Courses of Instruction
Key to course list A schedule of the hours and places at which various classes are to meet will be posted online at www.yale.edu/oci.
Courses designated “a” meet in the fall term only.
Courses designated “b” meet in the spring term only.
Courses designated “a,b” are offered in both the fall and spring terms.
Courses designated “a–b” are yearlong courses. Credit for these courses is granted only after completion of two terms of work.
Courses designated NP are nonperformance courses.
Courses designated P/F will be graded on a Pass/Fail basis.
Courses designated Group A, B, or C qualify as distribution requirements in these groups.
Musicianship and Theory
MUS 500a–b and 501a–b, Introductory Hearing and Analysis 2 credits in the fall; 4 credits in the spring. Group A. See MUS 502a, 503a, for description. Both sections must be completed to fulfill the degree requirement. Does not count as a nonperformance elective. Enrollment by placement exam. Richard Gard, Hannah Lash
MUS 502a, 503a, Hearing and Analysis 4 credits. Group A. This course develops aural and analytic skills through the exploration of a variety of musical styles, with and without score. The overall goal is to hear and articulate the effect of compositional choices and then to directly connect this understanding to performance. A short, significant composition is a requirement, and these compositions are performed. One of the sections is a degree requirement. Does not count as a nonperformance elective. Enrollment by placement exam. Joan Panetti, chair
MUS 610a–b, 710a–b, Score Reading and Analysis 4 credits per term. NP. Group A. An examination of repertoire from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. Appropriate analytic points of view are used to discover inherent stylistic similarities and differences in orchestration and texture. Class work includes a substantial term paper, as well as playing scores at the piano. Permission of the instructor required; enrollment limited to eight. Shinik Hahm
MUS 655a, Sixteenth-Century Counterpoint 4 credits. NP. Group A. Students learn the conventions of sixteenth-century counterpoint through the study of existing repertoire from such composers as Morales, Byrd, de Lassus, and Palestrina. Weekly exercises cover the study of species counterpoint and look specifically at such matters as melodic writing, two- and three-voice counterpoint, cadences and handling of dissonances, imitation and canon, and finally four-voice textures up to eight-voice textures in polychoral style. Although we touch upon several texts including Fux’s treatise, we use as a basic guide Robert Gauldin’s A Practical Approach to Sixteenth-Century Counterpoint. Texts, however, can only offer a summing up of the conventions that exist in the repertoire. So while such manuals are helpful, the most valuable way to learn these conventions is by study of the repertoire itself. Therefore a large component of the course is devoted to familiarizing students with the music of the great masters of sixteenth-century polyphonic writing and to using that music as the jumping-off point for the student’s own practice of counterpoint. Hannah Lash
MUS 658a, Twentieth-Century Music: Ear Training and Analysis 4 credits. NP. Group A. This course attempts to develop students’ ability to recognize and generate structures and processes particular to music of the twentieth century and to apply them in analysis of short pieces. The course makes use of musical examples by Schoenberg, Bartók, Debussy, Stravinsky, Webern, and others. Reading, singing, memorizing, and manipulation of these excerpts are among the course’s central activities, which also include singing (and playing), dictation, identification, improvisation, and, above all, recognition. The course also extends the ear training skills into the area of analysis, although analysis is secondary to ear training. Enrollment limited to fifteen. Michael Friedmann
