Courses in Music History and Musicology (Division 678)

MHM 139. Introduction to Music.

Limited to students enrolled in the School of Music unless admission is granted by the concentration advisor. (2). (HU).

A survey of musical concepts and repertories of the Western and non-Western world.

MHM 140. History of Western Art Music: Music of the U.S. and Euro-American Music Since World War I.

Limited to students enrolled in the School of Music unless admission is granted by the concentration advisor. (2). (HU).

Music of the U.S. and American and European music since WWI. Includes both vernacular and art-music traditions.

MHM 239. History of Western Art Music: Middle Ages through the Baroque.

Limited to students enrolled in the School of Music unless admission is granted by the concentration advisor. (2). (HU).

History of music from the Middle Ages through the Baroque.

MHM 240. History of Western Art Music: Classic Era Through World War I.

Limited to students enrolled in the School of Music unless admission is granted by the concentration advisor. (2). (HU).

History of music from the end of the Baroque era to WWI.

MHM 305. Special Course.

Non-music only. (3). (Excl).

Selected topics in Music. Specific focus is determined by instructor and indicated in current Time Schedule.

MHM 306. Special Course.

Non-music only. (3). (Excl).

Selected topics in Music. Specific focus is determined by instructor and indicated in current Time Schedule.

MHM 341. Introduction to the Art of Music.

For non-School of Music students only. (3). (HU).

For students who wish to develop the practical skill of listening to western art music and to become familiar with the significant forms and styles of composition.

MHM 342. Introduction to World Music.

For non-School of Music students only. (3). (HU).

For students who wish an introduction to musical cultures of a few, select musical areas of the world (such as the Caribbean, West Africa, India, China, and Japan).

MHM 345. The History of Music.

For non-School of Music students only. (3). (HU).

A chronological survey of music history from Gregorian chant through the late-Baroque works of Handel and J. S. Bach.

MHM 346. The History of Music.

For non-School of Music students only. (3). (HU).

A chronological survey of music history from the period of Haydn and Mozart to the present.

MHM 347. Opera of the Past and Present.

For non-School of Music students only. (3). (HU).

This is a lecture survey dealing with selected operas from 1600 to the present. The case studies discussed are representative of works frequently performed today.

MHM 405. Special Course.

(1-3; 1-2 in the half-term). (Excl). May be repeated for credit.

Selected topics in Music. Specific focus is determined by instructor and indicated in current Time Schedule.

MHM 406. Special Course.

(2-4; 1-2 in the half-term). (Excl). May be repeated for credit.

Selected topics in Music. Specific focus is determined by instructor and indicated in current Time Schedule.

MHM 407. Special Course.

(1-3; 1-2 in the half-term). (Excl). May be repeated for credit.

Selected topics in Music. Specific focus is determined by instructor and indicated in current Time Schedule.

MHM 408. Special Course.

(1-3; 1-2 in the half-term). (Excl). May be repeated for credit.

Selected topics in Music. Specific focus is determined by instructor and indicated in current Time Schedule.

MHM 411. History of the Symphony.

(3). (Excl).

A survey of the symphony from its earliest inception through the 20th Century.

MHM 413. History of Opera.

(3; 2 in the half-term). (HU).

Aesthetic principles of opera as an art form and their application in works from the seventeenth century to the present.

MHM 414. Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Opera.

(3). (Excl).

An historical survey of opera (as music, as theatre, and as cultural expression) from the 19th century to the present.

MHM 420. Music of the Baroque.

(3; 2 in the half-term). (HU).

This course is designed as an overview of selected topics in music of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries (roughly 1570-1750), but it is not designed as a strict survey of Baroque music. Particular emphasis is given to the invention and definition of musical genres, the relationship of music to text, and the place and function of music (secular and sacred, vocal and instrumental, for court, chamber, church, and theater) in early modern society.

MHM 421. Music of the Classic Period.

(3; 2 in the half-term). (Excl).

Background of the literature, general history, and the fine arts of the Classic school of composers in whom the music literature of this century culminates.

MHM 422. Music of the Nineteenth Century.

