UWM Department of Music

Graduate Theory Comprehensive Exam

Guidelines for preparation and study
updated January 24, 2012

The Graduate Theory Comprehensive Exam evaluates your skills in music theory, your
knowledge of the history of compositional technique, and your capacity to integrate these
abilities in the practice of music analysis and interpretation.

The exam is offered three times annually: once in each semester, and once during the summer.
Examinations are generally scheduled for Saturday afternoons. The examination is three
hours in length, and is "closed-book"; no study aids or materials may be consulted during
the exam.

Students are strongly recommended to complete their required graduate theory courses prior to
taking the Comprehensive Exam. Music 744 (Graduate Theory Seminar) and Music 731
(Twenty-First Century Theories) are the departmental theory offerings which will be most
helpful in preparing for the exams; other theory courses (such as those offered as Music
680: Special Topics in Music) may not address the specific materials of the exam.

Beyond your choice of coursework, effective preparation for the exam will include review of the
history of music theory and the history of compositional techniques and forms (the Grove
dictionary can be very helpful here), and practice with analysis of short works from the
18th century to the present. Reflecting on the types of works which might be appropriate
for analysis questions, and choosing some models from the library to practice with, is a
useful exercise in its own right. You can also revisit the Norton score anthologies to
locate typical works and review the ways that a professional music theorist might address
those compositions.

Practice exams are not available at this time. However, the remainder of this document should
help to set your expectations. The exam is in four sections:

1. Terms and definitions (20%)

Eighteen terms pertaining to music theory, analysis, and/or compositional technique are
provided. Students are asked to choose twelve of the eighteen terms, provide a short
definition (typically one sentence), and name a composer or theorist associated with the
term.
The terms typically span the entire history of written Western music, from the medieval
period to the present day. They include theoretical descriptions of and labels for chords,
scales, and modes; types of analytic techniques, and terminology specific to those
techniques; historical forms and conventions; and compositional techniques.

2. Formal structures (20%)

Three short essay questions (which can typically be answered in one paragraph, or in
some cases with a chart or diagram) concerning formal conventions and their historical
evolution. For instance, how do the specific formal types associated with genres (like the
aria or the concerto) evolve over time? How might a typical sonata allegro movement,
symphony, or opera composed in 1780 differ from one composed in 1870? Why don't
certain genres have conventional formal types, and why don't certain eras of
composition?
3. Tonal analysis (30%)
An analysis of a brief work of tonal music, or of a brief excerpt from a longer work.
Expect to mark the score with a roman numeral analysis, identify and label cadences and
modulations, and segment the work into phrases (as well as subphrases and/or phrase
groups as applicable). This section typically also requires a brief written narrative,
addressing issues such as the work's relationship to formal conventions, notable harmonic
features, text-music relationships, or other interpretive issues.

4. Contemporary analysis (30%)

An analysis of a brief work of twentieth-century or contemporary music, or of a brief
excerpt from a longer work. Works presented will not subscribe to the conventions of
18th- or 19th-century tonality, but all other approaches and compositional techniques are
fair game. (In other words, you should not assume that this section will cover a twelve-
tone composition, although it might). Appropriate techniques of analysis will vary with
the work; while guidelines are generally provided, part of the challenge of this section is
to determine which approaches will be most fruitful with an unfamiliar composition. As
with section 3, the exam typically requires both a marked score, and a short written
narrative summarizing your understanding of the piece.
 GRADUATE THEORY TERMINOLOGY

Research the following terms. These terms are chosen because they should each lead you to 
a broader understanding regarding various aspects of music theory. In particular, 
research these terms using Grove Music Online (available through the University of 
Wisconsin­Milwaukee Music Library web site) and the online music dictionary at 
Dolmetsch Online: http://www.dolmetsch.com/musictheorydefs.htm
Additionally, research these terms using the various music dictionaries that are maintained
in the UWM Music Library. 

Aggregate all 12 pitches Rhyming phrases Klarinette in Es

Agogic accented bc of length  Da capo aria Eb clarinet ­ soprano
Antecedent phrase  phrase??? Ternary opera ABA (from the Lydian mode
Applied dominant take dominantHead (improv? Or beg) Mediant relationship
chord from another key Deceptive Cadence Going up or down a M or m 3rd
Articulation Development Mensural notation
Augmented sixth chord 2  part of sonata. Themes 
nd Vocal notation. Mensural: able to meas
Explored and ltered Rhythmic durations
Authentic cadence Dissonance Meter
Dominant­Tonic relationship Minuet and trio
b­Moll ***
Enharmonic Dance form. Ternary. 
Borrowed chord chord borrow
Episode Mode mixture
From parralell key
CM to Cm Area between entrances of sub Using chords from parallel key
Exposition (sonata form) Neapolitan chord
Broken chord style
Theme material here Chord build on lowered second
Canon at the fifth Neighboring
Cantus firmus existing melod Figured bass
Symbols indicate intervals  P x I Matrix   **********
Used for a basis of a compo
and chords Parallel key
Chaconne repeating 
First­species counterpoint AM to am
Progreesion or bass line
Note to note polyphony. Moves Parallel period
Closely related keys
together Similar sounding, besides cadence
Coda Passacaglia
Golden mean
Codetta Proportions in music. fibonacci Repeated bass with variations
Combinatoriality 6 and 6 notes Ground bass Passing
Ina  12 tone row combine Theme in bass repeated Period
Common (or pivot) chord modulation
Half cadence Two phrases – ante and consequent
Common key relationships Harmonic series Phrase model
Composite (compound) ternaRy Harmonics, fundamentals.  t­­­­t­­­­­pd­­­­­d­­­­t­­­­
Trio form. A a1 b(trio) a a1 Harmonic rhythm Pitch­class set
Compound melody Rate at which chords change List of pitch class #’s
Single voice skipping to create  Interval vector ******* Plagal cadence
2 melodies Inversion (harmonic) Proportional notation
Consequent phrase Inversion (melodic) Rhythms spaced horizontally to clarify
Contrasting Period  Isorhythm Quartal
Two phrases not similar  Reapeating rhythmic pattern Harmonic structures that love 4ths 
Con sordino Klangfarben melodie Real answer
MUTE SoundColor melody. Melody split Exact transposition of subject
Couplet Between several instruments Recapitulation
Altered repeat of expo. 1st sub, transition
Theme Group (Subject Group)
Then 2  subject
nd