MUS 660b, Analysis from a Schenkerian Perspective 4 credits. NP. Group A. This class is both an analysis and a history class, focusing on Schenker’s theory of harmony and the possibilities it provided for insight into music of the classical period. Students learn how to graph pieces and are expected to complete weekly analysis assignments. We also discuss the limitations of this theory, both in its exclusion of music in any style period other than the classical era, but also in its starkly reductive approach. Conversely, does it offer tools to understand a more expanded repertoire than Schenker envisioned? Can we apply its principles to music currently or recently written, or to music of the Baroque and before? Primary texts used are Allen Forte and Steven E. Gilbert’s Introduction to Schenkerian Analysis and Allen Cadwallader and David Gagne’s Analysis of Tonal Music: A Schenkerian Approach. Hannah Lash
MUS 692b, Advanced Hearing and Analysis 4 credits. NP. Group A. For musicians who are passionate about integrating aural, analytic, and performance skills. Students, in consultation with the instructor, choose repertoire to perform, present, and discuss in class. There are short papers as well. Permission of the instructor required. Joan Panetti
Performance
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 529a, Introduction to Conducting 4 credits. A study of the art of conducting through analysis of scores, baton technique, and orchestration. Assignments include weekly conducting exercises, study of repertoire, quizzes, and a final examination. The ability to read scores and transpose is assumed. Permission of the instructor required; enrollment limited. Toshiyuki Shimada
MUS 530b, Intermediate Conducting 4 credits. Continuation of the techniques utilized in Conducting 529a. More difficult orchestral pieces are analyzed and conducted, and score reading at the piano is stressed. A playing ensemble is made up of participants in the class. Some piano playing skills required. Prerequisite: MUS 529a; thorough knowledge of theory and analysis. Permission of the instructor required. Enrollment limited to eight, determined by audition. Toshiyuki Shimada
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 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 Brooks
MUS 533a–b, 633a–b, 733a–b, Seminar in Piano Literature and Interpretation 4 credits per term. For piano majors. Piano faculty and guests
MUS 534b, Collaborative Piano: Instrumental 2 credits. A course for piano majors, intended to broaden their experience and to provide them with the skills necessary to prepare sonatas and accompaniments. A number of selected instrumental sonatas are covered, as well as the problems involved in dealing with orchestral reductions and piano parts to virtuoso pieces. Sight reading and difficulties related to performing with specific instruments are also addressed. Students are encouraged to bring works to class that they are preparing for recitals. Elizabeth Sawyer Parisot
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 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 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 538a–b, 638a–b, 738a–b, Cello Ensemble 2 credits per term. An exploration of the growing literature for cello ensemble emphasizing chamber music and orchestral skills as well as stylistic differences. Performances planned during the year. Required of all cello majors. Aldo Parisot
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 541a,b, 641a,b, 741a,b, Secondary Instrumental, Compositional, Conducting, and Vocal Study 2 credits per term. P/F. Permission of program director required. Study of a secondary instrument, voice, or composition for credit. Conductors may register and receive credit in two areas. Students who register for secondary study are assessed a fee of $100 per area per term and may be required to perform juries at the end of each term. Secondary Instruction in Choral Conducting and Orchestral Conducting is only available with permission of the instructor and requires as prerequisites MUS 565a (Elements of Choral Technique) for secondary instruction in Choral Conducting, and both MUS 529a (Introduction to Conducting) and MUS 530b (Intermediate Conducting) for secondary instruction in Orchestral Conducting.
