Course Syllabus

Course Information
MUSI 1306 – 02. Understanding Music, Fall 2010
Hours: 4 p.m.-5.15 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. AH2 1.204
Final Project: Second live concert review is due on 11/30/10
Final Exam: 2 p.m., Thursday, December 9th
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Professor Contact Information
Dr. Jamila Javadova-Spitzberg, DMA
Arts and Humanities JO 5.712
Office Hours: By appointment only.
Email: jxj093000@utdallas.edu. Phone: 214-909-1275
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Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions
Prior musical knowledge is helpful but not necessary for this class and there are no pre-
requisites or co-requisites.
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Course Description
This course is an introduction to music terminology, history, and literature. It is designed
to help students critically listen, understand and enjoy music. Students will develop an
understanding of a variety of musical forms, life and works of significant composers and
renowned musicians. The course will be solely focused on Western Music covering the
following major style periods: Middle Ages (400-1400), Renaissance (1400-1600),
Baroque (1600-1750), Classical (1750-1825), Romantic (1820-1900), and Post
Romanticism, Impressionism, and Early Twentieth Century (1900-1940).
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Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes
Students should demonstrate an understanding of the course of Western Music and its
relationship to the social, political, literary, and cultural thought of the time-- more
specifically, the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classic, Romantic, 20th century
periods. Students will be expected to identify and discuss the major elements of Western
Music such as harmony, melody, form, timbre, interpretation, texture, and dynamics.
Students will be expected to compare and contrast the fundamental characteristics of the
styles and elements of music and will be evaluated through tests, quizzes, class
participation, and analysis of musical performances. This should result in a better
understanding, and in turn, a greater appreciation of all types of music and the society
and culture from which this art is derived.
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Required Textbooks and Materials
Text: Jeremy Yudkin, sixth edition of “Understanding Music” Prentice Hall.
Accompanying 3-CD set***
Online supplement: www.prenhall.com/yudkin or http://www.pearsonhighered.com/
Notebook for in-class information
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For UT Dallas Policies and Procedures use the following web site:

http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies

Assignment Schedule for Fall 2010

08/19/10: Syllabus handout and Introduction to the course.

Week 1: TR-August 24th & 26th

Chapter 2: The Elements of Music including melody (pitch), harmony, rhythm,
form, timbre, texture, dynamics - fundamentals of notation, key centers, and
musical form. Melodic, dynamic, rhythmic analysis:
The Elements of Music Continued:

Week 2: TR-August 31st and September 2nd

Chapter 2 continued: Musical Instruments, strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion
and keyboard Instruments. Musical Ensembles: Choral groups and the Orchestra.
Historical Periods and Individual Styles. Chapter 3: Types of Listening

Week 3: TR-September 7th & 9th

QUIZ 1. Chapter 4: The Middle Ages. Main characteristics, musical context.
Medieval Modes. Rise of Polyphony.
Chapter 4: The Middle Ages Continued. Polyphony and Late Medieval
Polyphonic Song. Style Summary.

Week 4: September 14th & 16th

Chapter 5: The Renaissance. Major Changes in the Renaissance. General
Characteristics of Renaissance Music.
The Late Renaissance.

Week 5: TR- September 21st & 23rd

QUIZ 2. Chapter 6: The Baroque Era. General Characteristics of Baroque
Music. Baroque Vocal and Instrumental Forms. The Early Baroque and Opera.
Opera in Italy.
The Baroque continued. French Baroque Dances. Baroque Instrumental Music.
Instrumental Concerto.

Week 6: TR-September 28th & 30th

QUIZ 3. Music of J.S. Bach. Bach’s Keyboard, Instrumental and Orchestral
Music.
Music of Bach continued. Bach’s Vocal Church Music: Bach’s Musical
Offerings. Take Home Essay Question will be assigned. It is due on October 5th.

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Week 7: TR- October 5th & 7th
George Frideric Handel. Handel’s Music. Art of Castrati.
QUIZ 4. The Baroque Era style summary. Mid-Term exam Review.

Week 8: TR-October 12th & 15th

10/12/10: Mid-Term Exam
Chapter 7: The Classical Era. From Absolutism to Enlightenment. General
Characteristic of the Classical Era. Genres and Forms of Classic Music.

Week 9: October 19th & 21st

The Classic masters: Franz Joseph Haydn.
The Classic masters: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Week 10: October 26th & 28th

QUIZ 5. Chapter 8: Ludwig van Beethoven.
The First Concert Review is due on the 28th of October. Student presentations
for extra credit.

Week 11: November 2nd & 4th

L. van Beethoven continued. Symphony N 5 and style summary.
Chapter 9: The Nineteenth Century. Romantic Era. New Artistic spirit. General
characteristics: Dynamics, Tempo and Expression, Melody, Harmony and Form.

