By the time of graduation, all music majors will be expected to have taken three semesters of Music Theory and three semesters of Music History, including at least one course above the 200 level in each case.  In addition, all music majors are expected to take one class in composition, or 4 credits in some other equivalent course involving personal musical creativity (such as small jazz ensemble); and performance class, accompanied by two semesters’ worth of private performance lessons (performance class may be replaced by some other class involving regular public performance).  It will be expected that half of these requirements be completed by time of moderation.

 

For a Moderation Project, students usually give a concert of about 25-40 minutes of their own music and/or other composers’ music.  Occasionally, a substantial music history or theory paper can be accepted as a moderation project. 

 

The Senior Project consists of two concerts from 30 to 60 minutes each.  In the case of composers, one concert can be replaced by an orchestra work written for performance by the American Symphony Orchestra.  In certain cases involving expertise in music technology, and at the discretion of the appropriate faculty, it is possible to submit finished, sophisticatedly produced recordings of music rather than live performances.  An advanced research project in music history or theory can also be considered as a senior project.

 

 

College & Community Ensembles

Unless otherwise noted, each ensemble is for one credit.  It is possible to participate in more than one ensemble and receive additional credit accordingly.  If private lessons are taken in conjunction with an ensemble one or two credit may be added.  Private lessons must be separately registered.

Scholarship auditions will be held on Wednesday September 17th, 2008.

 

98001

MUS 104   Bard College Orchestra

Nathan Madsen

M . . . .

7:30 - 10:30 pm

OLIN AUDT

PART

This is a yearlong course. Students earn 2 credits per semester, and an additional 2 credits for registering in private lessons, which are strongly recommended. Auditions will be held on Saturday September 6th, 2008 from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm in Blum Hall, for new members. Please call to set up appt., 845-758-7091. Please be prepared to play two pieces—one slower and lyrical, and one faster.  First Orchestra rehearsal will be on Monday September 8th, 2008 from 7:30 pm until 10:30 pm in Olin Hall.

 

98002

MUS 105   Bard College Symphonic Chorus

James Bagwell

. T . . .

7:30 - 10:00 pm

OLIN AUDT

PART

First rehearsal will be on Tuesday September 9th, 2008.   

 

98249

MUS 106   Bard Community Chamber Music

Luis Garcia-Renart

.TBA. . .

 

 

PART

 

98250

MUS 108B   Ensemble: Contemporary

Joan Tower / Blair McMillen

TBA . . .

TBA

BLM HALL

PART

 

98251

MUS 108D   Ensemble: Chamber Singers

James Bagwell

. T . Th .

4:00 -6:00 pm

BLM HALL

PART

2 credits. Auditions will be held by appointment for new members on Tuesday September 2nd, 2008. First rehearsal will be on Thursday,

 September 4th, 2008 from 4pm to 6pm.

 

98252

MUS 108F   Ensemble:Jazz Big Band

Thurman Barker

M . . . .

7:00 -9:00 pm

BLM N211

PART

 

98253

MUS 108G   Ensemble: Chamber

Colorado Quartet

.TBA . .

 

.

PART

 

98254

MUS 108H   Ensemble: Balinese Gamelan

Mercedes Dujunco

M . . . .

7:00 -9:00 pm

TBA

PART

 

98255

MUS 108I   Ensemble: Electro-Acoustic

Marina Rosenfeld

. . W . .

6:00 -8:00 pm

BLM N110

PART

 

98256

MUS 108J   Ensemble: Percussion

Thurman Barker

. T . . .

1:30 -3:50 pm

BLM N211

PART

 

98257

MUS 108N   Contemporary Jazz Composers

Erica Lindsay

. T . . .

4:30 -6:30 pm

BLM N211

PART

 

98258

MUS 122   Introduction to Music Theory

Blair McMillen

. . W . .

. . . Th .

1:30 -2:50 pm

2:30 -3:50 pm

BLM N217

BLM N211

AART

AART

This course will serve as an introduction to reading, studying, and analyzing tonal music. Introduction to Music Theory is geared toward non-music majors as well as potential music majors who have had little or no exposure to reading music. We will begin with the basics of musical notation, progressing to the identification of scales, triads, and seventh chords.

