Music 102-FY: Introduction to Music (spring 2023)

Class meetings: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:40–11:10

Instructor: Prof. David Schulenberg (email: dschulen@wagner.edu)
Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:30–2:30 (online only) and by appointment

MU 102 is a survey of classical or concert music composed in Europe and America from the
Middle Ages to the present. It is required for music majors but is open to all students, regardless
of major; no prior training or experience in music is necessary. This section is intended primarily
for first-year students, especially those considering or planning a major in music. The course
opens with an introduction to fundamental musical concepts and terminology. We then proceed
to study selected works by composers including Bach, Beethoven, Stravinsky, and others.

Course objectives. At the completion of this course, you should be able to:
• recognize aurally a broad range of types of Western art music
• understand fundamental principles and components of that music
• appreciate the place of that music within its historical and cultural context
• write and speak about that music using appropriate terminology.

The course promotes acquisition of these skills within the College’s general education program:
• understanding of the arts (A)
• creativity (C)
• information literacy (L)
• critical reading (R).

Work for the course includes reading, listening, two short papers, a quiz, a midterm, and a final
examination. Students also complete worksheets (lists of questions) which form the basis of class
discussions.

Listening to assigned recordings is the most important work. Listening assignments are done
through mp3 (audio) files accessible from a shared Dropbox folder. Students should download
these files for ready access. There is also a “listening links” file containing links to videos of
many of the assigned compositions. Please plan to devote several hours each week to carefully
listening to these assignments. The quiz, first paper, and examinations are based primarily on the
listening assignments.

The second paper is a concert report: a combined research paper and concert review in which
you report on a live or recorded concert performance of a major work. The choice of concert and
work are up to you. The concert report gives you a chance to express your reaction to the music
and the performance. It also reflects your own research into the history and background of the
work in question. For this second paper you may need to purchase at least one classical music
CD or download, unless you are able to find appropriate free recordings online or a relevant CD
or DVD in the Horrmann Library.

Readings are from a free online textbook. You are not required to purchase any textbooks.
Email and internet. All written work is submitted as email attachments in Microsoft Word
format. Microsoft Word is available free to all Wagner students here, and you are required to
understand how to use it.

Class access and attendance. Reading and listening assignments are available online through
Dropbox. Additional matter needed for the course is available through the College library
website.

Some class meetings, including examinations, may be administered online, regardless of whether
or not the College suspends in-person instruction. Online classes will be held via the
videoconferencing software known as Zoom. Students are expected to be able to use Zoom, to
access online course matter, and to submit and review assignments electronically. Information
about using Zoom and other remote learning resources is available here.

Whether online or in-person, students must attend online class regularly during scheduled class
meeting times. Exceptions are permitted only in cases of illness, emergency, or other issues that
prevent online access. Classes meeting online may be recorded, but access to recordings will be
limited to students who have an approved excuse for missing class meetings. Students are
expected at all times to follow College guidelines for respectful behavior.

Grades and attendance. The final grade is based on the two papers (10% and 20%,
respectively), one quiz (10%), midterm (20%), and final examination (30%). Class attendance
and participation are worth 10%. Attendance is mandatory, and grades are reduced for unexcused
absences. Anyone arriving to class late or leaving early will be marked absent. You will also be
marked absent if you use a cellphone or text messaging in class, or if you leave the class more
than twice during a meeting without a medical excuse. Make-up exams are not given; students
excused from tests are assigned additional written work. The two papers may be resubmitted
with revisions for a higher grade, but only if: (1) the original paper was handed in on time, and
(2) the revised paper is handed in by the last regular class meeting.

Music reference books. Wagner’s Horrmann Library possesses reference works on music that
will provide assistance with unfamiliar terms and names. The most important for us is The New
Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2d edn., edited by Stanley Sadie, 29 vols. (London:
Macmillan, 2001). This is the standard English-language music encyclopedia, especially notable
for its biographies of composers, including detailed lists of their compositions. An updated
electronic version, Grove Music Online, is available through the “Databases” menu on the home
page of the Horrmann Library website. Click on “Databases A–Z,” then on “Oxford Music
Online” (or go there directly by clicking here).