Week 12: November 9th & 11th

Chapter 9: Early Romantic Music: Franz Schubert & the Romantic Song.
Hector Berlioz and Romantic Symphony. Felix Mendelssohn and his music.

Week 13: November 16th & 18th

QUIZ 6. Frederic Chopin and his music: His music style and miniature piano
forms. Robert and Clara Schumann and their music.
Chapter 10: Mid-to Late Romanticism. Franz Liszt and Symphonic Poem.
Richard Wagner and Musical Drama. Take Home Essay Question will be
assigned. It is due on November 23rd.

Week 14: November 23rd & 25th

Late Romanticism. Johannes Brahms and his music. Gustav Mahler and Late
Romantic symphony.
11.25.10: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY.

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Week 15: November 30th and December 2nd
Final Live Concert Review is due on the 2nd of December.
QUIZ 7. Chapter 11: General Characteristics of Twenties-Century Music. The
replacement of tonality: melody, rhythm, tone, color and sound. Impressionism –
Symbolism and Claude Debussy. Stravinsky and his music: Three periods of his
creative life.
Expressionism. Arnold Schoenberg, his music and students: Alban Berg and
Anton Webern. Composers active before World War II. Bela Bartok his music.
Dmitri Schostakovitch and his Music.

Week 16: December 7th & 9th

The American Scene: Charles Ives and his music. Aaron Copland and his Music:
Listening Guide: Fanfare for Common Man. George Gershwin and his music.
Final Exam: 2 p.m., Thursday, December 9th

Check the UTDallas Academic Calendar for Drop/Withdrawal Deadlines.

http://www.utdallas.edu/student/registrar/calendar/

Grading Policy

Students will be required to come to class prepared to discuss reading and listening
assignments. The final grade will be evaluated from class participation/attendance, two
exams, quizzes, take home essay questions, two projects (live concert reviews) as
follows:

Class Participation: 5%
Quizzes 15%
Take home Essay questions 10%
Midterm exam 20%
Concert Review #1: 10%
Concert Review # 2 Final Project 15%
Final Exam 25%

Exams/Quizzes
There will be two scheduled exams worth 45% of the final grade. Exams and quizzes will
include written and aural content and will be derived from reading assignments in the
text, handouts, listening assignments, and in class discussions.

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Projects/Concert Reviews

You should attend 2 live performances as part of your grade. You may find a free
event at UT Dallas web site: http://www.utdallas.edu/ah/events/events-
music.html, or search for event on Meyerson Symphony Center web site:
http://www.dallasculture.org/meyersonsymphonycenter/eventCalendar.asp
Often UT Dallas Comet center will run inexpensive tickets for students to attend a
live concert at Meyerson Symphony hall. It is an amazing experience and I would
encourage you to do some follow-ups on that. I will not give credit for rock
bands and country singers.

You will be required to write a review on each event, to be turned in with a

program and ticket stub. Your review should include a technical discussion of the
musical elements we have been studying in class as well as a chatty personal
opinion. You should clearly define style and genre of the pieces you may want to
choose from the repertoire, or write a paper on the entire event. You will have to
summarize briefly the who/what/when/where, and spend more room writing about
your own reactions to the music. The review should be written while the event is
still fresh in your mind, perhaps within a week of the performance. Due dates for
the first live event is on the 28th of October and the second on is on the 2nd of
December.

Extra credit policy: There will be a limited number opportunities presented during the
semester. Students can complete two extra credit assignments and earn up to two
points per extra credit opportunity. The points earned will be applied to the overall
accumulated points. The class presentation of your first concert review is a good
opportunity to own an extra credit.

Grading Policy

98 – 100 A+ 88 – 89 B+
93 – 97 A 83 – 87 B
90 – 92 A- 80 – 82 B-

78 – 79 C+ 68 – 69 D+
73 – 77 C 63 – 67 D
70 – 72 C- 60 – 62 D-

Below 60 F

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Course & Instructor Policies
Attendance and Class Participation
Attendance is mandatory and roll is taken at each class. An absence or tardiness will only
be excused if notification and reason is received by email prior to the class, except in
cases of emergency or as noted below. All the above home assignments must be
completed and handed out to the instructor on a scheduled day. This syllabus is subject
to change at the instructor’s discretion.
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Decorum, Classroom Citizenship, and Extra-curricular matters

All written work and class discussion for this course must employ gender-neutral,
nonsexist language, and rhetorical constructions. Such practice is part of a classroom
environment according full respect and opportunity to all participants by all others.
There will be no make-up quizzes or exams without prior consent except as noted.
Students may request to do two extra credit assignments at the instructor’s discretion.
Late assignments will be accepted no later than the next class and the grade will be
reduced by 10%.

Field Trip Policies

There will a possibility of scheduled off-campus field trip to Meyerson Symphony
Center/Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Students are encouraged to attend this off-campus
concert.