Musical Theory and Analysis - 1950 to the present

General characterization

Prerequisites

N/A

Bibliography

Benitez, V. (2007). “Olivier Messiaen: Life, Musical Style and Works, and Studies”, in Oliver Messiaen. New York: Routledge, pp.1-12.

Brindle, R. (1987). “Integral Serialism”, in The new music. 1st ed. Oxford / New York: Oxford University press, pp.21-41.

Emmery, L., & Carter, E. (2013). “An American modernist: teatime with Elliott Carter”. in Tempo, 67(264), 22-29.

Fisk, J. (1994). “The New Simplicity: The Music of Gorecki, Tavener and Pärt”. The Hudson Review, 47(3), 394-412.

Griffiths, P. (2011). Modern Music and After. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Jason Noble & Stephen McAdams (2020) “Sound mass, auditory perception, and ‘post-tone’ music”, in Journal of New Music Research, 49:3, 231-251.

Ligeti, G. (1968) “Ligeti on Ligeti”, in Ligeti, G. (1983). György Ligeti in conversation with Péter Várnai, Josef Häusler, Claude Samuel and himself (pp. 124-137). London: Eulenburg Books.

Michaels, Bianca (2013) “Is this still opera?
media operas as productive provocations”, in Symonds, Dominic, Karantonis, Pamela (eds.), The Legacy of Opera: Reading Music Theatre as Experience and Performance.  (2013, Rodopi), Editions Rodopi B.V., Amsterdam. pp. 25 – 38.

Moscovich, V. (1997). French Spectral Music: an Introduction. Tempo, (200), 21-28.

Murail, Tristan.  (2005) “The Revolution of Complex Sounds”, in Contemporary Music Review, Vol. 24, No. 2/3, April/June, pp. 121 – 135. Trad. de Joshua Cody.

Polpe, A. “Messiaen’s musical Language: an introduction”, in Hill, P. (2008). The Messiaen companion. London: Faber Finds, pp.15-50.

Reich, S., & Hillier, P. (2002). “Music as a gradual process”, in Writings on Music 1965-2000 (pp. 34-36). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Risset, Jean-Claude (2004), “The Liberation of Sound, Art-Science and the Digital Domain: Contacts With Edgard Varèse”, in Contemporary Music Review, Vol. 23, No. 2, June 2004, pp. 27–54.

Rose, F., & Rose, F. (1996). Introduction to the Pitch Organization of French Spectral Music. Perspectives Of New Music, 34(2), 6.

Searby, M. (1997). “Ligeti the Postmodernist?”. Tempo, (199), 9-15.

Solare, Juan María & Kagel, Mauricio (2009) “Curiosity Is Limitless: A Last Interview with Mauricio Kagel”, in Tempo, Vol. 63, No. 250 (Oct., 2009), pp. 8-26.

Xenakis, I., Brown, R., Rahn, J. (1987).  “Xenakis on Xenakis”, in Perspectives of New Music, Vol. 25, No. 1/2, 25th Anniversary Issue (Winter - Summer, 1987), pp. 16-63

Teaching method

Theoretical-practical lessons with regular realization of practical exercises to apply the knowledge treated in class, from the point of view of the score and auditory analysis. The application exercises will mostly be done autonomously by the student and will then be discussed in class. The students must also undertake specific readings and listenings that will support the development of the knowledge related to a specific subject. These texts, selected and indicated by the lecturer, will complement the general bibliography indicated.

Evaluation method

Assessment: Regular and successful completion of proposed practical exercises (30%); active participation in discussion of literature and music excerpts (20%). Completion of written work and / or examination of musical analysis for each block of material given (50%).

Subject matter

Lesson 1.    Presentation
1.1 Presentation of the course programme and objectives to be achieved
1.2 Presentation of the work methodology and assessment process
1.3 The diversity of theories, techniques and aesthetics to be covered
1.5.    Listening and understanding sounds and structures: the importance of aural analysis
1.6.    New music, new paradigms: the need for specific analysis methodologies

Lesson 2.    Messiaen (I)
2.1 The importance of Messiaen for the development of the generation of composers of the 2nd half of the 20th century.
2.2 Aesthetics and compositional foundations
2.3 Study of limited transposition modes

Lesson 3: Messiaen (II): analysing practice
3.1 Rhythmic, melodic and harmonic technique
3.2 Chronochomie: analysing excerpts

Lesson 4: Messiaen (III): analysing practice
4.1 Et Expecto ressurrectionem mortuorum: analysing excerpts from movements II, IV and V.