 

98259

MUS 141  The  Music  of Wolfgang

Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Frederick Hammond

. T . Th .

10:30 - 11:50 am

OLIN 104

AART

The course will focus especially on Mozart’s music during the last decade of his life, more or less coinciding with his independence and his move to Vienna, although important earlier works will also be studied.  The operas will receive special attention.  The course is intended for the general music lover and no specialized preparation is required.  This course will fulfill a music history requirement for unmoderated music majors.   

 

98260

MUS 142   Introduction to Western Music

Peter Laki

M . W . .

10:30 - 11:50 am

BLM N217

AART

By presenting selected masterpieces in the Western tradition, this course will seek to demonstrate some of the ways in which music communicates with the listener.  In the process, a number of basic concepts underlying musical form and structure will be clarified.  Students will be encouraged to bring their own favorite works to class for general discussion.  This non-technical course requires no previous training in music.    

 

98261

MUS 171   Jazz Harmony

John Esposito

M . W . .

10:30 - 11:50 am

BLM N211

PART

Cross-listed: Africana Studies  This course will include acquisitions of the basic skills that make up the foundation of all Jazz styles. We will also study the Jazz language from ragtime to the swing era. This course fulfills a music theory requirement for music majors.   

 

98262

MUS 201   Music Theory I

Kyle Gann /

Sharon Bjorndal

. T . Th .

M . . . F

1:00 -2:20 pm

1:30 -2:50 pm

BLM N217

BLM N217

AART

AART

This course serves as an introduction to music theory and music making, and is the entry-level course to the classical theory sequence. Basics of musical notation will be the starting point, after which we will move quickly to scales and recognition of triads and seventh chords, as well as rhythmic performance. At all times the course will emphasize analysis of real music, and an ear-training component will reinforce the theoretical knowledge with practical experience. There are no prerequisites; the course serves as prerequisite for Music Theory II and all high-level theory courses. This course fulfills a music theory requirement for music majors.    

 

98263

MUS 211   Jazz in Literature I

Thurman Barker

M . W . .

10:30 - 11:50 am

BLM N210

AART

Cross-listed: Africana Studies, American Studies, Integrated Arts, SRE   This course presents some of the short stories and poems by Rudolph Fisher, Langston Hughes, Ann Petry, and Julio Cortazar. The text used in this section is ‘Hot and Cool’ by Marcela Briton and the ‘Harlem Renaissance Reader’, edited by David Lewis.

 

98264

MUS 230   20th Century Music of Conflict

Colorado Quartet

. . . Th .

1:30 -3:50 pm

OLIN 104

AART

This course will explore the origins of eclecticism in 20th Century musical expression. Through live performances by the Colorado Quartet and guest artists, the discussion will focus on cause and effect of the disintegration of tonal harmony and traditional formal relationships for composers and their audiences. Significant works by such composers as Shostakovich, Bartok, Schulhoff, Messiaen, and Crumb will serve to illuminate the relationship of music to the artistic, literary and social/political climate of their day. Readings may include Solzhenitzyn, Grass, Remarque, Denisovich, Orwell, Camus, Sartre.

 

98265

MUS 233   Evolution of the Sonata

Kyle Gann

M . W . .

3:00 -4:20 pm

BLM N217

AART

Sonata form is the most important collective achievement in European music, running from the early 18th century on and still influencing the way much music is written today.  It was considered such a natural phenomenon that it was discussed as having been “discovered,” not merely invented by mere humans, yet in many ways it was an artificial  formula that killed as much music as it enlivened.  This analysis course will study sonata form in its glorious heyday, before it was officially labeled by A.B. Marx in 1828.  We’ll start with primitive binary forms of Kuhnau and Sammartini, proceeding through works of C.P.E. Bach, Haydn, Clementi, Mozart, Dussek, Beethoven, Hummel and Schubert.  Along the way we’ll learn techniques of musical logic that could still benefit composers today, as well as fleshing out a musical era that is too incompletely seen in terms of the Haydn-Mozart-Beethoven trio.  This course is intended for musicians who have had Fundamentals I and II or the equivalent, but any interested and qualified student is welcome.   

