MUHI 100
Introduction to Music Literature
Lectures and guided listening for the non-music major, introducing musical materials, basic musical concepts, and a variety of styles and types of music. Consideration of the place of music in society, past and present. Does not satisfy course requirements for any music major.
Units: 6.
MUHI 110
Topics in Music History for the Non-Major
An exploration of a musicological topic that is more narrowly focused than or lies outside the scope of the Introduction to Music Literature course. May be repeated with consent of the instructor. Does not satisfy course requirements for any music major.
Units: 1 TO 99.
MUHI 120
Introduction to Jazz History
An exploration of the musical development and cultural impact of jazz from its origins to the present for students not majoring in music. Lectures, films, and readings provide historical details. Does not satisfy course requirements for any music major.
Units: 6.
MUHI 131
The Grand Tour: Musical Taste and Manners in Europe 1600-1750
A study of music in the Baroque period, its social and historical context and relationship to other arts. The course explores the depth and variety of 17th and 18th century musical life and follows a broad range of interests to suit both music majors and non-specialists. Museum visits and weekly concerts, with accompanying lectures; demonstrations by performers active in the field of historical performance practice; and readings on form, style, and the lives of composers. The course is general in scope, and no prior musical knowledge is expected. Does not satisfy course requirements for any music major. Not open to students who have previously recieved, or need to receive credit for MUHI 431.
Offered at the London Centre.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Must be attending the Lawrence London Centre.
MUHI 133
Perspectives on Genius: The life and musical impact of Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven, arguably one of the most famous composers of all time, is a compelling and fascinating figure in classical music. He occupies a central position as the architect of musical Romanticism and his influence continues today. In additions to studying his music from the perspective of his own time, we will discuss his extraordinary creative personality and the reception of his music by subsequent composers and listeners. A number of concerts and outside visits will be organized, and students will be encoursaged to attend relevant performances in London, for which they will be prepared in class. The course will be general in scope, and no prior musical knowledge will be expected. The course does not satisfy requirements for any music major. Not open to students who have received or need to receive credit for MUHI 433.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Must be attending the Lawrence London Centre
MUHI 135
The British Musical Renaissance: Elgar, Vaughan Williams, and Britten
An introduction to British music in the first three-quarters of the 20th century. In addition to studying major works by Elgar, Vaughan Williams, and Britten, students will explore the social and political currents as they impinged on musical life in Britain. A number of concerts and outside visits will be organized, and students will be encouraged to attend relevant performances in London, for which they will be prepared in class. The course will be general in scope, and no prior musical knowledge will be expected. Does not satisfy course requirements for any music major. Not open to students who have previously received, or need to receive credit for MUHI 435.
Offered at the London Centre.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Must be attending the Lawrence London Centre.
MUHI 136
Gilbert & Sullivan and Their Victorian World
An exploration of Victorian culture, including music, art, theatre, politics, and daily life as reflected in the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan.
Offered at the London Centre.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Must be attending the Lawrence London Center
MUHI 137
Opera in Context
This course will explore the literary and historical inspirations for great operas, giving particular attention to operas and related plays being offered in London during the fall of 2007. Some operas are derived from literary sources, such as Britten's
The Turn of the Screw (being produced by English National Opera), based upon the gothic psychological thriller of Henry James. Others, such as Mozart's
The Magic Flute (also coming to ENO), with its many connections to Masonry and enlightenment philosophy, are a rich source of both literary and historical/cultural interest. Other operas to be studied will depend upon the offerings of London theater companies. The structure of opera libretti will be compared to their literary sources, and the role of music in advancing the drama will be examined. This course is designed for a general student population, and does not require a background in music.
Offered at the London Centre.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Must be attending the Lawrence London Center
MUHI 150
The Culture of Music in Germany
After considering the role of music in the construction of “Germanness,” the course focuses on the evolution of the “Lied” from folk song to the artistic “Lieder” and on contemporary popular music. Songs from the 18th to the 20th century are treated primarily as texts and cultural artifacts. Does not satisfy course requirements for any music major.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: GER 202 or consent of the instructor
Also listed as German 275
MUHI 160
Advance of the American Musical
A study of this uniquely American theatrical form as it develops in response to our culture throughout the 20th century and into the 21st. Ability to read music helpful, but not required.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or consent of instructor
Also listed as Theatre Arts 425
MUHI 191
Directed Study in Music History
Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work.
Units: 1 TO 98.
Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
MUHI 195
Internship in Music History
An experience-based project in music developed in consultation with a designated supervisor and a conservatory faculty member, comprising a work component and an academic component. The academic component of the internship, carried out under the supervision of the faculty member, may include readings related to the substance of the internship, discussions with the faculty member, and a written report or other culminating project appropriate to the discipline.
Units: 1 TO 98.
Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
MUHI 201
Music History Survey I
A survey of Western music and introduction to the historical study of musical styles from the Middle Ages through the mid-18th century. Music majors are encouraged to enroll during the sophomore year.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: MUTH 251 or consent of instructor
MUHI 202
Music History Survey II
A survey of Western music and musical styles from the mid-18th century to the present. Music majors are encouraged to enroll during the sophomore year.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: MUHI 201 or consent of instructor
MUHI 210
Topics in Music History for the Non-major
This course will enable non-music majors to engage with the discipline of music history. Does not satisfy course requirements for any music major.
Topic for Fall 2012: American Popular Music
Survey of the history of American popular music, from the mid-19th century to the present, tracing the development of musical styles and genres and focusing on the role of print and audio-visual media. Students will develop skills to describe, analyze, and interpret the musical form and lyrical content of a variety of popular music genres. Lectures will emphasize representations of race, class, gender, sexuality, and nationality in popular music.
Topic for Winter 2013: National Identity and the American Musical
From its origins in vaudeville and minstrel shows to the present day, musicals have participated in the formation of American national identity. This course will examine the relationship between music theater and politics and the changing face of national identity through a historical survey of the American musical.
Topic for Winter 2013: The Beatles--Four Lads Who Shook the World
A survey of The Beatles' career from their formation and early development, rise to superstardom, and influence in popular music in the 1960s, to their subsequent adoration as cultural icons. Discussions will center on presentations of audio and video clips, and simple analyses of music and lyrics relating socio-cultural, political, and other extra-musical factors to popular music.
Topic for Spring 2013: The Native American Inside -- Perspectives of Contemporary Indigenous Women
This course is designed as an interdisciplinary examination of Native identity and the changing role of women in indigenous culture. It will explore the ways gender, race, and ethnicity shape musical discourse as well as narrative constructions of nation in regional contexts. All course readings written by indigenous women authors.
Topic for Spring 2013: Popular Music, 1954-1979 -- The Rise of Rock-and-Roll
Growing out of the need for the young generation to have a voice separate from the influence of their parents, Rock-and-Roll will be studied from its genesis in the mid-50s, combining influences from R&B, Country, and Pop, through the variety of sub-genres in the 60s to the punk and disco movements in the 70s that attempted to return R/R to its simpler origins and functions. Movers and shakers who shaped the growth and acceptance of R/R as a popular artistic culture as well as the multitude of social, political, and racial challenges that influenced popular music will be the basis of discussions in class.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
MUHI 211
Romanticism Then and Now
An interdisciplinary investigation of the powerful and enduring influence of Romanticism in the arts. The course will connect formative examples of poetry (Wordsworth, Keats), music (Beethoven, Schubert), and visual arts (Blake, Turner) to each other and to their late romantic and neo-romantic progeny, in conjunction with select live performances and field trips to historic sites and museums. This course is general in scope and no prior musical knowledge is expected.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Must be attending the Lawrence London Centre
MUHI 223
Music & Mystical Experience
What is mystical experience? And how does music evoke, induce, or otherwise bring us into relation with it? These questions motivate a cross-cultural, multi-disciplinary, and diachronic exploration of the ways in which human beings experience the numinous through music. In the spirit of its title, the course also introduces specific contemplative practices in order to cultivate qualities of mind conducive to contemplative engagement with music and sound.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
MUHI 245
American Popular Music and Culture
Examination of the relationship between popular music and the broader cultural climate of the U.S. in the 20th and 21st centuries. Consideration of a selected body of popular music alongside the socio-political forces that have driven it: patriotism, racial tensions, civil rights, human rights, gay rights, feminism, activism, and class struggles.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
MUHI 390
Tutorial in Studies Music History
Units: 1 TO 98.
Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
MUHI 391
Directed Study in Music History
Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work.
Units: 1 TO 98.
Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
MUHI 395
Internship in Music History
An experience-based project in music developed in consultation with a designated supervisor and a conservatory faculty member, comprising a work component and an academic component. The academic component of the internship, carried out under the supervision of the faculty member, may include readings related to the substance of the internship, discussions with the faculty member, and a written report or other culminating project appropriate to the discipline.
