Music Courses 2012-13
(as of July 2012)
See the bulletins of the School of Music and the Divinity School for full course listings and degree requirements. Courses listed here may be cross-listed in other schools or departments.
Courses fulfilling the distribution requirements for Institute students pursuing the M.Div. are indicated with a letter indicating the relevant subject area: W (Worship), M (Music), and/or A (Religion and the Arts – visual arts or literature).
The letter “a” following the course number denotes the fall term; the letter “b” denotes the spring term.
MUS 504a-b, 604a-b, 704a-b, Dramatic Movement for Singers
1 credit per term.
Mark Verzatt
MUS 506a-b, 606a-b, 7061-b, Lyric Diction for Singers: Latin
(2 credits)
A language course designed specifically for the needs of singers. Intensive work on pronunciation, grammar, and literature throughout the term. James Taylor
MUS 509a–b, 609a –b, 709a-b, Art Song Coaching for Singers
(1 credit per term)
Individual private coaching in the art song repertoire, in preparation for required recitals. Students are coached on such elements of musical style as phrasing, rubato, and articulation, and in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish diction. Students are expected to bring their recital accompaniments to coaching sessions as their recital times approach.
Faculty
MUS 510b, Music before 1700
(4 credits)
The course gives an overview of music before 1700 within its cultural and social contexts. The goal of the course is knowledge of the repertoire representing the major styles, genres, and composers of the period. Course requirements include a midterm exam, two short papers, and a final exam.
Markus Rathey
MUS 509a–b, 609a–b, 709a–b, Art Song Coaching for Singers 1 credit per term. Individual private coaching in the art song repertoire, in preparation for required recitals. Students are coached on such elements of musical style as phrasing, rubato, and articulation, and in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish diction. Students are expected to bring their recital accompaniments to coaching sessions as their recital times approach.
Ted Taylor
MUS 515a,b, 615a,b, 715a,b, 815a,b, Improvisation at the Organ
2 credits)
Development of improvisatory skills at the keyboard.
Jeffrey Brillhart
MUS 519a–b, 619a–b, 719a–b, Colloquium
(1 credit)
Participation in seminars led by faculty and guest lecturers on topics concerning theology, music, worship, and related arts. Required of all Institute of Sacred Music students.
Martin D. Jean
MUS 522a-b, 622a-b, 722a-b, Acting for Singers
(1credit per term)
Designed to address the specialized needs of the singing actor. Studies include technique in character analysis, together with studies in poetry as it applies to art song literature. Class work is extended in regular private coaching.
Marc Verzatt
MUS 531a–b, 631a–b, 731a–b, Repertory Chorus--Voice
(2 credits per term)
A reading chorus open by audition and conducted by graduate choral conducting students. The chorus reads, studies, and sings a wide sampling of choral literature.
Marguerite L. Brooks
MUS 532a–b, 632a–b, 732a–b, Repertory Chorus--Conducting
(2 credits per term)
Students in the graduate choral conducting program work with the Repertory Chorus, preparing and conducting a portion of a public concert each term. Open only to choral conducting majors.
Marguerite L. Brooks
MUS 535a–b, 635a–b, 735a–b, Recital Chorus--Voice
(2 credits per term)
A chorus open by audition and conducted by graduate choral conducting students. It serves as the choral ensemble for four to five degree recitals per year.
Marguerite L. Brooks
MUS 536a–b, 636a–b, 736a–b, Recital Chorus--Conducting
(2 credits per term)
Second- and third-year students in the graduate choral conducting program work with the Recital Chorus, preparing and conducting their degree recitals. Open to choral conducting majors only.
Marguerite L. Brooks
MUS 537b, Collaborative Piano: Voice
(2 credits)
A course designed for pianists, focusing on the skills required for vocal accompanying and coaching. The standard song and operatic repertoire is emphasized. Sight-reading, techniques of transposition, figured bass, and effective reduction of operatic materials for the recreation of orchestral sounds at the piano are included in the curriculum.
Ted Taylor
MUS 540a–b, 640a–b, 740a–b, Individual Instruction in the Major
(4 credits per term)
Individual instruction of one hour per week throughout the academic year, for majors in performance, conducting, and composition.
Faculty
MUS 544a–b, 644a–b, 744a–b, Seminar in the Departmental Major
(2 credits per term)
An examination of a wide range of problems relating to the area of the major. Specific requirements may differ by department. Required of all School of Music students except pianists who take 533, 633, 733. Faculty
MUS 546a–b, 646a–b, 746a–b, Yale Camerata
(2 credits per term)
Open to all members of the University community by audition, the Yale Camerata presents several performances throughout the year that explore choral literature from all musical periods. Members of the ensemble should have previous choral experience and be willing to devote time to the preparation of music commensurate with the Camerata’s vigorous rehearsal and concert schedule.