 

98266

MUS 254A   Pronunciation & Diction

for Singers

Sharon Bjorndal

. T . . F

10:30 - 11:50 am

BLM N217

PART

This two-semester course is an introduction to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), its symbols and practical use in performing or preparing Italian, French, German and English vocal literature.  The fall semester will be devoted to the Italian and French languages, the spring to German, English, and Latin.  Through songs, arias, and choral literature, students will take from this course a basic understanding of pronunciation rules and rhythm of each language.  While it is geared towards singers and collaborative pianists, the course is also useful for other instrumentalists and students seeking to refine pronunciation and accent.  Grading will be based on a series of quizzes and two exams, including the preparation and performance of one song per language.  Ability to read music is not required.  No previous knowledge of the languages is required.    

 

98267

MUS 259   Musical Electronics: Analog, Synthesis & Processing

Robert Bielecki

. T . Th .

1:00 -2:20 pm

BLM N105

PART

This course concentrates on the creative use of electronic circuitry and the construction of devices for musical applications.  Students will develop an understanding of how basic electronic components are used in audio circuits and how to read schematic diagrams.  We’ll discuss topics such as Voltage Control, Synthesis, Filtering, Waveshaping, Phase Shifting, Ring Modulation, Theremins, Circuit Bending, etc.  We’ll work from existing designs and also create new devices as we hone our skills of soldering, point-to-point wiring and layout.  Familiarity with basic electronics and the use of hand tools is helpful but not a prerequisite for this class.  Enrollment limited.

 

98268

MUS 264   Literature & Language of Music I

James Bagwell

. T . Th .

2:30 -3:50 pm

BLM N217

AART

A survey of selected musical works composed from Gregorian chant in the Middle Ages to the early works of Beethoven around 1800.  Works will be placed in a broad historical context with specific focus on stylistic and compositional traits.  In addition, musical terminology, composers and historical and theoretical methodology will be introduced and described in relationship to the repertoire.  Students will be evaluated on the basis of short essays and two listening exams.  As we will be using scores in our discussions, basic skills in music reading are expected.  This course is primarily designed for music majors including sophomores. This course counts towards the music history requirement for music majors.  It is not required that students take the second semester, which will survey music from Beethoven to the present day.    

 

98269

MUS 266C   Jazz Repertory: BEBOP

John Esposito

M . W . .

12:00 -2:00 pm

BLM N211

PART

This performance based course is a survey of the principal composers and performers of the BEBOP Era.  Musicians included are Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Fats Navarro, Bud Powell, Max Roach and others.  The course will include readings, recorded music and films.  The students and instructor will perform the music studied in a workshop setting. Prerequisite: Jazz Harmony I or permission of instructor. This can be taken as a companion course with Jazz Harmony II.   

 

98270

MUS 276   Introduction to Opera

Christopher Gibbs

M . W . .

12:00 -1:20 pm

BLM N217

AART

This course surveys the history of opera from Monteverdi at the beginning of the seventeenth century to recent developments in performance art and musical theater.  The focus will be on a limited number of operas, including treatments of the Orpheus myth by Monteverdi and Gluck, Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Beethoven’s Fidelio,Wagner’s Die Walkure, Verdi’s La traviata, Berg’s Wozzeck, and Glass’s Satyagraha.  As many of the works to be examined have significant literary and dramatic sources, we will pay particular attention to the ways in which extraordinary works of the written and spoken word are transformed into compelling musical theater.  Classes will also include video screenings and comparisons of different productions.  It is not expected or required that students be able to read musical notation.  There will be quizzes, performance reviews, as well as brief writing assignments.  This course can be used to fulfill a music history elective for music majors.   

 

98271

MUS 302   Advanced Analysis Seminar

Kyle Gann

. T . . .