MUS 542a–b, 642a–b, 742a–b, The Philharmonia Orchestra of Yale and New Music New Haven 2 credits per term. Participation, as assigned by the faculty, is required of all orchestral students. In addition to regular participation in Philharmonia, students are assigned to New Music New Haven, to groups performing music by Yale composers, and to other ensembles as required. Shinik Hahm
MUS 543a–b, 643a–b, 743a–b, Chamber Music 2 credits per term. Required of instrumental majors (except organ) in each term of enrollment. Enrollment includes participation in an assigned chamber music ensemble as well as performance and attendance in master classes and chamber music concerts. Faculty and guests
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. At the discretion of each department, seminar requirements can be met partially through off-campus field trips and/or off-campus fieldwork, e.g., performance or teaching. 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 Brooks
MUS 565a, Elements of Choral Technique 4 credits. An exploration of conducting technique, rehearsal technique, score analysis, and repertoire for the choral conductor, this course is designed for students who are not majoring in choral conducting but are interested in learning the essentials of choral technique. Repertoire from the sixteenth century to the present is explored. Jeffrey Douma
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 one hundred years). Enrollment required for voice majors enrolled through the Institute of Sacred Music. Masaaki Suzuki
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 those 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. Hymn playing, with an emphasis on methods of encouraging congregational singing, is the principal focus of the organ instruction, but there is also instruction in chant and anthem accompaniment, including adapting a piano reduction to the organ. In the gospel style, 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 677a, Continuo Realization and Performance 4 credits. Acquisition of practical skills necessary for a competent and expressive performance from thorough-bass. Learning of figures, honing of voice-leading skills, and investigation of various historical and national styles of continuo playing as well as relevant performance practice issues. Regular class performances with an instrumentalist or singer. Open to pianists, harpsichordists, organists, and conductors. Arthur Haas
Composition
MUS 505a, Orchestration through Contemporary Score Study 4 credits. NP. Group A. The study of advanced concepts in orchestral writing through the study of music of the past thirty years. Composers represented include Henri Dutilleux, Jacob Druckman, John Adams, Tan Dun, Magnus Lindberg, Thomas Adès, Helmut Lachenmann, and Marc-André Dalbavie, among others. Christopher Theofanidis
MUS 554b, Composition for Performers I 4 credits. NP. Group A. Discussion and production of various compositional procedures, styles, types of notation, and composer-performer collaborations. Group performance and evaluation of works produced. Individual consultation and guidance as needed. Ezra Laderman
MUS 652b, Instrumental Arranging 4 credits. NP. Group A. A practical study of writing for all instruments in all combinations including orchestra, concert band, jazz, and chamber ensembles. Enrollment limited. Willie Ruff
Voice
MUS 504a–b, 604a–b, 704a–b, Dramatic Movement for Singers 1 credit per term. Stage movement tailored specifically for singers. Physical preparation of the body through exercises that develop strength, control, and flow of movement while releasing tensions and extending the range of movement possibilities. Emphasis is placed on stage presence and movement problems as applied to specific roles, and on transferring the class experience to the stage. Required. Marc Verzatt
MUS 506a–b, 606a–b, 706a–b, Lyric Diction for Singers 2 credits per term. A language course designed specifically for the needs of singers. Intensive work on pronunciation, grammar, and literature throughout the term. French, German, English, Italian, Russian, and Latin are offered in alternating terms. Required. Faculty
MUS 507a–b, 607a–b, 707a–b, Vocal Repertoire for Singers 2 credits per term. A performance-oriented course that in successive terms surveys the French mélodie, German Lied, and Italian, American, and English art song. Elements of style, language, text, and presentation are emphasized. Required. Faculty
MUS 508a–b, 608a–b, 708a–b, Opera Workshop 3 credits per term. Encompasses musical preparation, coaching (musical and language), staging, and performance of selected scenes as well as complete roles from a wide range of operatic repertoire. Required. Doris Yarick-Cross, coaching staff, and guest music and stage directors
