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2020/2021

Musical Language II

Code: 100658 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500240 Musicology FB 1 2
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Gabrielle Kaufman
Email:
GabrielleEmelie.Kaufman@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

Teachers

Joaquim Maria Vallvé Cordomí
Xavier Daufí i Rodergas

Prerequisites

It is recommended to have the musical knowledge equivalent of a Conservatoire degree at the lower professional level (grau mitjà de música).

Objectives and Contextualisation

This course explores Musical Language and intends to focus on significant aspects of musical elements in order to offer basic tools for understanding both content and structure of musical discourse.

Students are expected to:
• Deepen their comprehension of all elements that make up the musical language.
• Listen to and understand a work or musical fragment.
• Deepen the practice of their musical ear.
• Analyse a work or musical fragment as globally as possible using music examples and analysis of scores.
• Know the basics of musical structure.
• Consolidate the knowledge they acquired in Musical Language I.

Competences

  • Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  • 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 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 an artistic object with the specific language of art criticism.
  2. Conceptually analysing a work of the subject matter.
  3. Critically taking part in classroom oral debates and using the discipline's specific vocabulary.
  4. Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental problems, vocabulary and concepts of music.
  5. Discern equivalences and differences.
  6. Discern the basic elements of the main areas of music and culture and relate them to musical praxis. Develop the experience of cultural relativity in the act of listening.
  7. Recognise in musical praxis element of different cultures and different historical periods.
  8. Recognise the main models and their application in musical works.

Content

Elements of musical language:
• Rhythm, melody and harmony.
• Modality, tonality and atonality.
• Modal and tonal degrees.
• Tonal functions.
• Triads and four-part chords
• Function of a chord in different tonalities
• Construction of inverted chords.
• Figured bass.
• Chord successions
• The melody and the harmonic scheme.
• Cadences, modulations and cadential process.
• Harmonic realization.


Formal analysis:
• Form and structure.
• Phrase, subject and motif.
• Repetition, imitation and contrast.
• Musical texture: monody, accompanied melody, homophony and counterpoint.


Genre and style:
• Vocal and instrumental genres:
Motet, Madrigal, Aria and Recitative, Choir, Cantata, Oratory, Opera, Lied, Villancico / Prelude, Fugue,
Suite, Sonata, Concert, Symphony, Quartet, Variation.

Methodology

The methodological approach throughout the course will be based on the following principles:

  • The classes will be predominantly practical.
  • The acquirement of theoretical knowledge will be the consequence of daily practice.
  • The basic procedures for all classroom activity will be: listening, expression, performance, comprehension and musical composition.
  • Group work and individual work will be alternated.
  • Computer software will be used, both individually with free software (musescore...) and, if possible, in specific teaching laboratories
  • There will be analysis activities and musical practice in small groups.

On Moodle the student will find a diverse range of auxiliary material for different activities, such as;

  • Auditory training
  • Reading of musical works
  • Analysis of structures and other elements of musical language.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Analysis of structures and musical textures 14 0.56 2, 4, 1, 6, 5, 8
Reading and listening to musical works 14 0.56 5, 3
Recognition of vocal and instrumental genres 14 0.56 2, 4, 6, 5, 8
Type: Supervised      
Analysis activities and musical practice in small groups 11 0.44 2, 4, 5, 8
Participation in the proposed tasks on moodle 13 0.52 2, 4, 8
Use of computer software 10 0.4 2, 4, 5, 8
Type: Autonomous      
Performing melodies, figured bass, cadences, harmonic functions, dictations 40 1.6 2, 4, 5, 8
Reading and studying proposed repertoire 25 1 4, 5, 8

Assessment

The assessment will be composed of the following elements:

  • Continuous assessment of both class room practice and the proposed activities on Moodle
  • Sight reading, intonation and performance (20%)
  • Dictation (20%)
  • Analysis (15%)
  • Composition and harmonic realization (45%)

The assessment schedule will contain a number of different activities:

  • Graded weekly hand-ins, both in class and on Moodle (different questionnaires related to theory, harmony, dictation, tonal functions, recordings..)
  • Early May: Fugue analysis and harmonic realization
  • Early June: Sonata analysis, harmonic realization, melodic two-voice dictation
  • Mid-June: Final Composition project
  • Mid-June: Oral exam

An additional 0.5 points will be added to the final grade for students who deliver all class assessment elements and all assessment elements on Moodle (approx. 14 voluntary assignments.)

Students with a medium score of 3.5/10 will have the right to take the reevaluation exam (written assessment elements only).

The review of the exams will be done in class during the week following the publication of the final grades.

In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives. 

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject,the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Composition project 30% 4 0.16 2, 4, 6, 5, 8, 7
Fugue Analysis 5% 0 0 2, 4, 6, 5, 8, 7
Melody Analysis 5% 0 0 2, 6, 5, 8
Oral exam (individual sight reading) 8% 1 0.04 5
Questionnaires with dictations or listening exercises on Moodle. 20% 0 0 2, 4, 1, 6, 5, 3, 8
Questionnaires with harmony exercises on Moodle. 15% 0 0 2, 4, 1, 6, 5, 3, 8, 7
Recordings of score reading 12% 4 0.16 2, 4, 6, 5, 8
Sonata Analysis 5% 0 0 2, 4, 6, 5, 8

Bibliography

GARCÍA, J. M., Forma y estructura en la música del s. XX, ed. Alpuerto, Madrid, 1996.

HINDEMITH, P., Armonía Tradicional, ed. Ricordi Americana, Buenos Aires, 2009.

HODEIR, A., Cómo conocer las Formas de la Música, ed. Edaf, Madrid, 1988.

KÜHN, C., Tratado de la Forma Musical, ed. Labor, Barcelona, 1992.

MICHELS, U., Atlas de Música, I, Alianza Editorial, Madrid, 1985.

MICHELS, U., Atlas de Música, II, Alianza Editorial, Madrid, 1992.

PISTON, WALTER, Armonía,Labor, Barcelona, 1992.

SCHOENBERG, A., Funciones Estructurales de la Armonía, ed. Labor, Barcelona,1990.

SEGARRA, I., El Meu llibre de Música V, ed. Publicacions de l'Abadia de Montserrat, 1986.

XUCLÀ, T., Harmonia popular i moderna, Edicions El mèdol, Tarragona, 1998.

ZAMACOIS, J., Tratado de Armonía, ed. Labor, Barcelona, 1982 (3 volums).

ZAMACOIS, J., Curso de formas musicales, ed. Labor, Barcelona, 1994.

 

(There will be complementary information on Moodle for this course: harmony material, websites of exercises and musical theory etc ...)