1:30 -3:50 pm

BLM N210

AART

The focus of this semester’s seminar will be minimalist and minimalist-influenced music. Minimalism was a musical style that reintroduced simplicity, drones, and repetition into music in the 1960s, but it’s methods are not always as simple as they sound, and some of the formal structures it introduced have become important paradigms for postmodern music, particularly in expanding the listening frame beyond the scale of normal concert performance.  Tracing the historical developments of the movement, we’ll analyze La Monte Young’s The Well-Tuned Piano, a six-hour improvisatory piano work in altered tuning; Steve Reich’s popular Music for 18 Musicians; parts of Philip Glass’s Einstein on the Beach; Tom Johnson’s An Hour for Piano; John Adam’s Phrygian Gates; and also postminimalist works by William Duckworth, Lois Vierk, Paul Epstein, Peter Garland, Michael Gordon, and others.  Work will consist of weekly score analysis and a final analysis paper.  Prerequisite: "any 200-level theory course past Theory 1 and 2, or permission of the instructor.   

 

98272

MUS 335   Jazz:The Freedom Principle III

Thurman Barker

M . . . .

1:30 -3:50 pm

BLM N210

AART

Cross-listed:  Africana Studies, American Studies, SRE   The third part of a four-part course in Jazz History. This section is a study of modern jazz from 1937 to 1950. Emphasis will focus on modern musicians such as Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillispie and Max Roach. We will examine the solo and combo style of these musicians. Also we will examine how the music developed from Swing to Bebop. This will be illustrated with recordings and films. This course employs a cultural approach designed to look at the social climate surrounding the music through the 40’s, such as World War II, Jim Crow laws in the south and the recording industry strike. Classroom discussions will focus on the different styles of each musician. Students will be evaluated by written assignments and oral presentations. This course reaches out to anyone with an interest in Jazz and would like to get a better understanding of the music and its effect on our culture in the last 100 years.  Enrollment limited.

 

98273

MUS 340   Intro to Experimental Music

Richard Teitelbaum

. T . . .

1:30 -3:50 pm

OLIN 104

PART

This course deals with the experimental tradition starting from Henry Cowell’s radical innovations early in the 20th century, through those of his students, pre-eminently John Cage and others of the “California School” of the 30’s and 40’s, and “The New York School” around Cage that included Feldman, Brown, Wolf and Tudor in the 50’s.  The primary focus however will be on the development of new forms, media and social organizations begun in the sixties and seventies, as exemplified by: text-based “event” pieces of the international Fluxus movement (and others); live electronic music of AMM in London, Musica Electronica Viva in Rome and Sonic Arts Union in New York; the early minimalist works of La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Philip Glass; and the influence of “open form” “free jazz” and “creative music” in establishing improvisationally-based compositional techniques and systems in the works of Anthony Braxton, George Lewis and others. Important precursors and influences such as Arnold Schoenberg (Cage’s other main teacher), Eric Satie, and such early 20th century European avant-garde movements as Dadaism, Futurism and Surrealism will be examined as background, as will the innovations of Ives, Varese and others in the United States. In addition to studying the body of work this tradition has produced and discussing its aesthetic and philosophic underpinnings, students will be encouraged to realize and perform works by the composers and artists studied, as well as to create new ones of their own.

 

98274

MUS 352   Electronics, Electroacoustic

and Computer Music Composition

Richard Teitelbaum

. . W . .

1:30 -3:50 pm

BLM N110

PART

This course, intended primarily for music majors, will be focused on the individual creative work of the students enrolled.  Each will be expected to bring in his or her ongoing work as computer programs, digital or analog recordings and scores for live electronic realization.  These will be examined and commented on by the instructor and other class members.  Installations and mixed media works will also be welcomed.  Analyses and class presentations of classic works by such composers as Stockhausen, Cage, Xenakis, etc., will also be expected of the students during the semester.  Public presentations of student work will be made at the end of the semester. By consent of the instructor.

 

98275

MUS 357A   Topics in Ethnomusicology: Music & Ritual in China and East Asia

Mercedes Dujunco

. . W . .