(3; 2 in the half-term). (Excl).

Background, forces, and objectives of the nineteenth century and their effects on music and the other arts.

MHM 423. Music of the Twentieth Century.

MHM 240. (3; 2 in the half-term). (Excl).

A survey course covering the period from Debussy and Mahler to the present day. The most important stylistic trends and aesthetic issues are defined and a context sought in relation to the other arts and social/political trends. A heavy emphasis is placed upon building the student's repertoire of 20th-century masterworks in the hope that the capacity for independent confrontation of other compositions is facilitated.

MHM 436. Women and Music: Exploring Issues of Gender, Ideology, and Characterization.

(3). (Excl).

An exploration of issues surrounding women as composers, performers, and subjects (how they are portrayed musically).

MHM 437/Phil. 437. Philosophy of Music.

An introductory course in philosophy; or previous course work in music. (3). (Excl).

A philosophical investigation of the nature and significance of music. What is music and how is it important? Does music have "meaning"? What is musical expressiveness? Does music portray or represent emotions? What kinds of feelings does it evoke? What makes a musical performance not merely "correct" but good?

MHM 450. Music in the United States.

(3). (HU).

The history of music in America from Colonial times to the present.

MHM 456. Music of Asian Americans.

(3). (Excl).

Examines the various musics of Asian Americans to discuss issues and processes of musical, personal, and ethnic identities in multicultural and multiracial America.

MHM 457/CAAS 400. The Musics of African Americans.

Non-music concentrators must have permission of instructor. Musical background preferred. Undergraduates only. (3; 2 in the half-term). (HU).

An explication of the development of the Afro-American musical traditions from African and Afro-American folk origins to Black American music in the twentieth century. Topics include blues, jazz, contemporary popular music, and art music.

MHM 458. Music and Culture.

(3). (HU).

An examination of the role of music in selected rituals of western and non-western cultures.

MHM 460. Euro-American Folk and Popular Music.

(3). (HU).

A survey of the forms and functions of national musics in Europe including Russia and of North America including Indians and ethnic groups in the United States and considered in the context of the discipline of ethnomusicology.

MHM 463/Asian Studies 463. Music of Southeast Asia.

Undergraduates only. (2). (HU).

Survey of the musical cultures of the Indonesian archipelago including Java, Bali, and Sumatra.

MHM 464/CAAS 464. Music of the Caribbean.

(3). (HU).

This course introduces the Caribbean as an area comprising many distinct cultures. The major body of the course proceeds by areas zoned musically for our purposes, and by musical type. We search for social, legislative, and economic factors that operate in favor of musical appropriation and against the continuity of individual traditional styles. Reggae, calypso, soca, pan, ritual, and European music are analyzed through their political and social implications. Theories on the aesthetics of Black music, formulated by Roger Abrahams, Henry Louis Gates and Paule Marshall form the core of the analyses.

MHM 465. Music of Africa.

(3). (Excl).

An introduction to African musical traditions through an investigation of the sound materials, creative processes, and social contexts of music making.

MHM 466(461). The Music of Asia 1.

(3). (HU).

The aim is to develop a musical and intellectual understanding of East Asia. Sections on China, Korea, and Japan are structured according to historical and ritual music, fold and popular songs, instrumental music, theatre, and avant-garde music.

MHM 467(461). The Music of Asia 2.

(3). (Excl).

Examines some of the better known musical traditions from West Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Musical examples are studied in relation to their cultural environments, their history, prevailing religious philosophies and contemporary significance.

MHM 477. Medieval Music.

(3). (Excl).

Following a lecture-based survey of the early development of Western music, the second half of this course examines questions through analyses of music, rituals, and texts (in translation) and by examining the development of the text/music relationship over the period 800-1450. Course work involves listening and reading assignments, including musical scores, music theoretical literature, and medieval cultural studies. The ability to read musical notation is assumed.

MHM 478. Renaissance Music.

(3). (Excl).

This course combines a survey of 15th and 16th century music with in-depth study of selected topics from the period. Students should have some background in Music Theory and Western Music History.