Once you’re in Oxford Music Online, enter your search terms in the search window to get a list
of possible database entries. If none of the search results seems to be what you’re looking for, try
clicking on “biographical article” in the left frame for biographies of musicians (note: you may
need to enter the full name of certain people, such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann
Sebastian Bach). If all you need is a short dictionary-style entry identifying a person or defining
a musical term or title, try clicking in the box near the top of the screen to limit your search to the
Oxford Dictionary of Music and the Oxford Companion to Music.
Wikipedia and most other online sources can be helpful for getting started on a research
assignment, but in general they are not acceptable as references in a paper. Exceptions include
Oxford Music Online and scholarly publications accessed through JStor and other databases
available through the Horrmann Library website. You may use commercial and personal
websites for information about recent works and composers if no other sources are available.
You must cite your sources for both facts and opinions that are not your own, whether you
give these in the form of direct quotations, paraphrases, or summaries. Failure to do so
constitutes plagiarism and will result in a failing grade.

The course calendar below lists assignments and topics. Please listen to each listed work
several times, and do the reading, before the class for which they are assigned. The numbers in
parentheses are page numbers in the textbook for the reading assignments.

Course Calendar

All reading assignments listed below are from the online textbook. In addition to reading the
assigned pages, also read the libretto (text and translation) for any vocal work included in the
listening assignment. Don’t forget: there is also an online version of this calendar (the “listening
links” file) that includes links to online videos and texts with translations.

1 Jan. 31 Introduction; melody and pitch. Read pp. 5–10.

2 Feb. 2 Texture, meter, and tempo; sound. Read pp. 11–19. Listen: examples 1–5

3 Feb. 7 Musical ideas. Read pp. 19–23. Listen: music examples 6–9
4 Feb. 9 DIAGNOSTIC QUIZ

5 Feb. 14 Music of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

Read pp. 24–29. Listen: chant, early polyphony (organum, motet)
6 Feb. 16 Read pp. 29–34. Listen: songs by Machaut, Jacopo da Bologna
Worksheet: medieval music

7 Feb. 21 Read pp. 34–42. Listen: motet by Josquin des Prez, madrigals by Marenzio
and Monteverdi
Worksheet: Renaissance music
8 Feb. 23 Baroque music
Read pp. 42–45. Listen: Handel, Acis and Galatea (selections).
Worksheet: Handel’s Acis

9 Feb. 28 Read: pp. 45–48. Listen: Vivaldi: “Spring” (from The Four Seasons)
Worksheet: Vivaldi
10 Mar. 2 Read pp. 48–51. Listen: Bach, Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue
FIRST PAPER DUE

11 Mar. 7 Go over first paper; prepare for second paper

12 Mar. 9 Classical music
Read pp. 52–58. Listen: Haydn, String Quartet in D, op. 64, no. 1 (“Lark”)
 Worksheet: Haydn
13 Mar. 14 Read pp. 58–61. Listen: Mozart, Piano Concerto in C, K. 467
CONCERT REPORT: TOPIC DUE
14 Mar. 16 MIDTERM EXAM

[Mar. 20–26 spring break]

15 Mar. 28 Go over exam

16 Mar. 30 Read pp. 61–64. Listen: Beethoven, Symphony no. 5 in C minor, op. 67

17 Apr. 4 Worksheet: Romanticism, Beethoven

18 Apr. 6 Romantic music
Read pp. 64–70. Listen: Schubert, Die schöne Müllerin (selections)
CONCERT REPORT: OUTLINE DUE

19 Apr. 11 Worksheet: Schubert

20 Apr. 13 Read pp. 70–72. Listen: Chopin, Polonaise in A-flat, op. 53; Barcarolle, op.
60; Fantasie, op. 49
Worksheet: Chopin

21 Apr. 18 Read pp. 73–77. Listen: Verdi, La traviata (act 1)

22 Apr. 20 Read pp. 77–79. Listen: Wagner: Die Walküre (act 3, selections)

23 Apr. 25 Worksheet: Verdi, Wagner

24 Apr. 27 Music since 1900
Read pp. 80–87. Listen: works by Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Ives, Copland
Worksheet: music after 1900

25 May 2 Read pp. 87–89. Listen: works by Jolas, Wilson, Reich, Bryan
Worksheet: four living composers
26 May 4 Preparation for final exam
CONCERT REPORT DUE

May 11 FINAL EXAM (9:40–12:40)