1:30 -3:50 pm

BLM N210

AART/DIFF

Cross-listed: Anthropology, Asian Studies, Religion   This course will consider the topic of music and ritual in the context of China and other Confucianized East Asian music cultures such as Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Students will gain an understanding of the relationship of music and ritual in this region, historically as well as in the present age. Ritual as understood here is any performed act separated from the flow of common, everyday experience and imbued with a special significance in that it is intended to and has the power to transform the states of being of its participants. Given the great upheavals and radical social and political transformations in China and other East Asian countries during the 20th century, how have traditional and folk musics in these countries managed to retain their ritualistic nature? In what ways have they changed or adapted to changing times and historical circumstances? What ritual purpose or function do they serve now in this day and age marked by intense market capitalism and increasing globalization? How are state agents dealing with or coming to terms with the persistence of religious practices amidst such changes? How are meaningful forms of beliefs and rituals (re)produced in response to modern and postmodern life?  In conjunction with this course, students will be required to attend the 13th Annual CHIME Conference on the topic, “Music and Ritual in China & East Asia,” which will be convening at Bard on October 16-19, 2008. As a final requirement, they will be expected to produce a medium-length piece of writing that encapsulates what they have learned after revisiting and re-examining the powerful roles of religious traditions and ritual practices and their convergences with East Asian musics.   

 

98276

MUS 367A   Jazz Composition I

Erica Lindsay

. . W . .

6:00 -9:00 pm

BLM N211

PART

This course explores the strategies of Jazz Composition including basic modal harmony, melodic and rhythmic development.    

 

98277

MUS 378   Music, Spectacle & Patronage

In  17th Century Italy

Frederick Hammond

. . W . .

1:00 -3:50 pm

OLIN 104

AART

This course will serve as an examination of musical patronage thorough historical documents, works of art and architecture, the decorative arts, and music.  We will consider such forms of spectacle as festivals, chivalric combat, opera, and chamber entertainments.  Of special interest will be the 1628 Parma wedding celebration, for which Monteverdi served as principal composer, and the artistic patronage of the Barberini family in Rome (1623-1644).  Recommended for music historians, cultural historians, art historians, and Italianists.  A reading knowledge of Italian is desirable but not  mandatory.  This course will fulfill a music history requirement for moderated music majors.    Cross-Listing:  Italian Studies, Art History, Dance and Theatre Arts.   

 

98278

MUS 379   Music of Debussy and Ravel

Peter Laki

M . . . .

4:00 -6:20 pm

BLM N210

AART

This course will be devoted to the works of the two great French composers in the context of their time.  We will study a broad selection of the two composers’ works, including piano and chamber music, as well as symphonic and stage works.  Topics will include an examination of their innovations in the areas of harmony and timbre; we will also explore their connections with literature and the visual arts.  Reading will include chapters from The Cambridge Companion to Debussy and The Cambridge Companion to Ravel.  Students will be expected to do individual research and write a substantial term paper by the end of the semester.  The course will fulfill a music  history requirement for moderated music majors.   

 

MUSIC WORKSHOPS

 

98279

MUS WKSHA   Workshop: Composition

Joan Tower

M . . . .

4:15 -6:35 pm

BLM HALL

PART

This workshop is for both composers and performers- primarily music majors who can read music. The process is one of learning how to put one's  musical soul onto the page, pass that  page first to players in the class and then  eventually to professionals(the  Da Capo Players) who give a concert of some of that music at the end  of each semester. All along the way, the hope is that the music will "come back" to the composer as he or she had
intended it to with some kind of profile and excitement. Please contact the instructor before registration.

 

98280

MUS WKSHB   Workshop: Performance Class

Luis Garcia-Renart /

Blair McMillen

. T . Th .

. . W . .

1:30 -3:50 pm

4:00 -6:20 pm

BLM HALL

PART

This class is conceived as a unifying workshop for performing musicians within the department. Please meet with the instructor prior to or during registration.

 

98281

MUS WKSHG   Workshop: Vocal & Voice

Arthur Burrows

. T . . .

10:00 - 12:00 pm

BDH

PART

2 credits In this singing class we explore the art songs of America, England, France and Germany, including some opera arias and ensembles depending on the make-up of the class. At the same time we learn the necessary technique to perform them successfully. Each class will be divided into two parts. The first will deal with vocal technique, and the second with technical issues that arise from individual performance. Requirements: the ability to match pitches, and an adequate vocal range. Pianists will be assigned individual singers to work with and coached in the various musical styles.   

