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COURSE NUMBER: MUSI 305
COURSE TITLE: Western Classical Music of the 20th Century
NAME OF INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Charles Stolte
CREDIT WEIGHT AND WEEKLY TIME DISTRIBUTION: credits 3(hrs lect 3 - hrs sem 1 - hrs lab 0)
COURSE DESCRIPTION: An overview of modernist and post-modernist Western Classical music with weekly seminars on set theory and the twelve-tone system.

Prerequisites: MUSI 216, 217
REQUIRED TEXTS:
  • Morgan, Robert.  Twentieth-Century Music: A History of Musical Style in Modern Europe and America.  New York: Norton, 1991.
MARK DISTRIBUTION IN PERCENT:
Analytical Assignments (4)20%
Short Papers (4)20%
Exam 130%
Exam 230%
100%
COURSE OBJECTIVES: To trace the musical development during the 20th century including the impact of philosophical, social and broader cultural trends on the development of new musical styles, idioms, mediums, genres and forms.
COURSE OUTLINE:
  • Contexts
    • Introduction and Historical contexts
    • Musical transition to the 20 th  century: Germany, France and Russia
  • Modernism: Make It New!
    • Tonalities
      • A variety of voices
      • Neo-tonality and Neo-classicism
    • Atonalities
      • Atonality and The Twelve-Tone System
    • Nationalities
      • Fascism and Europe; the Americas
  • Post-Modernism: Make It You!
    • Control/Out of control
      • Serialism and Indeterminacy
    • Make it Newer
      • Innovations and technologies
    • Forward, Back and Around
      • Quotes, Pop and God
  • Stages

Required texts, assignments, and grade distributions may vary from one offering of this course to the next. Please consult the course instructor for up to date details.

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