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 522a–b, 622a–b, 722a–b, Acting for Singers 1 credit 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 549a, Early Music Repertoire for Singers 2 credits. A survey of solo and chamber repertoire (song, madrigal, cantata, opera, oratorio, motet) from the early seventeenth century to the mid-eighteenth century. Related topics include performance practice, ornamentation, national styles, related instrumental music, research, and original sources and their modern transcriptions. Assignments emphasize practical applications such as composing ornaments, finding repertoire, and creating new editions. Avi Stein
MUS 594a, 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 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. Spring term: Then and Now—The Performance of Handel’s Oratorios. An examination of Handel’s oratorios in their social and musical context, noting the influence of Handel’s singers and audience on his compositions. The class addresses issues of Baroque vocal performance including tempo, ornamentation, recitative, and dramatic interpretation, with a high level of student participation and making limited use of recordings. We study the librettos as social, political, and religious statements, looking in depth at La Resurrezione, Saul, and Solomon. Open to conductors and instrumentalists with permission of the instructor. Judith Malafronte
History and Analysis
MUS 510b, Music before 1700 4 credits. NP. Group B. 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 511b, Music of the Eighteenth Century 4 credits. NP. Group B. A survey of the principal forms and styles of the eighteenth century from Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel to the early music of Beethoven. Major works from the operatic, liturgical, orchestral, keyboard, and chamber music repertoires illustrate the stylistic transformation from the high Baroque to the Classical period. Participants consider the music in the context of contemporary social and artistic thought. Course requirements include weekly readings and six short analytical papers. Paul Hawkshaw
MUS 512a, Music in the Nineteenth Century 4 credits. NP. Group B. An analytic and cultural survey of music in nineteenth-century Europe. The primary goal is intimate knowledge of repertoire representing the major styles, genres, and composers of the period, from Beethoven and Rossini to Strauss, Debussy, and Rimsky-Korsakov. Readings from primary documents (both critical and literary) provide grounding in historical events, aesthetic trends, and social contexts of nineteenth-century music making. Course requirements include weekly listening and reading, regular quizzes, two short music-analytic papers (2–3 pages), a midterm examination, and a final examination. Paul Berry
MUS 513a, Music since 1900 4 credits. NP. Group B. A detailed investigation of the history of musical style from ca. 1900 to the present. Issues to be considered include modernist innovations around 1910; serialism and neoclassicism in the interwar period; the avant-gardes of the 1950s and 1960s; postmodernism, neo-romanticism, and multiculturalism of the 1970s and beyond. Robert Holzer
MUS 523a, Phrase and Form in the Classical String Quartet 4 credits. NP. Group B. A detailed introduction to the Viennese classical style as exemplified in the string quartets of Haydn, Mozart, and early to middle-period Beethoven. Through close engagement with selected repertoire, the course helps the student develop a flexible and nuanced approach to the articulation of phrase groups and the interpretation of large-scale form. Quartets are chosen in part according to students’ interests and current performance projects. Among works to be addressed are Haydn’s quartets, Opus 20, 33, 50/1, 64/5, and 76; Mozart’s “Haydn Quartets,” especially K. 387, 421, and 464; and Beethoven’s quartets, Opus 18 and 59. Readings include Tovey, Rosen, Heartz, Ratner, Caplin, Schoenberg, and Hepokoski and Darcy. Course requirements include weekly listening and short readings, four brief response papers (1–3 pages), occasional oral presentations, and a final examination on topics chosen by the student. Paul Berry
MUS 558a, Introduction to the Analysis of Nontonal Music 4 credits. NP. Group B. This course consists of the examination of various analytic techniques and their use in the analysis of music by Berg, Boulez, Dallapiccola, Ligeti, Lutoslawski, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Varèse, Webern, and others. Helpful, but not a prerequisite, is some prior exposure to Schenker analysis and a knowledge of the fundamentals of set theory. Thomas C. Duffy
MUS 560a, Research and Editions 4 credits. NP. Group B. A course in music bibliography and research methods that emphasizes important printed and electronic reference tools in music and how to use them. The course also presents an overview of the issues involved in editing a musical work, for which students compare various editions of the same work. Kendall Crilly