 

98282

MUS WKSHL   Workshop: Opera Workshop

Rufus Müller /

Ilka LoMonaco

. . W . .

1:30 -3:50 pm

BDH

PART

4 credits  Work is to be decided.  For more information see Professor Muller.   Contact  Prof. Müller by email: [email protected] to arrange an audition before registration.

 

98283

MUS WKSHM   Workshop: Haydn and Who?

Rufus Müller

M . . . .

2:00 -4:20 pm

BDH

PART

2 credits  In this performance-oriented class we shall explore the many composers either known to, or influenced by, Josef Haydn.  Whilst nodding at obvious composers such as Mozart and Beethoven, the main emphasis of the class will be songs by Haydn himself, and his English contemporaries such as the Linleys, Pinto, Hook, Shield, Jackson, and Haydn’s impresario Salomon. This course is primarily for students taking singing lessons.  Accompanists are also most welcome.  Registration is available after contact with Prof. Müller by email: [email protected]

 

98284

MUS WKSHV   Chinese Music Ensemble

Mercedes Dujunco

. T . Th .

4:00 -5:20 pm

BLM 117

PART

A beginner's workshop for students interested in learning to play Chinese folk music through performance on instruments of the "silk and bamboo" (Chinese string and wind instruments) category. Students acquire basic skills on one of several instruments that may include the di (bamboo transverse flute), the erhu (2-stringed fiddle), zheng (21-string plucked board zither), yangqin (hammered dulcimer), pipa (short-necked pear-shaped plucked lute), and sanxian (long-necked 3-stringed plucked lute), with the goal of eventually playing together in ensemble. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.   

 

98287

MUS WKSHW   Workshop in Contemporary Electronics: Turntable to Game Boy

Marina Rosenfeld

. . W . .

1:30 -3:50 pm

BLM N119

PART

Cross-listed:  STS   The turntable, the sampler, the drum machine, the walkman and other consumer-derived tools are at the crux of a contemporary branch of experimental electronic music that encompasses the work of artists as diverse as Philip Jeck, Christian Marclay, Janet Cardiff, Ikue Mori, Yasunao Tone, Aphex Twin, Laurie Anderson and Otomo Yoshihide. The class will explore this music as an instrument-based practice, with a special emphasis on the turntable as an instrument whose material properties, as well as cultural significance, define its uses as an improvisatory and compositional tool. Conceptualism and visual art, free improvisation, electronic composition, DJ culture, multi-media, as well as the history and legacy of inventor-artists who pioneered the creative use or “misuse” of audio technology (John Cage, King Tubby, Milan Knizak, Grandmaster Flash) will all be considered as antecedents of contemporary practice. Students will be required to create and perform several short pieces and one larger-scale composition project exploiting the properties of one or more electronic instruments.   

 

98285

MUS WKSP3   Workshop: Jazz Improvisation I

Erica Lindsay

. . . Th .

4:00 -7:00 pm

BLM N211

PART

2 credits This class serves as an introduction to jazz improvisation. It is intended for incoming jazz ensemble players who would like to develop as improvisers, or classical players who would like to explore improvisational techniques in a jazz framework. Class size limited, open to first-year students.

 

98286

MUS WKSP7   Jazz Vocal Workshop

John Esposito

. . . Th .

7:01 -9:30 pm

BLM N211

PART

 

SPECIAL PROJECTS:

Special projects are designed for music majors only, to pursue individual or group projects with a particular professor. Schedules will be arranged.

 

98288

MUS PROJ B  Special Projects

James Bagwell

. . . . .

 

.

PART

 

98289

MUS PROJ EL  Special Projects

Erica Lindsay

. . . . .

 

.

PART

 

98290

MUS PROJ R  Special Projects

Luis Garcia-Renart

. . . . .

 

.

PART

 

98291

MUS PROJ U  Special Projects

Kyle Gann

. . . . .

 

.

PART

 

98292

MUS PROJ V  Special Projects

Joan Tower

. . . . .

 

.

PART

 

98293

MUS PROJ Z  Special Projects

Thurman Barker

. . . . .

 

.

PART