Listening Log for Music Theory Classes

LISTENING LOG FOR MUSIC THEORY CLASSES Phillip Magnuson

I. DESCRIPTION

Instead of writing a performance report on one concert, music theory students will compile a listening log of 6-10 independent pieces or movements within a larger work (but no arrangements) heard in live concert. Each piece (or movement) must be at a minimum 6 minutes long, and must represent different ensemble formats:

Half of the pieces performed by a large ensemble (orchestra, band, or chorus of more than 30 performers)
Half of the pieces performed by a small ensemble (3-8 performers) or from solo repertoire (solo or solo with accompaniment)

The concerts/recitals from which these pieces are to be extracted may be performed either on or off campus, and may be either professional or student in nature. You may not be a member of any ensemble. More than half of the compositions must be from a repertoire different from your primary performance area:

String players must write about music for wind/percussion instruments, keyboard, and voice
Wind/percussion players must write about music for string instruments, keyboard, and voice
Keyboard players must write about music for string/wind/percussion instruments and voice
Vocalists must write about music for string/wind/percussion instruments and keyboard

Repertoire for each log must focus on Western art music in the given time period for each semester:

MUS 112: 6 pieces written between 1600 and 1800 (Baroque and early Classical periods)
MUS 211: 8 pieces written between 1800 and 1900 (late Classical and Romantic periods)
MUS 212: 10 diverse pieces written in the past 100 years, each of which represents microcosms discussed in class (each piece must be labeled by the year of composition)

Your report is due no later than three weeks before the last day of classes each semester; it will not be accepted late. It would be advisable to plan on writing at least one log entry each week and the introduction and conclusions after. The grade will count as a triple quiz, and failure to submit the report will result in an "Incomplete" for the course.

II. CONTENT AND ORGANIZATION OF REPORT

Header in the upper left hand corner, single spaced:

Listening Log for Music Theory
(your name)
(date)
Introduction, one page minimum, describing music of the time period for your log as you perceive it from music theory studies; do not include historical information.

New page for each entry, one page minimum, with a header in the upper left hand corner of the first page only, single spaced, giving this information:

(title of work) (MUS 212 include year of composition)
(movement name or song/aria, if applicable)
(composer with birth and death years, if deceased)
(name of group or performers, with instrument/voice)
(date of performance)

e.g.:

Le Nozze di Figaro
"Voi che sapete"
W. A. Mozart (1756-1791)
Kay Rubino, soprano and Libby Racci, piano
15 November 2009

The content of each entry must draw connections between the repertoire and your music theory studies by providing examples and developing observations for each of the following five topics (use words in bold as section headers):
- Tonality (include phrase design, cadences, modulation, and form)
- Pitch vocabulary (include important melodic events and use of chromaticism)
- Musical textures (include counterpoint observations and use of articulations)
- Sonorities (include harmonic patterns and use of dissonance)
- Time organization (include meter, rhythms, and tempi)
Final page entitled "Conclusions", one page minimum, summarizing your observations and how they relate to the time period.

III. DEVELOPMENT, STYLE, AND MECHANICS

This report is to be a statement of your perception of the music and how it relates to your music theory studies. Do not include historical background and do not write verbose similes about the music. As you are drawing connections as stated above, develop your writing into an informative narrative, supported by examples.

Be sure your words are well chosen and effectively convey what you are trying to say. An excellent practice is to read your report out loud before you turn it in.

Please follow all standard mechanics for good writing, which includes (but is not limited to) proper grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.

IV. FORMAT

MUS 112: 8 pages minimum; MUS 211: 10 pages minimum; MUS 212: 12 pages minimum
Text: double spaced
All headers: single spaced
Font: Times, 12-pt.
1 inch margins
Paper clip the report together (do not staple)

V. SOME SPECIAL MECHANICS FOR WRITING ABOUT MUSIC

(Errors made in this section will be identified by number on your report)

A song is a short work for solo voice. Do not use this term when writing about instrumental or choral music. Acceptable terms are piece, composition, or work (among others), or simply refer to the music by its title or genre, such as opera or symphony.
Do not use contractions (e.g., I'm, don't, or haven't) in formal writing.
Titles of compositions are general italicized (e.g., La Traviata or Fanfare for the Common Man). Exceptions to this:
1. Short songs or arias that use a line of the text as a title are put in quotation marks (e.g., "Voi che sapete" or "Some Enchanted Evening"). Generally, choral works should be italicized unless the title is also the first line of text in English (other languages, italicize).
2. Titles that refer to a composite form (e.g., Sonata, Suite, Symphony, Concerto, Quartet, Divertimento, Serenade, Mass, Cantata, Passion) are simply capitalized, without italics . If the work is numbered, the number designation is also capitalized (e.g., Symphony No. 5).
Individual movements of a general nature (e.g., Allegro, Largo, Rondo, or Finale) are simply capitalized. However, if a movement title is a specific one given by the composer (e.g., "Scene by a brook"), quotation marks should be used. In general, selections from a larger work (e.g., musical excerpts from a movie) also follow this pattern.
Labels following a title, such as op. (opus), no. (number), or year (1898), are not part of the title; they are qualifiers which place a particular piece in the context of a composer's life. Consequently, they should be lowercase and are never italicized (e.g., Pavane, op. 6, no. 2). These should only be used in the first citation and are deleted on subsequent references. Catalogue numbers (such as K. for Mozart) are capitalized.
Keys in a title are written uppercase (e.g., C Major, or B-flat Minor). They immediately follow the title or genre, and are never italicized.
Always name the composer (or arranger) of every piece, and give the full name on first reference. They should be placed after the title (e.g., Symphony in G Minor by Joseph Haydn), and never before with the possessive (Joseph Haydn's Symphony in G Minor).
Deceased composers should be placed in historical context with birth and death years. Living composers are not historical, and should not even have a birth year.
Please do not refer to a performer's feelings (such as "lack of emotion"). You cannot read someone else's mind and perceive what he/she is feeling. Of much greater importance would be to speak of the effect that performance has on you.

VI. GRADING CRITERIA

.	3	2	1	0	GRADING SCALE:
Content	Outstanding content	Good content, with minor lapses	Some content, with many lapses	Poor content, with major lapses	13-15 = A Outstanding
Organization	Outstanding organization	Good organization, with minor flaws	Some organization, with many flaws	Poor organization, with major lapses	10-12 = B Good
Develpment of ideas	Outstanding development, detailed support	Good development, mostly supported	Some development, partially supported	Poor development, little support	7-9 = C Average
Style	Outstanding, precise language	Good, generally effective language	Adequate, but imprecise language	Poor, ineffective use of language	4-6 = D Weak
Mechanics	No errors in mechanics	Minor errors in mechanics	Many errors in mechanics	Major errors in mechanics	0-3 = F Poor