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2019/2020

Musical Criticism

Code: 100644 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500240 Musicology OT 3 0
2500240 Musicology OT 4 0

Contact

Name:
César Calmell Piguillem
Email:
Cesar.Calmell@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Prerequisites

-Solid knowledge of History of Music

-Music analysis skills

-Music Aesthetics knowledge

-Knowledge of the fundamentals of organology

-Writing and speaking proficiency

-Being in possession of a extensive repertoire of music in different styles and genres

Given the fact that a lot of historical critical pieces that will be commented at class come from collections of critical texts translated to English, we recommend students be able read English fluently        

  

Objectives and Contextualisation

Talking or writing about music are both activities that always have accompanied the aural and visual experience of music; but if talking and writing are general means of expression and communication in all the scientific disciplines –musicology included-, in the commentary and critics of music, those activities: talking and writing, have a very definite objective that brings with it the use of an specific oral or written methodology:  to inform amateur musically whatever it may be the level of his/her musical competences, or to enrich  his/her aesthetic experiences throughout well exposed or written stories,  solidly well-founded, and sufficiently intelligent and imaginative to attract his/her interest.         

Competences

    Musicology
  • Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  • Identify and compare the different channels of reception and consumption of music in society and in culture in each period.
  • Producing innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
  • Relate concepts and information from different humanistic, scientific and social disciplines, especially the interactions which are established between music and philosophy, history, art, literature and anthropology.
  • Relate musical creations with their different contexts, differentiating between the social functions of music, its roles and that of the musician in society and in relation to other artistic manifestations.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Accurately describing the artistic object with the specific language of art criticism.
  2. Apply the conceptualisation of philosophy, history, literature and anthropology to musical research.
  3. Demostrate creative and innovative skills in the area of professional application of musicological training.
  4. Detect possible fields of innovation and improvement for proposals of cultural and leisure management.
  5. Develop habits for transfer to the ambit of musical dissemination and information the musical training acquired.
  6. Establishing relationships between science, philosophy, art, religion, politics, etc.
  7. Evaluate the consumption of music in contemporary society.
  8. Identify the complexity of music reception processes.
  9. Identify the connections between current musical creation and the sociopolitical and cultural circumstancesticas in which it takes place.
  10. Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  11. Integrate knowledge acquired in the production of clear and concise appropriate to the academic and specialist communication.
  12. Personally and critically transfer knowledge acquired in the field of musicology to the pertinent professional and work environments.
  13. Produce correct, precise and clear argumental and terminological writing of knowledge acquired, both in the area of musical specialisation and dissemination.
  14. Producing a written text that is grammatically and lexically correct.
  15. Summarizing the characteristics of a written text in accordance to its communicative purposes.

Content

1/ Aesthetic foundation of music criticism

2/ The three great categories of critical analysis: descriptive, interpretative and evaluative statements

3/ Music’s meaning

4/ Criteria and considerations of the critic and the music commentator facing a piece of music

5/ Criticism throughout History of music: trends and approaches

6/ Workshop for building critical texts     

 

Methodology

In the course, master classes will be complementary with musical auditions, images of great masterworks, or by conceptual synthesis of the subject in Power-point. These professor’s speeches count on the participation of students in specific aspects that have to be explained both in practical sessions and through tutorials.

On the other hand, students will be required to expose, in groups of two, brief conferences around compositor’s works, music styles, or specific musical and artistic movements, prior agreement between the group and the professor.

This activity will be will go with the responsibility to attend two live-concerts from which the two pieces of criticism are built. On the contrary, for the listening analysis of a fragment of music, students can use recorded music (Cd’s, You-tube’s, etc.). This analytical piece must be delivered at the end of November, and must be based on analysis of a mouvement of a concert, symphony in baroque, classic, romantic or contemporary styles or of a vocal work within the same styles.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Attendance to two live concerts which will be the material to prepare the pieces of criticism 10 0.4
Theoretical and practical master classes around musical criticism and commentary 50 2 14, 1, 8, 6, 9
Type: Supervised      
Indications to prepare the individual composition of two written pieces of criticism corresponding to two live-concerts, as well as the listening musical analysis of a part of a musical masterwork 5 0.2 2, 7, 13, 14, 1, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11
Indications to prepare, in group, a commentary about a compositor's master-piece, about a genre, an style or an aesthetical musical trend, putting them in their correct sociocultural context 15 0.6 2, 3, 1, 5, 6, 9, 10
Personal and in group tutorials in both face-to-face and virtual modalities 5 0.2
Type: Autonomous      
Preparation and coordination of an oral music commentary exposed in group 5 0.2 2, 3, 1, 5, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
Study of the notes taken down at class and reading of items included in the Bibliography 34 1.36 2, 3, 5, 6, 11, 15, 12
composition of two pieces of criticism correponding to 2 live concerts in different styles, and a listening musical analysis of a musical composition co 20 0.8 2, 7, 13, 14, 1, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Assessment

-Final written test of Theory of criticism (30%)

-Class attendance and proactive attitude (10%)

-Conference exposed in group (2 students) about a composer’s work, genre, style, or about a aesthetic movement and its relationship with music (20%)

- A listening musical analysis of a movement of a concert or symphony in baroque, classic, romantic or contemporary styles, or of a vocal work within the same styles (delivery at the end of November) (5%)

- Individual composition of two written pieces of criticism corresponding to two live concerts belonging to different styles. (Delivery at the end of the course) (35%)

 

 

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Class attendance 10% 0 0 2, 13, 14, 1, 5, 8, 9, 10, 15
Exposition, in groups of two, of brief conferences around compositor's works, music styles, or specific musical and artistic movements 20% 2 0.08 2, 7, 1, 8, 6, 11, 15, 12
Final written test about theory of criticism and practical text analysis of a piece of musical criticism 30% 2 0.08 2, 7, 1, 5, 4, 8, 12
Presentation at the end of the course of two written pieces of criticism and at the end of November, of an listening musical analysis of a section of music taken from classical repertoire 40% 2 0.08 2, 7, 13, 14, 3, 1, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12

Bibliography

Bibliografia

  • Cascudo Teresa/Palacios, Maria: Los señores de la crítica.Periodismo musical e ideologia del modernismo en Madrid (1900-1950). Doble J, Editorial. Madrid, 2012
  • Dalhaus C/ Eggelbrecht H.H: “Música buena y mala“ (en ¿Qué es la música?. Acantilado. Barcelona 2012.
  • French Richard F.: Music and Criticism. Harvard University Press
  • Graf, Max: Composer and Critic. Two hundret years of Musical Criticism. Norton and Company. New york, 1946
  • Meyer, Leonard B.: Emoción y significado en la música. Alianza Editorial.Madrid, 2001
  • Scruton, Roger: The Aesthetics of Music. Clarendon Press. Oxford, 1997
  • Shick, Robert D.: Classical Music Criticism. Garland Publishing, Inc. New York, 1996
  • Thompson, Oscar: Practical Musical Criticism. [reedició] Da Capo. New York, 1979