Music 4: Introduction to Western Music

University of California San Diego, Fall 2014

Mondays, 5:00-7:50pm, Warren Lecture Hall 2005
Instructor
Dustin Donahue - ddonahue@ucsd.edu
Office Hours: By appointment and Tuesday 3:00-5:00 CPMC 243.
Teaching Assistants and Section Times
Tiffany DuMouchelle - tdumouch@ucsd.edu
Office Hours: By appointment
Sections:
Wednesday, 11:00-11:50, WLH 2154
Wednesday, 12:00-12:50, WLH 2154
Ori Talmon - obenyose@ucsd.edu
Office Hours: Monday, 9:00-9:50am WLH 2124
Sections:
Monday, 10:00-10:50, WLH 2154
Monday, 11:00-11:50, WLH 2154
Ryan Welsh rwelsh@ucsd.edu
Office Hours: By appointment
Sections:
Wednesday, 1:00-1:50, WLH 2154
Friday, 9:00-9:50, WLH 2154
Course Description
This course surveys the development of Western music from the early Christian church to
the aftermath of World War II. Throughout this course, music will function as a lens through
which we can experience cultural change in the Western world. Particular attention will be given
to the role of the artist in society, the social and economic forces that fostered the arts, and the
cultural construction of hearing in each epoch. Furthermore, this course aims to develop critical
listening skills and a meaningful musical vocabulary. Close attention will be given to particular
works as we dissect their inner workings, influences, and innovations.
Resources
Textbook: Listen, 7th Edition. Joseph Kerman and Gary Tomlinson.
Audio: 6-CD Set to Accompany Listen, 7th Edition.
*Note: An e-book version of the text and streaming access to the audio is
available at http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/listen7e/
Course Website: ted.ucsd.edu
Assignments, Exams, and Grading
Grade Breakdown:
Section Attendance:
Concert Assignment:
Reading Responses:
Midterm Exam:
Final Exam:

10%
15%
15%
30%
30%

Grading Scale:
A+
A
A-

97-103
93-96
90-92

B+
B
B-

87-89
83-86
80-82

C+
C
C-

77-79
73-76
70-72

D+
D
D-

67-69
63-66
60-62

F
P
NP

0-59
70-100
0-69

Attendance:
Section attendance is required. After the first section absence, each further
absence will lower your attendance grade by 10%.
Concert Assignment: Due via TurnItIn on TED by 11:59pm on 12/15.
You must attend one concert during the fall quarter and respond to the prompt
provided on TED. Only certain concerts are approved for this assignment.
Possible concerts are listed in the prompt.
Reading Responses: Due in section when indicated (in print.)
Three short reading assignments will expand upon lecture material by exploring
primary-source documents. A prompt will be posted on TED for each assignment
and will require a short written response.
Format for written work:
12-point, standard font. Double spaced. 1 margins.
Exams:
Midterm: 11/10 during the second half of lecture.
Final Exam: 12/18, 7:00-10:00pm, Location TBA.
The exams will be entirely multiple choice. Scantrons will be provided.
Exams will test listening skills, historical information, and musical concepts.
The final exam will not be cumulative, but will rely upon foundational concepts
from the first half of the course.
Course Policies
. Turn off your cell phones when you enter the classroom.
. Refrain from typing or making noise when listening to musical examples.
. Late work will not be accepted.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to honor the Universitys policy of academic integrity. All written
work must be your own. Please include detailed citations when discussing or quoting the
ideas of others. Any evidence of cheating or plagiarism will be reported to the Deans
office for disciplinary action. For more information, see: academicintegrity.ucsd.edu.
Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities requiring accommodations should discuss their needs directly
with the Office of Students with Disabilities (OSD). After registering with the OSD,
students should meet with the instructor during office hours to discuss accommodations
within the first week of class so that timely arrangements can be made.

Course Schedule

Listen pages and Assignments

October 6
1. Introduction
2. Music of the Early Christian Church

(Recommended: Chapters 1-5)

p. 48-53, p. 56-58

October 13
3. Secular Music and The Ars Nova
4. Renaissance: Mass and Madrigal

p. 54-55, p. 59-61
p. 65-78

October 20
5. The Birth of Opera
6. Instrumental Music of the Baroque

p. 83-92, Chapter 9, p. 139-148

Chapter 10

October 27
7. The Symphony
8. The Symphony, Continued

Reading response 1 due in section.

Chapter 12, Chapter 13

November 3
9. Mozart and Classical Opera
10. Beethovens Fifth Symphony

Chapter 14
p. 209-221

November 10
11. Perspectives on Romanticism
Midterm Exam (covering lectures 1-10)

Reading response 2 due in section.

Chapter 16, p. 238-242,
p. 250-251, p. 254-259

November 17:
12. Romantic Opera
13. Realism, Nationalism, and Orientalism

p. 260-277
p. 278-282, p. 286-291 (top)

November 24
14. The Late Romantic
15. Modernism: Debussy and Stravinsky

p. 290-299
p. 305-325

December 1
16. Expressionism and Music in America
17. Music of Wartime

Reading response 3 due in section.

p. 325-338, p. 347-350
p. 352-355

December 8
18. Music of Forgetting: After WWII
19. Minimalism and Postmodernism
(December 15)
December 18 (7:00-10:00pm, Location TBA.)
Final Exam (covering lectures 11-19)

Concert assignment due via

TurnItIn on TED by 11:59pm