MUS 567b, The Ballets Russes 4 credits. NP. Group B. This course follows the evolution of the Ballets Russes, from its origins at the turn of the twentieth century as part of the Parisian “World of Art” exhibitions, in which Sergei Diaghilev imported contemporary art and experimental opera and dance productions from Russia, through its prime years (1909 to 1929) as an established ballet company, and ending in the company’s eventual breaking apart into groups settling in the United States and Monte Carlo. We further examine the subsequent impact of that splitting apart on the contemporary dance, music, and art scenes in the United States. The 1909 to 1929 years are the primary focus of the course, with an emphasis on the musical masterworks that were born of Diaghilev’s vision: works by Debussy, Milhaud, Poulenc, Prokofiev, Ravel, Satie, Respighi, Strauss, and, of course, Stravinsky, among many others. We examine how Diaghilev brought together many of the most influential artists of the time, such as Braque, Picasso, Chanel, Matisse, Derain, Miró, de Chirico, Dali, and Cocteau, to collaborate with these composers. Students are given a brief primer on ballet and become familiar with the work of the important choreographers associated with the Ballets Russes, such as Michel Fokine, Vaslav Nijinksy (as both dancer and choreographer), Léonide Massine, and George Balanchine. Course requirements include a midterm, a final exam, and a paper. Christopher Theofanidis
MUS 572a, Analysis of Music from the Composer’s Perspective 4 credits. NP. Group B. This course is designed to provide composers (and others interested in composition) with the opportunity to evaluate and analyze important musical compositions from a creator’s point of view. Works of music have been analyzed by theorists, musicologists, ethnomusicologists, performers, and audiences for their own purposes. The goal of this course is to explore the decisive musical choices that remain after accounting for the contexts and constraints of theory, history, and sociology. We attempt to address the significance and character of what, given the histories and theories of music, is finally “composed” by a composer. Selected compositions are discussed and analyzed. The class includes listening, lectures, and discussions, with readings and analysis from prepared scores (available for purchase) and reserved materials. Attendance is monitored. Grades are determined primarily by a midterm and final exam. Enrollment limited to twenty. Martin Bresnick
MUS 575b/REL 961b, Psalms in Literature and Music 4 credits. NP. Group B. This course is a study of the richness and power of the Psalter through an examination of a few key Psalms (e.g., 23, 51, 130, and 150) as literary and theological works that have had a long history in Jewish and Christian worship. We look at these scriptural texts as inspiration for a wide variety of poetic and musical compositions and artistic flowering. Students explore the relationship between scripture and art, especially in music and literature. What happens to the biblical text over time and as it is interpreted in different media? Musical works include settings by Johann Sebastian Bach, Leonard Bernstein, and Orlando di Lasso, and poetry includes works by Philip and Mary Sidney, Christopher Smart, Gerard Manley Hopkins, John Berryman and Anne Sexton, Jacqueline Osherow, Brooks Haxton, and Brad Davis. Limited enrollment. Markus Rathey, Peter S. Hawkins
MUS 577b, Learning about Music Using Primary Sources 4 credits. NP. Group B. An introduction to learning about music by using primary source materials from special collections in Yale’s libraries and museums. The class focuses on rare printed and manuscript material in the special collections of the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library; early audio recordings in the Historical Sound Recordings collection; original interviews and transcripts in the Oral History of American Music project; the Koch Collection of musical, literary, and historical manuscripts in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library; and musical iconography that appears in paintings and prints in the Yale Center for British Art. Participants in the class give one class presentation and write three short papers. Kendall Crilly
MUS 627b, How to Tell a Story in Music 4 credits. NP. Group B. In many ways, music and storytelling began their lives together. This class investigates the ways that music has traditionally intertwined itself with narrative. How does music support narrative? How does it add, subtract, challenge, or qualify a story as it is being told? How do different kinds of stories require composers to change the way they write? How does music imply narrative in the absence of text or story or program? How do listeners superimpose narrative on abstract musical sources, and how does that superimposition affect the way we think of music history? In this class we examine music that deals with all of these narrative approaches; in addition, we write our own short stories, write and perform our own music to accompany them, and perform for each other John Cage’s masterpiece of storytelling, Indeterminacy. David Lang
