Music Courses (MUS)

Courses for Undergraduates

100 Fundamentals of Music (2:3)

For non-music majors and music majors and minors who did not pass the fundamentals exam.

Fundamentals of Western music theory, staves, clefs, rhythm, meter, key signatures, scales, and intervals. (Fall)

101 Music Theory I (2:3)

Pr. admission as a Music major or minor; passing score on the music fundamentals exam, or successful completion of MUS 100, if that course is required

Basic principles of the Western musical language. Rhythm and meter, scales, triads, and seventh chords; fundamentals of part-writing and harmonic progression. (Fall & Spring)

102 Music Theory II (2:3)

Pr. 101 and 105, or permission of theory coordinator

Continued study of harmony within the diatonic major-minor system; exercises in part-writing and analysis. (Spring & Summer)

105 Ear-Training I (1:2)

Pr. admission as a Music major or minor; passing score on the music fundamentals exam, or successful completion of MUS 100, if that course is required

Music reading and dictation. Performance, aural recognition, and notation of melody, triads, and two-voice counterpoint. (Fall & Spring)

106 Ear-Training II (1:2)

Pr. 101 and 105, or permission of theory coordinator

Continuation of music reading and dictation. Performance, aural recognition, and notation of melody, rhythm, harmony, and two-voice counterpoint. (Spring & Summer)

107 Technology for Musicians I (1:0:2)

Pr. Music majors only

Introduction to computer/computer applications: word processing, database, spreadsheet, music notation, Internet and online library, Web page and multimedia development. Experience using, creating, and evaluating computer media for music. (Fall) (Formerly MTD 107)

108 Technology for Musicians II (1:0:2)

Pr. MUS 107; Music majors only.

Further study of computer hardware and software applications in music performance, research, instruction, and multimedia. Hands-on experience using, creating, and evaluating computer media for music. (Spring) (Formerly MTD 108)

135 Introduction to Musicology (3:3)

GE Core: GPR

GE Marker: GN

Open to all University students.

Introduction to the basic tools of musicological inquiry, including music vocabulary, reading in the discipline, basic library research, and expository writing; cultural awareness; attentive listening to Western and global musics. (Spring)

201 Music Theory III Musical Structure (2:3)

Pr. 102 and 106, or permission of theory coordinator

More advanced study of harmony and musical form within the diatonic major-minor system, with emphasis on modulation and chromatic harmony. Exercises in part-writing and analysis. (Fall & Spring)

202 Music Theory IV Musical Structure (2:3)

Pr. 201 and 205, or permission of theory coordinator

Basic forms and formal processes of Western music, including binary and ternary forms, theme and variations, fugue, sonata form, and rondo. Exercises in analysis. (Spring & Summer)

205 Ear-Training III (1:2)

Pr. 102 and 106, or permission of theory coordinator

More advanced music reading and dictation. Performance, aural recognition, and notation of diatonic and chromatic melody, harmony, and two-voice counterpoint. (Fall & Spring)

206 Ear-Training IV (1:2)

Pr. 201 and 205, or permission of theory coordinator

Continuation of more advanced music reading and dictation. Performance, aural recognition, and notation of melody, harmony, and two-voice counterpoint. (Spring & Summer)

301 Theory V, Musical Structure in the Late Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (3:3)

Pr. 202, 206, or permission of instructor

Techniques of pitch and temporal organization in music of the 20th century. Analysis of relevant works and composition exercises based on models. (Fall & Spring)

331 History of Western Music I (3:3)

GE Core: GHP

CAR: GPM

Pr. 333, or permission of instructor

Music history of the Western tradition from its beginnings to about 1600. (Fall)

332 History of Western Music II (3:3)

GE Core: GFA

GE Marker: GL

Pr. MUS 135

Open to all University students.

History of Western art music traditions from the early Christian era to about 1750. (Fall)

333 History of Western Music III (3:3)

GE Marker: GL

Pr. MUS 332, or permission of instructor

Taught as Writing Intensive (WI).

History of Western art music traditions from about 1750 to the present. (Spring)

343 Music Cultures of the World (3:3)

GE Core: GPR

GE Marker: GN

Open to all University students.

Survey of major world music cultures moving from Africa through the Middle East, Iran, India, Indonesia, Japan, China, and America. (Fall & Spring & Summer)

354 Modern Asia Through Its Music (3:3)

GE Core: GPR

GE Marker: GN

Exploration of modern Asian music and culture. Examines relationships between music and national identity, ethnicity, politics, colonialism, religion, and other cultural phenomena in East, South, and Southeast Asia. (Alt Spring)

355 Experimental Course: Topics in Music Technology (1:1)

Pr. MUS 107

Topics to include music notation, recording techniques, Web design in the Performing Arts, technology for music education, mobile technology, and more. (Offered fall '12)

411 Experimental Course: Neotonal Music of the 20th Century (3:3)

Pr. MUS 202, 206, and 333

Using relevant techniques of music analysis, this course will engage master works of 20th-century art music composed in the neotonal idiom. (Offered fall '12)

420 Keyboard Skills for Music Theory (1:0:1)

Pr. BA Music majors; MUS 202 and 206, MUS 134 or proficiency, or permission of instructor

May be taken four (4) times for a total of 4 s.h.