Units: 1 TO 98.
Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
MUHI 399
Independent Study in Music History
Students considering an honors project should register for independent study for one or more terms.
Units: 1 TO 98.
Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
MUHI 411
Aesthetics of Music
A study of what can reasonably be said or written about music, critically examining many of the typical late Western assumptions often made of it,
e.g., that music is an art, that it involves the production of works, that it is expressive, that it is a universal language. Open to music majors and non-majors. Previous music study helpful but not required.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
MUHI 421
Music and Gender
This course will explore the relationship between music and gender in the Western world from the Middle Ages to the present. Considering classical and popular music, including music videos and film, as well as writings about gender and music, we will explore music's role as a reflection of, reaction to, and active participant in gender construction.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: MUHI 201 and MUHI 202
Also listed as Gender Studies 421
MUHI 422
Borrowed Music in the Movies
When a film uses a pre-existing piece of music (popular or classical), meanings multiply, both within and outside the film itself. This course will explore these meanings, focusing on the fluid and reciprocal relationship between film and the music it borrows.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: MUHI 201 and MUHI 202
Also listed as Film Studies 422
MUHI 423
Music and Mystical Experience
What is mystical experience? And how does music evoke, induce, or otherwise bring us into relation with it? These questions motivate a cross-cultural, multi-disciplinary, and diachronic exploration of the ways in which human beings experience the numinous through music. Readings from contemporary and historical sources in eastern and western philosophy, psychology, and the history and theory of music provide intellectual and aesthetic contexts in which to engage with a variety of musical practices and traditions. In the spirit of its title, the course also requires a commitment to specific contemplative practices—not bound to any particular belief system—that are introduced in an effort to cultivate qualities of mind conducive to contemplative engagement with a work of music or the experience of sound.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: MUHI 202
MUHI 431
The Grand Tour: Musical Tastes and Manners in Europe 1600-1750
A study of music in the Baroque period, its social and historical context and relationship to other arts. The course explores the depth and variety of 17th and 18th century musical life and follows a broad range of interests to suit both music majors and non-specialists. Museum visits and weekly concerts, with accompanying lectures; demonstrations by performers active in the field of historical performance practice; and readings on form, style, and the lives of composers. This course is a seminar involving independent research. Not open to students who have previously received credit for MUHI 131.
Offered at the London Centre.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Must be attending the Lawrence London Centre. MUHI 201 AND 202
MUHI 433
Perspectives on Genius: The life and musical impact of Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven, arguably one of the most famous composers of all time, is a compelling and fascinating figure in classical music. He occupies a central position as the architect of musical Romanticism and his influence continues today. In additions to studying his music from the perspective of his own time, we will discuss his extraordinary creative personality and the reception of his music by subsequent composers and listeners. A number of concerts and outside visits will be organized, and students will be encoursaged to attend relevant performances in London, for which they will be prepared in class. This course is a seminar involving independent research. Not open to students who have received credit for MUHI 133.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: MUHI 201 and 202; must be attending the Lawrence London Centre
MUHI 435
The British Musical Renaissance: Elgar, Vaughn Williams, and Britten
An introduction to British music in the first three-quarters of the 20th century. In addition to studying major works by Elgar, Vaughan Williams, and Britten, students will explore the social and political currents as they impinged on musical life in Britain. A number of concerts and outside visits will be organized, and students will be encouraged to attend relevant performances in London, for which they will be prepared in class. This course is a seminar involving independent research. Not open to students who have previously received credit for MUHI 135.
Offered at the London Centre.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: MUHI 201 and 202
MUHI 440
Topics in Music History: Life and Works
A study of a composer’s career, emphasizing the relationship between composer and society. Topics in this series vary from year to year. May be repeated with consent of the instructor.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: MUHI 202
MUHI 441
Debussy: Contextual Perspectives
This course will examine Debussy and his music from a broad cultural perspective in order to reveal the connections between the music and the political, social, and artistic world in which it was created and received, and to use these connections to consider alternative paths of musical interpretation.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: MUHI 201 and MUHI 202
MUHI 450
Topics in Music History: Genre History
An examination of the historical development of a single genre, stressing the effects of societal changes. Topics in this series vary from year to year. May be repeated with consent of instructor.
Topic for Fall 2012: A History of Early Music Revivals
This course will examine when, where, how and why musicians have revived musical works and practices from the period roughly encompassing 800-1750 AD. In addition to studying early music movements, students will explore issues of performance practice and presentation by performing early musical works of their own choosing.