MUS 628b, The Operas of Giuseppe Verdi 4 credits. NP. Group B. A survey of Verdi’s operas, with special attention to the interaction of music and drama, as well as to the larger context of his works in nineteenth-century Italian history. Regular attendance and informed participation in classroom discussion, in-class presentations, two papers. Four excused absences are permitted; more than four absences results in severe consequences for the final grade. Robert Holzer
MUS 630b, The Music of Johannes Brahms 4 credits. NP. Group B. A detailed study of Brahms’s compositional style across a variety of genres: piano sonata and piano miniature, song and part-song, instrumental chamber music, symphony, concerto, and large-scale works for choir and orchestra. Readings and class discussion focus on Brahms’s approach to harmony, phrase, and form. Also addressed are the application of music-analytic and historical inquiry to the performance of Brahms’s works and the challenges and rewards of relating his music to his interpersonal relationships. Course requirements include weekly listening and short readings, four brief response papers (1–3 pages), occasional oral presentations, and a final examination on topics chosen by the student. Paul Berry
MUS 634b, The History and Repertoire of the Wind Orchestra 4 credits. NP. Group B. Thomas C. Duffy
MUS 648a, Edison’s Talking Machine and the American Jazz Century 4 credits. NP. Group B. A term-long series of lecture presentations by Willie Ruff that draws heavily on interviews he recorded in 1974 with Ethel Waters, Eubie Blake, Earl Hines, Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and others. These interviews, together with an extensive conversation between Ruff and Columbia Records producer John Hammond, subsequently became an annotated Anthology of Classic Jazz on phonograph records. The anthology will be useful in tracing the story of the creation and evolution of the American entertainment scene along with the social, artistic, and technical circumstances that prevailed in the recording industry from the 1880s into the twentieth century and beyond. The brilliance of Edison’s 1877 idea for a “Talking Machine” is matched only by the serendipitous fact that it came into being almost in time to capture the beginnings of jazz. The great news is that it was precisely in time to capture the voices of the iconic jazz masters telling their own stories for the anthology. There are powerful stories behind all their classic masterworks, from “Stormy Weather” to “Saint Louis Blues” to “West End Blues” to “Charleston Rag” to “Grooving High” to “Miles Ahead” and more. Willie Ruff
MUS 654b, Radical Piano Miniatures, 1800–2000 4 credits. NP. Group B. A study of compositional innovation in single-movement works for solo piano. Beginning with Beethoven’s bagatelles and Schubert’s impromptus, the course charts a path through some of the most important developments of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: chromatic harmony, serial and other post-tonal idioms, formal and temporal experimentation, and the emergence of texture as a central compositional preoccupation. A parallel concern is the composer’s response to an evolving instrument and changing performance practices. Repertoire is chosen in part according to students’ interests and current performance projects. Among composers addressed are Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, Brahms, Debussy, Schoenberg, Cage, Babbitt, Ligeti, and Adams. Course requirements include weekly listening and short readings, four brief response papers (1–3 pages), occasional oral presentations, and a final examination on topics chosen by the student. Paul Berry
MUS 661a, Bach: New Perspectives 4 credits. NP. Group B. The music of Bach continues to come under intense scrutiny, with many new ideas and interpretations. The course investigates 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 to understand performance practices and in the process have led to further studies in musicology. There are new ideas regarding Bach’s compositional process and the performing resources that were available to him, as well as new proposals regarding the connections between specific compositions. The course is run as a seminar, and each student is expected to prepare material in advance and contribute to the discussions. Each session comprises two components: biographical issues, based on Christoph Wolff’s biographical study, Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician; and particular issues of Bach studies and performance practice. Robin Leaver