Instruction and practice leading to the development of functional keyboard skills essential for teaching and advanced study in music theory. (Fall & Spring)

425 Music of Sub-Saharan Africa (3:3)

GE Marker: GN

Open to all University students.

Study of traditional and popular musics in Africa in relationship to social and historical contexts. Topics include regional styles, performers' roles, instruments, concepts and uses of music, and performance contexts.

426 Experimental Course: Introduction to BioMusic (3:3)

Pr. familiarity with musical notation or permission of instructor

BioMusic is an interdisciplinary field that explores the origins of music-making in animals, including humans. Music and natural sounds are examined in contexts of biodiversity, cultural diversity, and complex communication systems. (Offered spring '10)

431 Selected Topics in Ethnomusicology (3:3)

This course with rotating topics will examine particular music traditions and current issues in the field of ethnomusicology beyond the survey level. Topics may focus on geographical areas (Africa, Indonesia, Native American, etc.) or theoretical/methodological issues (Music and Gender, Music and Identity, Popular Music, Fieldwork, etc.).

434 American Music (3:3)

GE Core: GHP

CAR: GMO

Pr. MUS 101 and 105, or permission of instructor

Open to all University students.

History of music in America. Psalmody, ballads, spirituals, gospel, blues, jazz, bluegrass, musical theater, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and Native American music. (Spring)

497 Directed Study in Music (1–3)

Pr. permission of supervising professor and Dean of School of Music, Theatre, and Dance

May be repeated for credit if topic varies.

Supervised research in advanced subject area resulting in written document or composition. Project outline (available in Music office) prepared by student and supervising professor and approved by Associate Dean and Dean of School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. (Fall & Spring & Summer)

Courses for Advanced Undergraduates & Graduate Students

Courses in the 500 and 600 groups may not be available every year. Please inquire at Music office for schedule. 600-level courses are not available for undergraduate students unless qualified for dual registration. 500-level courses are not available to freshmen and sophomores.

508 Tonal Counterpoint (3:3)

Pr. MUS 202 and MUS 206 or permission of instructor

Contrapuntal techniques and standard forms of the middle and late Baroque. Analysis of music by composers from Corelli to Bach, composition in representative forms, and aural training. (Fall)

510 Advanced Tonal Analysis (3:3)

Pr. MUS 202 and 206 or graduate standing

Analysis of selected major compositions in the tonal repertoire. Reading and discussion of literature on theoretical concepts and on analysis and interpretation. (Spring)

511 History of Opera (3:3)

Pr. MUS 333 or permission of instructor

Principal opera composers and styles from Monteverdi to the present; analytical study of selected major works. (Odd Spring)

529 Music before 1600 (3:3)

Pr. MUS 332 or permission of instructor

Examines musical traditions before 1600 beyond the survey level. Topics may include gender/sexuality, geography, institutions, orality, performance practice, print/manuscript culture, and/or religion.

530 Music from 1600 to 1800 (3:3)

Pr. MUS 332 or permission of instructor

Examines musical traditions ca. 1600–1800 beyond the survey level. Topics include performance practice, nationalism, gender and sexuality, religion, orality/notation, organology, and iconography.

532 Music of the Nineteenth Century (3:3)

Pr. MUS 333 or permission of instructor

Examines musical traditions ca. 1789–1914 beyond the survey level. Topics may include gender/sexuality, institutions, nationalism, nature, performance practice, and/or religion.

533 Music of the Twentieth Century (3:3)

Pr. MUS 333 or permission of instructor

Examines musical traditions from ca. 1880 to the present beyond the survey level. Topics may include music and the State, gender/sexuality, ethnicity and identity, cultural policy/politics, religion, and/or multimedia.

538 The Symphonic Tradition (3:3)

Pr. MUS 332, MUS 333, or permission of instructor

Advanced study of symphonic styles and techniques from Baroque era to present. (Even Spring)

589A Experimental Course: Fundamentals of Instrumental Score Reading (2:1:2)

Pr. MUS 472 or MUE 419 or permission of instructor

A laboratory course in which students will learn the principles of orchestral score reading and transposition through the systematic playing and singing of the seven clefs. (Offered fall '08)

Please refer to The Graduate School Bulletin for additional graduate-level courses.