Music Theory II: MusicTheory at a Larger Scale

Is there that one part of a song that makes you want to dance? Or a section that gives you chill? In this course we will develop strategies for understanding musical organization over longer spans of time. We will start with phrases, evaluating how musical utterances map onto linguistic ones using principles of early repetition and motivic development. Next, we will consider the body, determining how rhythm, meter, and texture develop groove between contrasting sections. Students will then turn to long-form works e.g., symphonies, progressive metal, and cross-cultural dances to enhance their long- and short-term memory skills. In doing so, students will be equipped to ask deeper questions about interpretation, broaching topics such as formal rhetoric, cognitive models of expectation, and musical narrative. (MUSC 0160 or MUSC 0101) 3 hrs. lect./disc.