MUS 662b, Minimalism: The Aftershocks 4 credits. NP. Group B. The phenomenon of minimalism in the late sixties and early seventies was explosive but rather short-lived. What started as idea (aesthetic) quickly became style (technique). The experimental directions of Glass, Reich, and Riley had a massive impact on a generation of young composers and some older ones as well. Composers who were caught up in the movement’s wake brought their own creativity to this new sensibility and helped to turn around the aesthetic direction of contemporary classical music. The list of composers is expansive, from J. Adams (and J.L. Adams as well) to Pärt, Rzewski, Kernis and Torke, Górecki, Bryars, M. Monk, L. Anderson, Lang, Gordon, Ligeti, Foss, Feldman, among others. Influences from non-Western music, pop, and jazz, as well as parallel movements in the visual arts (where the term minimalism originated) are examined. There are short response papers every few weeks and a research paper due at the end, or a class presentation, which could be a performance or possibly a composition reflecting the postminimalist style. Ingram Marshall
MUS 667a, Lieder of Schumann 4 credits. NP. Group B. This course delves into the lieder of Schumann, taking an in-depth analytical approach. We discuss Schumann’s relationship to the poetry; his approach to form, harmony, and timbre; and the synthesis of all these elements. The cycles on which we concentrate include Myrthen, Op. 25; Dichterliebe, Op. 48; and Liederkreis, Op. 24 and 39. We approach analysis of the lieder from an organic yet rigorous standpoint, graphing harmonies, harmonic relationships, and the large- and small-scale implications of chromaticism. Although we concentrate on the music, we look at some biographical writings, such as Herbert Bedford’s Robert Schumann—His Life and Work and Hermann Abert’s Robert Schumann, as well as some of Schumann’s own writings. Hannah Lash
MUS 668b, Schubert and Beethoven in Vienna: The Last Years 4 credits. NP. Group B. In his last four years Schubert produced a series of magnificent big instrumental compositions: the “Great” Symphony in C, the Piano Trios in E-flat and B-flat, the String Quintet in C, and the final four Piano Sonatas in G, C minor, A, and B-flat. Schubert seems—against his own financial best interests—to have labored at this remarkable series of works in the hope of challenging his fellow Viennese composer, Beethoven, on his own turf. This course compares the lives and certain works of these two residents of Vienna, focusing mainly on Schubert’s last desperate attempt to emerge from under the shadow of his older, vastly more famous contemporary. In this course we study the scores, do some background reading, and (it is hoped) have fine performances in class. Leon Plantinga
MUS 669b/REL 912b, Music in American Religion 4 credits. NP. Group B. 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 an enhanced 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 Stowe
MUS 675b/MUSI 424b/555b/REL 911b, Music, Ritual, and Religion in Haiti and Its Diaspora 4 credits. NP. Group B. 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 Butler
MUS 849b, 850a, 851b, Seminar for Master of Musical Arts Candidates NP. Group B. To be elected for a maximum of three terms and 16 credits, normally during the last three terms of residency, for 4 credits, 8 credits, and 4 credits respectively. An introduction to the problems and methodology of musicology and music theory. The course familiarizes the student with the work of current musicological research and provides an opportunity to develop a thesis topic and present the results of the thesis to the seminar. Required of all M.M.A. candidates. Michael Friedmann, Robert Holzer
Special Studies
MUS 521a, English: Fundamentals of Writing and Speaking 4 credits. Group C. Classes are designed for students who are at a basic or intermediate level of English and are intended to address specifically writing skills and grammar. Students who have passed the TOEFL and students needing to improve TOEFL scores attend. Classes consist of lectures, discussions, class participation, in-class writing exercises, vocabulary tests, and fluency exercises. Attendance is required at all sessions. Serena Blocker
MUS 550a, Music Technology for the Practicing Musician 2 credits. NP. Group C. An overview of pertinent technological developments and their historical contexts. Designed for students who have had little or no prior experience in this area. The discussion groups for this course are hands-on workshops. These provide an opportunity for students to meet in small groups and gain firsthand experience using the digital systems in the Center for Studies in Music Technology (CSMT). Students are expected to attend one workshop per week. Jack Vees
MUS 551b, Studio Techniques and Contemporary Popular Music 2 credits. NP. Group C. This course combines a detailed presentation of the various elements of the Center for Studies in Music Technology (CSMT) studios with a survey of popular music that has been shaped by the studio environment. The works of artists from ABBA to Zappa and the recordings of performers from Les Paul to Brian Eno are typical of the works that are presented. The discussion groups for this course are hands-on workshops. These provide an opportunity for students to meet in small groups and gain firsthand experience using the digital systems in CSMT. Students are expected to attend one workshop per week. Jack Vees