Topic for Winter 2013: National Identity and the American Musical
From its origins in vaudeville and minstrel shows to the present day, musicals have participated in the formation of American national identity. This course will examine the relationship between music theater and politics and the changing face of national identity through a historical survey of the American musical.
Topic for Winter 2013: History of the Symphony
This course will explore the development of the symphony from its origins to the present day, focusing on the functions, ideologies, and discourses—musical and non-musical—that shaped that development and perceptions of the symphony over time. We will also address issues of meaning, value, and interpretation as they apply to specific works.
Topic for Spring 2013: Music and the Fairy Tale
This course will explore the ways that music embodies, constructs, deconstructs, interrogates, and communicates values and meanings in a variety of fairy tale contexts in popular and classical realms.
Topic for Spring 2013: Popular Music -- History, Analysis, Interpretation
In this course we will read and discuss intriguing examples of scholarly and critical writing on popular music, focusing on the history, analysis and interpretation of genres that have attracted the most attention from musicologists, music theorists, and music journalists. Topics may include the music of Tin Pan Alley, the blues, country, girl groups, soul, heavy metal, punk, hip hop, and pop megastars.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: MUHI 202
MUHI 451
History of the String Quartet
Composers have used the string quartet genre to express some of their most profound and daring musical thoughts since the late 18th century and up to the present day. Through readings and analysis, students will explore how this repertoire and its audiences have been shaped by sociological and aesthetic forces.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: MUHI 202
MUHI 452
History of the Wind Band
This course will be an examination of the history and development of the wind band as an artistic medium, focusing on repertoire and instrumentation development and cultural influences. The growth of the modern concert wind ensemble will be studied as a part of the evolution beginning with Gabrieli and proceeding through classical, romantic, and contemporary musical trends.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: MUHI 202
MUHI 453
Opera and Betrayal
This course will examine different modes of betrayal (for example, at the plot, music, or production level) within opera from the 17th century to the present and explore possible meanings conveyed by operas relative to specific societal contexts and ideals, past and present.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: MUHI 201 and MUHI 202
MUHI 455
Jazz History
A study of the contributions of select jazz artists through analysis of recordings, historical films, solo transcriptions, scores, and readings from texts.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: MUHI 202 or consent of instructor
MUHI 460
Topics in Music History: Cultural Moments
A study of a particular time and place, examining the relationship between social institutions, intellectual ideas, and music products. Topics in this series vary from year to year. May be repeated with consent of instructor.
Topic for Winter 2013: Music and Modernism
In this course we will explore the concept of modernism in musical thought, composition, and performance practice. We will begin by focusing on early twentieth-century modernist movements such as expressionism and neoclassicism. Throughout the course we will study major works of twentieth-century modernist music, including several interdisciplinary artistic collaborations, and read primary texts that reveal the self-fashioning of some of the most influential modernist composers, such as Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Babbitt, and Boulez. We will contemplate the lasting influence of modernist approaches to musical performance and scholarship.
Topic for Spring 2013: Music and Colonialism in the Age of Exploration
This course will explore the role of music in colonial encounters from the 15th through the 18th centuries and the complex musical exchanges between colonizers and the colonized in New Spain, North America, and the Far East.
Units: 1 TO 98.
Prerequisite: MUHI 202
MUHI 461
The English Musical Renaissance
A study of the remarkable period in British music, roughly 1870-1970, now commonly called the English musical renaissance. Important relationships between social, intellectual, and musical currents will be examined through critical reading, discussion, and analysis of selected works by three major composers: Edward Elgar, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Benjamin Britten.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: MUHI 202
MUHI 462
America After Modernism
An examination of American composers’ responses to modernist values and practices in music from the 1960s to the present. Through the study of important musical compositions of the era and reading of composers’ writings, students will forge an informed, critical response to post-Modernist era aesthetics and values in music.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: MUHI 202
MUHI 465
The Second Viennese School: Schoenberg, Berg, Webern
This course has as its principal focus the three great figures of the so-called “Second Viennese School”: Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern. It includes not only a detailed study of their lives and works but also consideration of the cultural milieu from which they emerged and which they in turn influenced profoundly.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: MUHI 202
MUHI 470
Topics in Ethnomusicology - Regions
An examination of music of a particular geographic region or diasporic group. Topics and prerequisites may vary from course to course.
