MUC-117-S01: Introduction to Composition II

Spring 2018 (2 CR)

Instructor: Dr. Jonathan Sokol Location: Kulas 310

E-mail: jsokol@bw.edu Day/Time: T, R 9:05a.m. – 9:55a.m.
Office Hours: By Appointment

Course Description / Objectives:

Intro to Composition is a largely instrumentation-based course that examines in depth the characteristics
and idioms of individual instruments. In addition, emphasis will be placed on the listening to and analyzing
of current repertoire relevant to these individual instruments, as well as aspects of notation, compositional
gesture and development, and generation of material.

Required Materials:
Blatter, Alfred. Instrumentation and Orchestration. 2nd ed. New York: Schirmer Books, 1997.
Online: Instrument Studies for Eyes and Ears (ISFEE)

Attendance/Participation
Attendance is required for all class sessions. You may miss up to three (four for 3 day a week classes)
classes without penalty. Each additional absence will result in the lowering of your final grade. One absence
over the limit lowers your grade by 3%, a second over the limit lowers it by a full letter grade (8%), and a
third results in failure of the course.

An absence is any time that you miss class, whether for sickness, performance obligation, or any other
reason. All Absences, excused or unexcused, are treated the same! You are responsible for learning
all materials that you miss, and you are required to make up all work missed as a result of absence by the
beginning of the next class session. You may also be marked absent for coming to class unprepared, for
being inattentive (i.e. sleeping, texting, doing homework for other classes, for unreasonably long or
numerous trips to the restroom) during class, or for leaving before the end of the lesson. Timeliness is an
essential skill for professionals. Please make every effort to be on time for class.

Grading: Assignments = 30% A+ = 98–100% A = 95–97% A- = 92-94%

Listening Exams = 20% B+ = 89–91% B = 86–88% B- = 83-85%
Written Exams = 30% C+ = 80–82% C = 77–79% C- = 74-76%
Final Piece = 20% D+ = 71–73% D = 68–70% D- = 65-67%
F = 0–64%
Assignments (30%)
Exercises geared toward the exploration and better understanding of the weekly topic. Assignments will
be given Thursday and due the following Tuesday.
Listening Exams (20%)
Exposure to our evolving musical landscape is a must! Some listening will be done in class and revisited
on two listening exams in the semester. Continued listening outside of class is always encouraged! Pieces
examined will be relevant to the weekly or module topic(s) and will be available on Blackboard.

Listening Exam 1: Tuesday, February 27

Listening Exam 2: Tuesday, April 19

Exams (30%)
Brass & Percussion Quiz: Thursday, March 1
Keyboards & Voice Quiz: Tuesday, April 24

Final Piece (20%)

In lieu of a cumulative final exam, students will compose a piece of music between 3 and 5 minutes in
length. Instrumentation will be decided based upon enrollment. Pieces are due the penultimate week of
class, to allow time for preparation and rehearsal.

Integrity
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in any form. All work submitted in this course must be your
own and must be produced exclusively for this course. Do not copy from or communicate with another
student during an exam, do not use notes during an exam, and do not allow another student to cheat off
of you. Violations of the "Policy on Academic Dishonesty" detailed in the B-W College Catalog will result
in a failing grade and will be reported to college authorities for disciplinary action.

Tutoring
Tutoring is available, free of charge, from the B-W Learning Center. Students interested in working with
a tutor should visit the Learning Center in room 203, top floor of Ritter Library and complete a brief tutor
request form

Disability
Any student with a documented disability (e.g., physical, learning, psychological, vision, hearing, etc.) who
feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of that disability should contact the Disability
Services at 440-826-5936 in the Ritter Library, Room 207, to establish eligibility and to coordinate
reasonable accommodations. Students will not be accommodated unless they provide their instructors with
a letter from Disability Services documenting their eligibility and delineating reasonable and appropriate
accommodations. The accommodation letter must be updated each semester. Students are encouraged to
meet with each professor early in the semester to discuss their disability letter regarding how to implement
their accommodations in relation to specific course requirements.”

Registrar Dates
Last day to drop a course is Thursday, March 15, 2018
.
COURSE SCHEDULE
***Subject to change***

Part I : Brass

Week 1
Introductions; Syllabus. (p. 134 – 148)
Overtone series and transposition review
Score & parts preparation review

Week 2
Horn (p. 148 – 158)

Week 3
Trumpet (p. 158 – 169)

Week 4
Trombone (p. 169 – 178)

Week 5
Tuba (p. 178 – 190)

Part II : Percussion

Week 6
Percussion: overview, logistics (p. 191 – 241)

Week 7
Percussion, continued

Week 8
Listening Quiz 1 | Brass and Percussion Quiz

SPRING BREAK

Part III : Keyboards

Week 9
Piano (p. 242 – 245)

Week 10
Piano continued

Week 11
Organ (p. 264 – 276)
 Part IV : Voice

Week 12
Voice, ranges and text setting (p. 305 – 328)

Week 13
Voice, solo

Week 14
Voice, choral; Listening Quiz 2

Week 15
Keyboard and Voice Quiz
NO CLASS: OVATION

FINAL: TUESDAY, 5/1, 3:00p.m. – 6:00p.m.

Listening Repertoire List

**Subject to Change – PLEASE DEFER TO BLACKBOARD**

Brass
Berio, Luciano – Sequenza V
Grisey, Gérard – Accords Perdu
Harnas 2, Emil – Ice Fishing in Kanona
Marshall, Ingram – Fog Tropes
Mobberley, James – Icarus Wept
Ruo, Huang – The Three Tenses

Percussion
Carter, Elliott – 8 Pieces for Timpani
Masson, Askell – PRIM
Saariaho, Kaija – Six Japanese Gardens
Schwantner, Joseph – Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra
Schwantner, Joseph – Velocities

Keyboards
Cage, John – Sonatas and Interludes
Corigliano, John – Chiaroscuro
Cowell, Henry – The Banshee, Aeolian Harp
Crumb, George – Makrokosmos I & II
Ligeti, György – Etudes (I, IV, VI, XIII)

Voice
Aperghis, Georges – Recitations (X, XI)
Balter, Marcos – Ear, Skin, and Bone Riddles
Berbarian, Cathy – Stripsody
Crumb, George – Ancient Voices of Children
Reich, Steve – Proverb