The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University

NOTE TO MY STUDENTS: I WILL BE ABLE TO BE IN CLASS TOMORROW, MAY 1, 2008. AS WE DISCUSSED LAST WEEK, CLASS WILL BE FAIRLY AND RELAXED, AND WE WILL WALK THROUGH SOME REPERTOIRE FROM THIS PERIOD IN AN INFORMAL FASHION. SEE YOU TOMORROW (AND IF NOT, HAVE A WONDERFUL SUMMER!)

Spring, 2008, Th 9:30-11:50               Office Hours by Appointment

redon@peabody.jhu.edu; www.peabody.jhu.edu/slevy

Course description: This class will be an exploration of selected keyboard works from the 18^th century, with a focus on Bach, Haydn, and Mozart. Topics to be covered include selections from both books of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier and the Art of the Fugue, possible Scarlatti sonatas, and selections from among the sonatas, concertos, and shorter concert works of Haydn and Mozart. Pieces will be considered analytically as individual works, but also as part of a larger sense of these style and compositional technique, and  as part of a process of stylistic evolution. 

General requirements: The course grade will be based on two analytic papers, a short essay, a presentation, and class participation. The first paper will be on a pre-assigned topic. The essay will relate analysis to interpretive choices. The final paper will be on a topic chosen by you but approved by me in advance, and on which you will also give a presentation.

Participation consists both of your being in class and what you do while in class. This is a real component of your final grade. While there is not an absolute correlation between your attendance and your participation grade, I do keep rough track of who shows up how often (either via sign-in sheets or visually), and frequent unexcused absences are not an asset and will affect your grade. More important is what you do when present. Your questions, responses, and observations are all important and will make our class time richer and more enjoyable for us all.

-Your papers will be based upon the 1) originality of your thesis, 2) specific support for your argument, and 3) clarity of organization. They must be turned in On Time. You should submit a score with measure numbers with your final paper. Any late papers will receive a grade deduction, with no credit given for papers beyond one day late (via email) w/out permission.

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 Details on Assignments:     

 Paper #1 (due date, February 7):  Bach WTC I, fm P and F; P and F from Handel’s Suite in fm    

Handel’s 8 “Great Suites” were published in 1720; Bach WTC I was written in 1722. How did each composer create within his prelude and fugue a sense of drama and musical shape? To answer this, you will first need to do a basic analysis. This will include harmonic design (not every chord, but every modulation and significant key area), contrapuntal techniques (identification of any or all of the following: subjects, countersubjects, techniques of inversion, augmentation or diminution, stretto, invertibility, and fragmentation), and general musical techniques (e.g. use of pedal points, texture changes, registral contrasts, heightened chromaticism, return or transformation of earlier elements) which contribute to the character and shape of these two works.

 When you are done, you may wish to go further and consider whether these works seem particularly Bachian or Handelian (i.e., representative of their composers’  larger style and/or character), but you do not have to do so. As always, support your views, whatever they are!

What you will submit for this project (and for your final paper as well):

1)      Scores- You do not need to mark each occurrence of every technique. (In other words, if a certain technique occurs multiple times, you may not find it necessary to label it every time.) The scores can help take the place of prose description. In other words, you should not waste words telling me “This happens, then this happens, etc…”; you can simply mark it on the score. Thus, it is a time-saver. However, all analytic insight and discussion must happen in the paper itself.

2)      Your thesis- Here you state, in not more than a few sentences, the main point you have discovered in analyzing and comparing these pieces, and the main prongs of support for this point. If you like, this may simply be part of your opening paragraph, but I would like nonetheless to see it identified as a thesis, either on the paper itself or on a separate sheet.

3)      Your paper- While I do not grade per se on the beauty of your writing, I do grade on its clarity as well as on the originality of your ideas and your support for them. I strongly recommend that if you are an inexperienced writer, that you make use of our Writing Center here at Peabody. The writing tutors are free, experienced, and will help both with basic proof-reading and with more sophisticated but even more essential ideas of structure and organization.

 Finally, while there is no length requirement, aim to keep your papers in the 3-4 pp range. Be focused, and don’t waste time with unnecessary background or description. That being said, if you need more words to support your argument effectively, I will be happy to read them.

Midterm Essay- Comparative Performance Review (due date: March 6)

Write an essay discussing 3 or more performances of a significant keyboard work from the 18^th-century. Try to find performances which are contrasting (e.g., different eras, instruments, or styles). In studying the performances, you should follow a score, so that you can talk with specificity about how performance choices interpreted the composition more or less effectively. You should also discuss what kinds of specific choices were made by the interpreters. I would prefer that you use a different work for this assignment than for your final analytic project.

