteristics of each
instrument for which they choose to write. It
would be ideal for composers to work closely
with performers and write music for them to play.
Writing for Piano Trio
(violin, cello and piano)
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Possible combinations of instrumentation within
a piano trio:
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Piano solo
Violin solo
Cello solo
Violin and piano duet
Cello and piano duet
Violin and cello duet
Violin, cello and piano trio
• Any of the three instruments can play the
roles of foreground (melody) as well as
background (harmonic and rhythmic
support). Sometimes, middle ground
(countermelody) occurs as well. An
interesting sounding trio should involve
constant changing of roles and relationships
among the instruments.
F. Vocal Writing
1. The same principle of instrumental writing
applies to vocal writing.
2. Composer must pay attention to text setting:
basically, setting the melody according to the
pitch inflection and rhythmic characteristic of the
text.
3. There is a limit to the level of complexity in
vocal writing which is possible in instrumental
writing.
VI. 20th Century Music Vocabulary
• Scales:
• Harmony:
• Key Centers:
• Rhythm:
• Texture:
• Timbre:
• Form:
• Styles:
Music Composition References
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Cope, David: New Directions in Music, 5th edition, Wm. C. Brown Publishers,
1989.
Forte, Allen. The Structure of Atonal Music, Yale University Press, 1973.
Kostka, Stefan: Materials and Techniques of 20th Century Music, PrenticeHall Inc., 2004.
Morgan, Robert: Anthology of Twentieth-Century Music, W.W. Norton &
Company, Inc., 1992.
Morgan, Robert: Twentieth-Century Music, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.,
1992.
Persichetti, Vincent: Twentieth-Century Harmony, Faber, 1961.
Schwartz, Elliott and Godfrey, Daneil: Music since 1945: Issues, Materials
and Literature, Schirmer Books, 1993.
Stone, Kurt: Music Notation in the Twentieth Century, W. W. Norton &
Company, Inc. 1980
Turek, Ralph: The Elements of Music, 2nd, McGraw-Hill, 1996.