Topic for Winter 2013: Middle East & India
This course will cover the main aspects of Middle Eastern and Indian music, including Arab, Turkish, Persian, Hindustani (North Indian), and Carnatic (South Indian) music, as well as various types of folk and popular music. Students will become familiar with Middle Eastern and Indian tuning systems, rhythmic patterns, formal structures, and performance practices. We will also look at music’s role in society in these regions as well as among diasporic populations, and explore music’s connections to other areas of artistic, social, religious, and political life.
Topic for Spring 2013: The Native American Inside -- Perspectives of Contemporary Indigenous Women
This course is designed as an interdisciplinary examination of Native identity and the changing role of women in indigenous culture. It will explore the ways gender, race, and ethnicity shape musical discourse as well as narrative constructions of nation in regional contexts. All course readings written by indigenous women authors.
Units: 6.
MUHI 471
Performing Arts of Bali
This course explores the intersections of Balinese music, dance, drama, and ritural. Discussions will include how globalization, tourism, and economic and religious tensions affect the arts and performer’s lives. Students will have hands-on experience learning to play Balinese gamelan instruments.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
Also listed as Ethnic Studies 471
MUHI 490
Topics in Ethnomusicology - Issues
An examination of a particular issue in ethnomusicological study. Topics and prerequisites may vary from course to course.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or consent of instructor
MUHI 491
Introduction to World Music & Culture
Introduces ethnomusicological concepts and methods used to study music and musicians in cultural context. Students will broaden their awareness of musical aesthetics, instruments, tuning systems, rhythmic and formal structures, and performance practices through exploration of music traditions from a variety of locations around the world. Students will apply these ideas in conducting their own musical ethnographic projects.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or consent of the instructor
MUHI 492
The Space and Place of Ethnomusicology
Examines the discipline of ethnomusicology from the perspective of the local musical context. We will discuss and practice the methods and theories that are useful in studying music in our current space, place and time. Will also consider the role of music-making in the cultural construction of places, spaces and scenes and vice-versa.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: One course in music history, ethnomusicology, or anthropology; or consent of the instructor
MUHI 493
Music and Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective
This course examines the relationship between the constructions of gender identities and music performance and practice, and looks at history and development of approaches, theories, and studies regarding this relationship. Each week contains theoretical readings from gender studies, women’s studies, or feminist scholarship as well as ethnomusicological case studies from a variety of locations around the world.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
MUHI 494
Music and the Environment
In many societies around the world, people use music to connect with nature, specific places, and surrounding environments. This course will explore music performance practices and repertoire that expresses or enacts these connections. Case studies will include songlines and Australian Aboriginal land claims, North American protest songs, and the intimate relationships between music and nature of the BaAka people in central Aftrica and among the Kakuli people in Papua, among others.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or consent of instructor
Also listed as Environmental Studies 494
MUHI 495
Introduction to Ethnomusicology
This course will cover the history of the field of ethnomusicology, key debates, influential scholars, and significant case studies. Important concepts will include fieldwork methods, organology (the study of musical instruments), tuning systems, transcription, and issues in applied ethnomusicology. This course will be particularly helpful to students considering graduate work in ethnomusicology.
Units: 6.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
MUHI 590
Tutorial in Studies Music History
Units: 1 TO 98.
Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
MUHI 591
Directed Study in Music History
Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work.
Units: 1 TO 98.
Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
MUHI 595
Internship in Music History
An experience-based project in music developed in consultation with a designated supervisor and a conservatory faculty member, comprising a work component and an academic component. The academic component of the internship, carried out under the supervision of the faculty member, may include readings related to the substance of the internship, discussions with the faculty member, and a written report or other culminating project appropriate to the discipline.
Units: 1 TO 98.
Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
MUHI 599
Independent Study in Music History
Students considering an honors project should register for independent study for one or more terms.
Units: 1 TO 98.
Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
MUHI 690
Tutorial in Studies Music History
Units: 1 TO 98.
Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
MUHI 691
Directed Study in Music History
Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work.
Units: 1 TO 98.
Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
MUHI 695
Internship in Music History
An experience-based project in music developed in consultation with a designated supervisor and a conservatory faculty member, comprising a work component and an academic component. The academic component of the internship, carried out under the supervision of the faculty member, may include readings related to the substance of the internship, discussions with the faculty member, and a written report or other culminating project appropriate to the discipline.
Units: 1 TO 98.
Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
MUHI 699
Independent Study in Music History
Students considering an honors project should register for independent study for one or more terms.
Units: 1 TO 98.
Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