Refrain Through­composed
The chorus. Lines that are repeatedTonal answer
Relative key Intervals altered to maintain
Retransition key
Sonata allegro­ last part of development
Tone cluster
Leads to tonic of main key. Tone poem
Ripieno Based on a poem or novel. 1
“stuffing” instruments in an ensmeble
Movement 
Ritornello Transition
“little return” – orchestral  Tromba in Re
Interlude between arias Urlinie
Scherzo =Fundamental line…melodic aspect of
Playful composition structure
Secondary Dominant Ursatz= fundamental structure…
Dominant chord leading tone “stepwise descent from triad to tonic”
Relationship to another key
Variations ­ constant harmony
Sequence
Variations ­ melody outline
Serialism
Series of values to manipulate
Different musical elements 12 t
Species counterpoint
Basic counterpoint – 5 stages
Spectral music
Computer anal – quality of
Timbre 
Strophic
All verses of text sung to the
 same music
Suite
Ordered set of instrumental 
pieces
Sul ponticello
Suspension
Symmetrical scale 
Scale with equally divided 
octave
Tempo modulation

Ternary form
Tertian
Constructed by 3rds
Tessitura
Comfy vocal range
Tetrachord
Texture
How Tempo, melody and 
Harmony Are combined
 University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee
Peck School of the Arts
Department of Music
Musicology and Ethnomusicology Area
Guidelines for preparation and study for Music History Comprehensive Exam
updated October 17, 2016

The Graduate History Comprehensive Exam evaluates your knowledge of the history of musical
styles and major works from all periods of Western music.
The exam is offered three times annually: once in each semester, and once during the summer.
Examinations are generally scheduled for Saturday afternoons and are four hours in
length.
Students are strongly recommended to complete their required music history seminars and
coursework prior to taking the Comprehensive Exam: Music 710 and 71l and, where
applicable, Music 704 and 314.

Beyond your coursework (the content of the exam does not necessarily derive from coursework),
effective preparation for the exam will include a systematic review of the facts of the
history of music (your undergraduate textbook and anthology and Grove Music Online
can be very helpful here), and studying scores and recordings of the Standard Repertory
in order to identify the principal features of musical style of each historical period. You
will be asked to write about specific works and their significance in music history.

Previous Comprehensive Exams are available from the Department Office for review. The
identification questions are "closed-book"; no study aids or materials may be consulted
during these parts of the exam.

The exam comprises four parts:

I. Listening Identification:

Four recorded selections will be played. Each will encompass a complete piece or a section of a
larger movement. Take into account all the following areas: performance medium,
texture, harmonic language, rhythmic style, melodic style, formal organization and
treatment of text (if there is one). Make sure you comment/outline as many of these areas
as you can hear and then, given what you have heard, draw some conclusions as to
composer, work, and approximate date. In the Medieval and Renaissance periods you
should aim to locate the work in a specific century, and within regional traditions (Italian
madrigal, Burgundian Polyphony, Notre Dame Polyphony, etc.). In music after the
Renaissance, wherever possible aim to locate the work within a specific decade of the
century, and within a national/regional tradition.

II. Score Identification:

There are five scores—either portions of larger works or complete pieces. Identify everything
you can in each score in terms of stylistic and technical characteristics that would enable
you to determine the composer, approximate date of composition, genre, etc., for each
work. Make sure you comment/outline as many of these areas as you can hear and then,
given what you have heard, draw some conclusions as to composer, work, and
approximate date. In the Medieval and Renaissance periods you should aim to locate the
work in a specific century, and within regional traditions (Italian madrigal, Burgundian
Polyphony, Notre Dame Polyphony, etc.). In music after the Renaissance, wherever
possible aim to locate the work within a specific decade of the century, and within a
national/regional tradition.

III. Works for Identification:

Identify 10 out of approximately 30 works listed—there are ten groups of terms and you must
answer one term from each group. In addition to the composer (where applicable),
medium, genre, form, and approximate date of composition, a complete identification
will include a concise discussion of the significance of the work in the history of Western
music.

IV. Essay:

Two weeks before the examination, your area of concentration or major supervising instructor
will give you a topic to research. At the exam, write a well-organized essay discussing
that topic. Be sure to plan your writing time carefully so that you can cover all significant
aspects of the question, demonstrating the breadth of your research and your
comprehension of the significant issues. Most areas allow the use of scores and notes; the
Voice Area does not.