 Final project- Analytic paper and presentation (paper due the day before the date of your presentation (sent to me via email):

This is an analytic paper on a work of your choice (to be approved by me). Pieces to avoid for your final presentation b/c we may be covering them in class include the following:

Bach- WTC I, d#m, am; WTC II, EM, bbm; am fantasy and fugue; Art of Fugue, #1, 5, 7,8; Haydn- Sonatas #20 in cm; #48 in CM; Capriccio in CM;Mozart- Sonatas K. 310 in am, 330 in CM, K. 570 in Bb, Rondo K. 494, Concertos K. 482, ii; K. 387, ii, K. 503, possibly K. 491  

Note: you must also provide me with a score with Measure Numbers along with your final paper. [If the composition is a very long one, I only need the portion of the work which you are discussing in your paper.] Note also that you may not read your presentation word for word, though you may use notes to help you stay focused and get through your material effectively.

Tips on your presentations:

-Have a point of view to present

-Don't waste time in unnecessary background; use only background which is truly relevant.

-Use examples carefully- a whole score may be superfluous but an excerpt may be very useful.

-Use diagrams if they can help clarify your points.

-Plan your amount of listening with the total time of presentation in mind.

-Plan questions for the class ahead of time to try to stimulate discussion.

-Contrasting performances (for short excerpts) may be a fun addition.

-Think about  big questions as well as small: why is this work of value; how might our analytic understanding impact performance; etc.

-Consider trying to engage the class in discussion. (One student had a very effective presentation discussing two contrasting performances of a work, and which was more analytically appropriate.)

-Don’t feel you need to discuss your work in order from beginning to end. Some presentations work this way, but there are other options. Think about what you want to share, and plan accordingly.

-After you’ve done your planning and preparation, have fun with it!

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Some further writing  guidelines:

-All papers must be typed and in prose, using full sentences and paragraphs, not outline format.

-Ideally your paper should have a single main point, or thesis, supported by a few smaller important ideas, each of which then is supported by several paragraphs, with each paragraph having a kind of main topic sentence. While you can loosen this design somewhat, keep in mind that a scholarly paper should be tightly organized and with a clear point to make to the reader (even as a performance conveys a clear musical message to the listener). You should be able to summarize this point for the reader in not much more than one clear sentence.

-Check that your organizing thesis or main argument is holding your paper together.

-Avoid long sections in which your prose is essentially giving a blow-by-blow description of what is happening in the music. Your goal is not to list events, but to derive insights or thoughtful conclusions from what you observe and hear in the work.

-Be wary of the difference between analysis and description. Description tends to list events in order, simply stating what is happening on the musical surface. It typically did not involve much thought to uncover. Analysis involves thoughtful insight and is less likely to simply go in chronological order. It does not just state events as they happen, but examines them within a larger context, looking for interesting patterns or unique connections among aspects of a score.

-To avoid getting bogged down in minutely descriptive prose or detailed descriptions of musical passages, consider whether other means will cover these more effectively (e.g., charts, diagrams, clearly annotated scores), leaving  more time to focus in your paper on your ideas and conclusions about the work itself.

-In a comparison, don’t just switch back-and-forth in a rapid-fire alternation between the two works. This is exhausting, and doesn’t tend to allow as much depth.

-Avoid unsupported generalization. Be sure that when you make a statement, you can back it up with musical specifics.  In a way, a paper is like a performance in that you want to win over the reader or listener, and you do so through the power of your ideas and evidence for them.

-Don't be afraid to have opinions; just back them up! Your own views matter; learning to take a stand and express that stand powerfully and persuasively is part of what we're about.

-Your work must be turned in On Time. That means it must be In my Mailbox (S. Levy, not R. Levy, and not just given to the Faculty secretary) or in my hand by class time on the day it is due). Late papers get an automatic grade deduction, and do not receive any credit if received more than a day past the due date (via email), without explicit instructor permission.

-It Is Essential that if you use anyone else's words or ideas in your paper, you must acknowledge this in a bibliography and footnotes or endnotes. The bibliography must have author, title, and publishing information and give any general or specific references you have used. In addition, any specific words or ideas which you use in your paper must be acknowledged in the body of the paper with a footnote, endnote, or parenthetical reference which also gives specific page numbers where applicable. Any instances of plagiarism (unacknowledged use of outside words or ideas) will result in an automatic failure for that project and, very likely, for the course itself. 

-Don’t hesitate to make use of our free Writing assistance program at Peabody! Help is available on a walk-in or appointment basis. See the Office of Academic Affairs for further information.

Finally, some basic course reminders:

1) Late papers are accepted with grade deduction only through noon of the following day (by email). After that, instructor permission is needed.

2) Shorter and more focused is better than longer and unfocused.

3) Plagiarism of either words or ideas will result in an automatic failure for the project and likely for the course itself.

4) Final papers are due the day before your presentation, via email.

5) Presentations should be spoken, not read, but notes may be used.

6) Papers should have a clear thesis with specific musical support.

7) Participation is a real component in the calculation of your final grade.

8) Do not hesitate to make use of the Writing Center here at Peabody.

Note: If you are a student with a disability or believe you might have a disability that requires accommodations, please contact Dr. Eileen Soskin, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University at 410-659-8100, extension 4405 esoskin@peabody.jhu.edu, or Ms. Peggy Hayeslip, University Coordinator of Disability Services on the Homewood Campus of the Johns Hopkins University at 410-516-6225 phayeslip@jhu.edu to discuss reasonable and appropriate accommodations.