===Submission of analysis exercise ===
Lesson 5: Serial music (I)
5.1 Dodecaphonism and serialism: Theory and serial technique and methods of analysis
5.2 Serialism and the ‘Moment Form’
5.3 Some protagonists: Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Milton Babbitt, Luigi Nono

Lesson 6: Serial music (II): analysing practice
6.1 Serialism in works by Boulez and Stockhausen
6.2 Detailed study of excerpts from piano works by Stockhausen and Boulez

Lesson 7.    Serial music (III): integral serialism
7.1 Particularities and rigour in Pierre Boulez's works of integral serialism
7.2 Analysis applied to excerpts from works by Pierre Boulez: the case of Structures Ia

Lesson 8.    Serial music (IV): analysing practice
8.1.    Analysing excerpts from works by Pierre Boulez: the case of Marteau sans Maître (1953-54)

===Submission of analysis exercise ===
Lesson 9.    Other ‘serialisms’ (I)
9.1 ‘Free’ serialism and post-serialism(s):
9.2 Listening to and discussing representative musical excerpts (Stravinsky, Berio, Lutoslavski, Dallapiccola, Dutilleux)

Lesson 10.    Other ‘serialisms’ (II): analysing practice
10.1 Analysing excerpts from serial works to be selected (Berio, Dallapiccola or Dutilleux)

Lesson 11.    Written assessment I

Lesson 12.    Form, texture and time
12.1 The context, the composers and the works
12.2 Theories, techniques and processes
12.3 Listening to and discussing musical excerpts by representative composers: Ligeti, Penderecki, Xenakis, Grisey, Carter.

Lesson 13.    Form, texture and time: the case of Gyorgy Ligeti (I)
13.1 Micropolyphony and sound masses
13.2 Analysing excerpts from works (e.g. Apparitions, Atmosphères, Lontano, Cello Concerto)

Lesson 14.    Form, texture and tempo: analysing practice: the case of Gyorgy Ligeti (II)
14.1 Texture and ‘surface illusion’
14.2.    Detailed analysis of excerpts from works (e.g. Continuum, Ramifications, Piano Studies)

Lesson 15.    Form, texture and time: the case of Iannis Xenakis (I)
15.1 Ideas and influences
15.2.    Architecture and music
15.3 Maths, statistics, stochastics...

Lesson 16.    Form, texture and time: analysing practice: the case of Iannis Xenakis (II)
16.1.    Analysing excerpts from serial works to be selected (Jonchaies, Metastaseis, or other)

===Submission of analysis exercise ===
Lesson 17.    Form, texture and time: Spectral Music (I)
17.1.    The context, the composers and the works
17.2.    The founding principles of spectral music
17.3 The musical work as a process

Lesson 18.    Form, texture and time: analysing practice: Spectral Music (II)
18.1 Detailed analysis of extracts from a work in the cycle Les Espaces acoustiques by Gérard Grisey.

Lesson 19.    Form, texture and time: analysing practice : Spectral Music (III)
19.1 Detailed analysis of extracts from Mortus Plango Vivus Voco by Jonathan Harvey.

Lesson 20.    Form, texture and tempo: Elliott Carter and metric modulation
20.1 Elliott Carter: rigour and ambiguity
20.2 Metric modulation: concept and application
20.3 Analysing excerpts from the 1st string quartet

===Delivery of analysis exercise ===

Lesson 21.    ‘New complexities": a brief approach
21.1 The cases of Helmut Lachenmann, Brian Ferneyhough and Salvatore Sciarrino
21.2 ‘From sound to noise’
21.3.    The idea of concrete instrumental music (H. Lachenmann)
21.4 Listening to and discussing representative musical excerpts

Lesson 22.    Simplicity and minimalism: ‘New simplicities’ (I)
22.1 A reaction to musical complexification
22.2 Recent neo-modalisms and other sonorities
22.3 The cases of Alfred Schnittke, Henryk Górecki, John Tavener and Arvo Pärt
22.4 Observation and discussion of representative excerpts Alfred Schnittke: Concerto grosso (1)

Lesson 23.    Simplicity and minimalism: ‘New simplicities’ (II) ): analysing practice
23.1 Analysing excerpts from works: Henryk Górecki: Symphony No. 3 and Arvo Pärt: Passion according to St John

Lesson 24.    Simplicity and minimalism: Minimal Music (I)
24.1 Minimalism and art: concepts and examples
24.2 Musical minimalism: particularities
24.3 Listening to and discussing musical excerpts by representative composers: La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, among others.

Lesson 25.    Simplicity and minimalism: analysing practice: Minimal Music (II)
25.1 Terry Riley's In C: randomness and rigour
25.2 The case of Radio Rewrite (or another work to be selected): detailed analysis of excerpts

Lesson 26.    Experimental and stage music (I)
26.1 Concepts, ideas and experimentalism
26.2 Indeterminism and chance
26.3 New forms, new stages
26.4 John Cage and the Fluxus movement
26.5 Music and performance art
26.6 The case of ‘Happening’
26.7 Music and theatricality

Lesson 27.    Experimental and stage music (II): specific cases and analysis practice
27.1 Mauricio Kagel and instrumental theatre
27.2 Meredith Monk, Joan La Barbara and ‘vocal theatre’
27.3 Robert Ashley: opera and video art

Lesson 28.    Written assessment II

Programs

Programs where the course is taught: