Undergraduate Composition

Composing for Pierrot Ens

This course provides an immersive experience in music composition, focusing on both practical and theoretical aspects within a given instrumentation. Please refer to the topic for the instrumentation for this semester’s course. This class is open to students with no prior experience in composition. Students of varying music backgrounds are welcome. Permission of the instructor may be required for enrollment. The class will explore a variety of compositional approaches, including traditional, experimental, and interdisciplinary methods. During the semester, students will complete several creative and theoretical exercises ranging from short composition projects to analytical responses to diverse works. Students will also engage in individual and group feedback sessions as well as in-class readings of selected compositional projects by the performers. The final project will be an original work between 5 and 7 minutes, which will be workshopped, rehearsed, performed in a public concert, and recorded by professional musicians towards the end of the term.

• MW 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
• Instructor: Zosha Di Castri
  Info
• 3 points

MUSIC IN EAST ASIA

A topical approach to the concepts and practices of music in relation to other arts in the development of Asian civilizations.

• MW 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
• Instructor: Kevin Fellezs
  CULPA: 4 Info
• 3 points

MUSICS OF INDIA & WEST ASIA

A topical approach to the concepts and practices of music in relation to other arts in the development of Asian civilizations.

• MW 8:40 a.m.-9:55 a.m.
• MW 5:40 p.m.-6:55 p.m.
• TR 5:40 p.m.-6:55 p.m.
• 3 points

MUSIC THEORY III

Intermediate analysis and composition in a variety of tonal idioms.

• MW 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Joseph P Dubiel
  CULPA: 3 Info
• 3 points

MUSIC THEORY IV

Intermediate analysis and composition in a variety of tonal and extended tonal idioms.

• TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
• 3 points

TOPICS IN MUSIC & SOCIETY

This course seeks to approach the study of music and society by comparatively studying repertories from different parts of the world, how the history of ideas and methods of studying such repertoires shaped them, the practices that constitute them and the ways they are understood and used by different peoples. Central to this course is the interrelationship between the constitution of a repertoire and the history of the construction of knowledge about it.

• TR 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Aaron A Fox
  CULPA: 7 Info
• 3 points

HONORS RESEARCH

Prerequisites: a formal proposal to be submitted and approved prior to registration; see the director of undergraduate studies for details. A creative/scholarly project conducted under faculty supervision, leading to completion of an honors essay, composition, or the equivalent.

• Instructor: Susan Boynton
  CULPA: 18 Info
• Instructor: Alessandra M Ciucci
  CULPA: 1 Info
• Instructor: Zosha Di Castri
  Info
• Instructor: Joseph P Dubiel
  CULPA: 3 Info
• Instructor: Kevin Fellezs
  CULPA: 4 Info
• Instructor: Aaron A Fox
  CULPA: 7 Info
• Instructor: Giuseppe Gerbino
  CULPA: 12 Info
• Instructor: Georg Friedrich Haas
  Info
• Instructor: Mariusz Kozak
  CULPA: 4 h-index: 5 Info
• Instructor: Seth Cluett
  h-index: 4 Info
• Instructor: Magdalena Baczewska
  CULPA: 4 Info
• Instructor: Peter M Susser
  CULPA: 20 Info
• Instructor: Christopher J Washburne
  CULPA: 31 Info
• Instructor: Ruth Opara
  Info
• 2-3 points

SUPERVISED INDEPENDENT STUDY

Prerequisites: approval prior to registration; see the director of undergraduate studies for details. A creative/scholarly project conducted under faculty supervision.

• Instructor: Susan Boynton
  CULPA: 18 Info
• Instructor: Alessandra M Ciucci
  CULPA: 1 Info
• Instructor: Zosha Di Castri
  Info
• Instructor: Joseph P Dubiel
  CULPA: 3 Info
• Instructor: Aaron A Fox
  CULPA: 7 Info
• Instructor: Kevin Fellezs
  CULPA: 4 Info
• Instructor: Giuseppe Gerbino
  CULPA: 12 Info
• Instructor: Georg Friedrich Haas
  Info
• Instructor: Seth Cluett
  h-index: 4 Info
• Instructor: Magdalena Baczewska
  CULPA: 4 Info
• Instructor: Peter M Susser
  CULPA: 20 Info
• Instructor: Christopher J Washburne
  CULPA: 31 Info
• Instructor: Ruth Opara
  Info
• 2-3 points

Music Production & Studio Composition

This course explores the recording studio and Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) as tools for diverse compositional practices. By exploring a range of recording and editing techniques to craft new musical works beyond the limitations of live performance, this class encourages a seamless blend of composition and music production. Various genres, artists, and techniques that push the boundaries of music recording will be studied, such as Jamaican dub, musique concrète, hyper-pop, jazz fusion, and more. Students will gain hands-on experience with DAWs, exploring tools like effects processing, layering, and spatial placement. They will learn to listen closely to pieces exemplifying these techniques, building a shared analytic vocabulary to describe them. Students will also create original pieces, applying and building on the techniques studied in class, while engaging in constructive feedback with peers.

• T 1:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Anna Meadors
  Info
• 3 points

Theory and Analysis of Jazz and Improvis

Theory & Anal of Jazz & I

What are the traditional definitions of jazz and how do they apply to improvised music in the twenty-first century? This course aims to communicate reliable methods and processes useful when dissecting and evaluating jazz performances and jazz compositions. Students will engage with traditional and fundamental jazz improvisation theory, then extrapolate new modalities reflective of the music happening today; including categorizing music on gradations from minimally to fully improvisational, tonal to harmonically abstract, rhythmically rigid to free, and sonically acoustic to fully synthesized. The class will explore and differentiate between “new complexity” classical compositions and virtuosic free form improvisation, compare US jazz to versions happening in other countries, and to recognize how world music influences affect improvisational tonal systems and improvisational traits.

• MW 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
• 3 points

Music and Global Africa

This course examines the transatlantic sounds of African music, including Afrobeat, Afrobeats, Amapiano, Chimurenga, Highlife, Kwaito, Makossa, Reggae, and more, to explore the rich cultural roots of African musical traditions and how they navigate and assimilate within the global popular culture sphere. From migration and collaborations to the rise of African artists in the era of advanced technology, the course uncovers how these genres transcend borders, inspire cross-cultural innovation, and influence the global music scene in contemporary times. Critical issues such as cultural appropriation, commodification, gender, health, and authenticity in the ever-evolving global music industry will be explored. By the end of the course, you will have a deep understanding of the complex dynamics driving the influence and dissemination of African music across the world.

• R 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
• Instructor: Ruth Opara
  Info
• 3 points

RECORDED SOUND

As music moves into the 21st century, we find ourselves surrounded by an ever-evolving landscape of technological capability. The world of music, and the music industry itself, is changing rapidly, and with that change comes the opening – and closing – of doorways of possibility. What does this shift mean for today’s practicing artist or composer? With big label recording studios signing and nurturing fewer and fewer artists, it seems certain that, today, musicians who want to record and distribute their music need to be able to do much of the recording and production work on their own. But where does one go to learn how to do this – to learn not only the “how to” part of music production, but the historical underpinnings and the development of the music production industry as well? How does one develop a comprehensive framework within which they can place their own artistic efforts? How does one learn to understand what they hear, re-create what they like and develop their own style? This class, “Recorded Sound,” aims to be the answer. It’s goal is to teach artists how to listen critically to music from across history and genres in order to identify the production techniques that they hear, and reproduce those elements using modern technology so they can be incorporated into the artist’s own musical works.

• M 10:10 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Instructor: David Adamcyk
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

Practicum in Music Composition

This course provides an opportunity for students in the Music Department’s Composition DMA program to engage in off-campus practicum or internships in music composition for academic credit that will count towards the requirements for the degree.

• Instructor: Zosha Di Castri
  Info
• 1 points

PROSEMINAR IN MUSIC THEORY

Overview of current work in Music Theory, an analysis, perception, and philosophy. Major areas of research and methodological challenges.

• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Joseph P Dubiel
  CULPA: 3 Info
• 3 points

ORCHESTRATION

• W 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
• 3 points

PROSEMINAR-ETHNOMUSICOLOGY I

Introduction to Ethnomusicology: the history of the discipline and the evolution of theories and methods. G6412, Proseminar in Ethnomusicology II: Contemporary Ethnography is offered Fall 2012.

• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Alessandra M Ciucci
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

SOUND: ADVANCED TOPICS I

This class explores advanced topics relating to the production of music by computer. Although programming experience is not a prerequisite, various programming techniques are enlisted to investigate interface design, algorithmic composition, computer analysis and processing of digital audio, and the use of computer music in contexts such as VR/AR applications. Check with the instructor for the particular focus of the class in an upcoming semester. Some familiarity with computer music hardware/software is expected. Permission of instructor is required to enroll.

• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• 3 points

INDIV PROJECTS IN MUSICOLOGY

INDIV PROJECT IN MUSICOLOGY

Sec. 1: Ethnomusicology; Sec. 2: Historical Musicology; Sec. 3: Music Theory; Sec. 4: Music Cognition; Sec. 5: Music Philosophy.

• Instructor: Susan Boynton
  CULPA: 18 Info
• Instructor: Alessandra M Ciucci
  CULPA: 1 Info
• Instructor: Joseph P Dubiel
  CULPA: 3 Info
• Instructor: Kevin Fellezs
  CULPA: 4 Info
• Instructor: Aaron A Fox
  CULPA: 7 Info
• Instructor: Giuseppe Gerbino
  CULPA: 12 Info
• Instructor: Christopher J Washburne
  CULPA: 31 Info
• 3 points

INDIV PROJECTS IN MUSICOLOGY

Sec. 1: Ethnomusicology; Sec. 2: Historical Musicology; Sec. 3: Music Theory; Sec. 4: Music Cognition; Sec. 5: Music Philosophy.

• Instructor: Ruth Opara
  Info
• 3 points

SEM-HIST MUSICOLOGY:MUSIC,MIND

SEM-HIST MUSICOLOGY:RENAISSANC

• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Giuseppe Gerbino
  CULPA: 12 Info
• 3 points

Seminar in Music Composition

Investigation of contemporary composition topics through invited guest lectures, student and faculty presentations, listening sessions, and professional development workshops. DMA students only also receive one-on-one weekly composition lessons during which they will develop individual projects in composition (lessons are offered for the first three years of the DMA).

• W 3:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• 3 points

Music Beyond 12 Tone Temperament I

This class is intended for students to develop composing skills for creating music “between the keys” (or “outside the keys”) of a traditionally tuned piano or organ. We will be analyzing relevant works and techniques of the present and of the past. Students compose and perform/present their own music influenced by these works and techniques.  We will start with quartertones and with music independent from Western traditions.

• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Georg Friedrich Haas
  Info
• 3 points

SEM-ETHNOMUSICLGY:FLD MTHDS I

A study of the theoretical and practical aspects of ethnomusicological fieldwork, using the New York area as a setting for exercises and individual projects.

• T 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
• Instructor: Christopher J Washburne
  CULPA: 31 Info
• 3 points

Dissertation Proposal Seminar I

Individual work with an adviser to develop a topic and proposal for the Ph.D. dissertation.

• Instructor: Susan Boynton
  CULPA: 18 Info
• Instructor: Alessandra M Ciucci
  CULPA: 1 Info
• Instructor: Joseph P Dubiel
  CULPA: 3 Info
• Instructor: Kevin Fellezs
  CULPA: 4 Info
• Instructor: Aaron A Fox
  CULPA: 7 Info
• Instructor: Giuseppe Gerbino
  CULPA: 12 Info
• Instructor: Christopher J Washburne
  CULPA: 31 Info
• Instructor: Ruth Opara
  Info
• 3 points

ADV ETHNO SEMINAR

POPULAR MUSIC AESTHETICS

• W 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
• Instructor: Kevin Fellezs
  CULPA: 4 Info
• 3 points