MUS 562b, Music in Art 4 credits. NP. Group C. This course addresses specific topics in musical iconography, i.e., the manner in which artists and sculptors of different periods have used music for symbolic purposes. An objective of the course is to consider the degree to which the portrayal of music in the visual arts reflects a particular society’s attitude toward music. From this, one can draw conclusions about the function of music within that society. Readings are assigned, and a paper is required. Paul Hawkshaw
MUS 578a, Community Engagement 4 credits. NP. Group C. This class provides students with practical, hands-on methods to communicate with different kinds of audiences, with a special focus on teacher-artist programs in public schools. The class includes examples of teaching techniques that work, how to collaborate with public schools to establish programs, and an opportunity to create and present a community engagement program. Michael Yaffe and guests
MUS 621a,b, Careers in Music: Creating Financially Sustainable Careers in the Arts 2 credits. NP. Group C. This course teaches the entrepreneurial skills required to create financially sustainable careers in the arts, including career planning, financial and project planning, branding, marketing, and public speaking. Students apply these skills by working on a project throughout the term. The class combines instruction with group discussions and coaching on the project. Course requirements include weekly readings, interviews, blogs, the final project, a Web site, and a final paper. Enrollment limited to twelve. Astrid Baumgardner
MUS 673b, Leadership Strategies for Music Presenters 4 credits. NP. Group C. This course explores the conceptual, entrepreneurial, financial, and managerial elements of presenting classical and popular music. Symphony, opera, music theater, and large-scale (stadium) popular concerts receive primary focus. Guest lecturers include presidents/CEOs of major symphonies and opera companies, Broadway producers and entrepreneurs, and the former president of CBS Productions. The class sessions are supplemented by case studies, and each student develops a comprehensive business plan for a project. Limited to twelve students; an interview with the instructor is prerequisite to enrollment. Robert Blocker
MUS 680a–b, The Art of Recording for Music 2 credits per term. NP. Group C. A workshop dealing with state-of-the-art digital recording techniques, equipment, studio acoustics, and compact disc production, with special emphasis placed on preparing students to use recording facilities as a musician on both sides of the microphone. The first term is devoted to a general survey of digital recording techniques through experimental recording of various student and professional musical ensembles. The second term is devoted exclusively to compact disc production. As a final project, each student produces a recording session using classmates or professional ensembles and works through the postrecording process to provide a digital tape suitable for compact disc production. Enrollment limited. Permission of the instructor required. Counts as one NP for the year. Eugene Kimball
MUS 690a,b, Independent Study Project 2 credits per term. NP. Second- or third-year students with the consent of the deputy dean may elect, for one term only, to pursue individual study in specialized areas of interest, under the supervision of faculty members. An outline for proposed individual study must be completed and approved prior to the beginning of the term in which the student expects to pursue the special study. Forms are available in the Office of the Registrar. Faculty
Yale Institute of Sacred Music
MUS 519a–b, 619a–b, 719a–b, 819a–b, Colloquium 1 credit per term. NP. P/F. 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 Jean
Graduate-Level Courses in the Department of Music
Permission for admission to graduate courses offered by the Department of Music must be obtained from the director of graduate studies of the department. The following courses are available in the graduate department in 2012–2013 (4 credits each term).
MUSI 506b, World Music Theories, Aesthetics, and Practice Sarah Weiss
MUSI 697a, Proseminar in Ethnomusicology Group C. Michael Veal
MUSI 698b, Proseminar in Music Theory Group A. Ian Quinn
MUSI 705a, Nineteenth-Century Theory and Aesthetics of Music Group B. Patrick McCreless
MUSI 842a, American Music Genres Group B. James Hepokoski
MUSI 844a/HIST 792a, Musical Consumerism Group B. Emily Green
MUSI 846b, Petrarchism and the Italian Madrigal Group B. Ellen Rosand
MUSI 847a/GMAN 680a/DRAM 456a, Wagner in and on Production Group B. Gundula Kreuzer
MUSI 910b, Contemporary Tonality Group A. Daniel Harrison
MUSI 920b, Auditory Culture Group C. Brian Kane
MUSI 930b, Multiple Temporalities Group A. Ève Poudrier
MUSI 952a, Metric States and Scripts Group A. Richard Cohn