Marguerite L. Brooks
MUS 549a, Early Music Repertoire for Singers
(2 credits)
Avi Stein
MUS 571a–b, 671a–b, 771a–b, Yale Schola Cantorum
(1 credit per term)
Specialist chamber choir for the development of advanced ensemble skills and expertise in demanding solo roles (in music before 1750 and from the last 100 years). Enrollment limited to, and required of, voice majors in the early music, song, and chamber ensemble program.
Masaaki Suzuki
MUS 575b/REL 961b, Psalms in Literature and Music
(4 credits)
A study of selected psalms (e.g., 23, 130, 150) as literary and theological works that have had a long history in Jewish and Christian worship. From this beginning we then look at these scriptural texts as inspiration for a wide variety of literary and musical compositions.
Markus Rathey and Peter S. Hawkins
MUS 594a, b, Vocal Chamber Music
(1 credit)
This performance-based class requires a high level of individual participation each week. Grades are based on participation in and preparation for class, and two performances of the repertoire learned. Attendance is mandatory. Occasional weekend sessions and extra rehearsals during production weeks can be expected. Students are expected to learn quickly and must be prepared to tackle a sizeable amount of repertoire.
James Taylor
MUS 595a,b, 695b, Performance Practice for Singers: Music from before 1800
(1 credit per term)
Fall term: Introduction (required of all first-year students in the early music, oratorio, and chamber ensemble program). An exploration of the major issues of historically informed performance, such as the search for “authenticity” and the roles of the editor and the performer. Specific topics include performance context, application of sources, original notation and modern editions, national styles, aesthetics, and ornamentation. Students examine historical sources and read selections from seventeenth- and eighteenth-century treatises. Open to conductors and instrumentalists with permission of the instructor.
Judith Malafronte
MUS 622a,b, 722a,b Acting for Singers.
Mark Verzatt
MUS 656a, Liturgical Keyboard Skills I
(2 credits)
In this course, students gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for musical genres, both those familiar to them and different from their own, and learn basic techniques for their application in church service playing. Students learn to play hymns, congregational songs, service music, and anthems from a variety of sources, including music from the liturgical and free church traditions, including the Black Church experience. Beginning with the piano, students are encouraged to play by ear, using their aural skills in learning gospel music. This training extends to the organ, in the form of improvised introductions and varied accompaniments to hymns of all types. We seek to accomplish these goals by active participation and discussion in class. When not actually playing in class, students are encouraged to sing to the accompaniment of the person at the keyboard, to further their experience of singing with accompaniment, and to give practical encouragement to the person playing.
Walden Moore
MUS 657a, Liturgical Keyboard Skills II
(2 credits) The subject matter is the same as for MUS 656, but some variety is offered in the syllabus on a two-year cycle to allow second-year students to take the course without duplicating all of the means by which the playing techniques are taught.
Walden Moore
MUS 661a, Bach: New Perspectives
(4 credits)
The music of Bach continues to come under intense scrutiny and many new ideas and interpretations are current. The course will investigate various new approaches to Bach’s music. Some are the result of musicological research that also has important ramifications for performance practice. Others have begun as quests in understanding performance practices and in the process have led to further studies in musicology. There are new ideas regarding Bach’s compositional process, performing resources that were available to him, and new proposals regarding the connections between specific compositions. The course will be run as a seminar, and each student will be expected to prepare material beforehand and contribute to the discussions. Each session will comprise two components: 1) The first part will deal with biographical issues, based on Christoph Wolff’s biographical study: Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician; 2) the second part will be given over to the exploration of particular issues of Bach studies and performance practice.
Robin Leaver
MUS 669b, REL 912b, Music in American Religion
(4 credits)
This course introduces students to the role of music in a variety of American religious traditions and explores generally the links between spiritual experience and musical expression. Students leave the course with anenhanced understanding of American religious history, the varieties of religious experience, and the development of American vernacular music. The course is also designed to strengthen students’ skills in critical listening and introduce them to a variety of methods for analyzing the interplay between religious belief and musical practice.
David W. Stowe
MUS 675b, REL 911b, Music, Ritual, Religion: Haiti and the Diaspora
(4 credits)
This course examines Haiti’s sonic and spiritual landscapes, paying particular attention to the intersections of musical practice, religious experience, and various forms of spiritual and political power. A recurring theme is the role of music in shaping ritual, negotiating cultural identities,
and sustaining transnational linkages between Haiti and the United States. Highlighting the migration of sound and ritual practice to and from the Caribbean region, we carefully consider the extent to which music, ritual, and religious practice in Haiti constitute forms of resistance in the face of sociopolitical and natural hardships.
Melvin K. Butler
MUS 715b, Improvisation at the Organ III.
Jeffrey Brillhart
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