Reed College Catalog
Mark Burford
Music history. On sabbatical and leave 2010–11.
Virginia Hancock
Music history, choral conducting.
Peter Kupfer
Music history.
Morgan Luker
Ethnomusicology.
David Schiff
Composition, orchestral conducting.
To encourage and develop
the interests of the many Reed students who are interested in music, the music department offers courses in music history,
theory, and performance, many without prerequisites. Majors and
nonmajors alike are welcome to take classes in all areas of music
history, theory, and performance.
Prospective majors should begin
their course of study with Theory II (Music 211) and Introduction to Music History
(Music 221 and 222) in the first two years. Those who do not place into Theory II in the examination given at the beginning of each year should register first for Theory I (Music 111). We recommend that majors take piano lessons if they have never done so. Majors are expected to participate in performance activities; therefore, fees for private instruction in one instrument or voice are waived for junior and senior music majors.
Music
majors must complete Theory II, two semesters of Introduction to Music History, and
at least one other course at the 200 or 300 level in order to make
formal application for junior status; still another course at the 200
or 300 level must be completed before the junior qualifying
examination. The department strongly recommends that one of these
courses be Theory III (Music 312). The junior seminar (intended principally for majors) is required.
For the junior qualifying
examination in music, students will write analytical and historical essays about musical
selections representing all periods and styles of Western music.
Topics not ordinarily
included in the regular curriculum may occasionally be available to juniors and
seniors with special interests as independent study courses (Music 481).
Requirements for the Major
- Theory courses—Music 211, 312, and 343.
- History courses—Music 221 and 222, which should be taken before the junior year.
- Four
semesters of ensemble from among 104 (orchestra), 105 (chorus), 107
(Collegium), 108 (jazz ensemble), 109 (chamber music); one-half unit to
be taken in each of four semesters.
- Thesis (470).
- Four more one-unit music courses, one of which must be the junior seminar.
Recommended but not required: piano lessons.
Senior Thesis
Students
planning to do theses in music must demonstrate their competence,
before the senior year, in the particular area in which they wish to
work. That is, they may not use the thesis as an occasion to explore an
entirely new area, which may be done in a regular 481 (independent
study) course. The thesis may be an extended historical or analytical
essay or a composition thesis, which must include a printed score and a recording of a performance. To be considered for a composition thesis, a
student should already have taken composition and at least one semester
of independent study in advanced composition. At the beginning of the
senior year, students prepare short written statements describing the
nature of their theses and meet with the entire department to discuss
their thesis proposals.
Facilities
Music department
facilities include Kaul Auditorium, where the orchestra, Collegium, and
chorus perform; the chapel, which is used for Friday at
Four concerts and other chamber music; a band practice room in the
commons; a library of scores and recordings, housed in the library; an
adjacent music listening room; and 20 instrumental practice rooms
(including 15 pianos and a collection of early keyboard instruments) in Prexy, formerly
the president’s house. All students have access to the practice rooms.
Both the library and Prexy house modest computer music laboratories
equipped with computers, synthesizers, and laser printers for students
in theory and composition courses. Prexy is open to students from 7
a.m. until midnight, seven days a week. For additional recreational
use, students may use pianos in the student union and in the social
rooms of several of the residence halls.
Performing Opportunities
Reed
attracts many students who are accomplished musicians. Performance
activities sponsored by the department are open to all members of the
community. A significant number of students participate in
music–making on the campus—as solo players or singers, in chamber music
ensembles, or in the ensembles conducted by faculty and staff members.
Registration procedures for lessons and ensembles are explained in the
class schedule each term. A number of student recitals and concerts by
the ensembles are held each year. The Friday at Four series, consisting
of 18–20 concerts each year, usually features students who take
private lessons. The orchestra, chorus, and Collegium perform concerts in
Kaul Auditorium each semester.
The department also helps organize
and coach chamber and jazz ensembles, which are available by audition
for students interested in playing together in small groups. In
addition, coaching sessions with members of the music performance staff
can sometimes be substituted for private lessons with department
approval.
Private Instruction—Denise VanLeuven, director
Reed
offers individual instruction in guitar, harpsichord, piano, voice, and
all orchestral instruments, as well as jazz and a variety of ethnic
instruments. Our teachers, all of whom are accomplished performers, are
selected from the best available in the Portland community. Some are
members of the Oregon Symphony, the Portland Opera Orchestra, the
Portland Baroque Orchestra, and various chamber, jazz, and ethnic
ensembles in the area, and have appeared as solo artists with these
groups. Our private music instructors include Craig Jones (jazz piano);
Phil Baldino (clarinet and saxophone); Jeff Homan (saxophone and jazz flute); Marcy
Lohman (flute); Pablo Izquierdo (oboe); Lyle
Dockendorff (bassoon); Joe Berger (French horn); Craig Gibson
(trumpet); David Bryan (trombone); Aaron Lavere (euphonium); Bill Hunt
(violin and viola); Vicki Gunn (viola, violin, and Celtic fiddling); John Hubbard
(cello and chamber ensemble); Don Hermanns and Jason Schooler (double bass); Andre St. James (jazz bass); Gordon Lee (jazz ensemble); Allen Mathews (classical guitar);
Scott Pemberton (jazz guitar); Deborah Cleaver, Jeffrey Payne, Susan Smith, Gina Pruitt, and Denise
Van Leuven (piano); Bonnie Garrett (piano and harpsichord); Jenny
Lindner (harp); Elizabeth Nicholson (Celtic harp); Lee Garrett (pipe
organ); Gayle Neuman (recorder and other Renaissance winds); Timothy
Scott (viola da gamba); Barbara Irvin and John Vergin (voice); Nisha
Joshi (sitar, tabla, and northern classical Indian singing); Jan deWeese (mandolin
and banjo); Julia Banzi (flamenco and classical guitar); and Charles Pike (percussion).
Instructors of other instruments are added to the staff as need arises.
Fees
Fees
for private instruction (Music 101) are $450 each semester for twelve
45-minute lessons; some scholarship aid is available. Private
instruction fees are waived in one instrument or voice for junior and senior music majors, who are
expected to enroll in private instruction for at least two of their
final four semesters.
Academic Credit for Music Performance
All
students participating in music performance courses (Music 101, 104,
105, 107, 108, 109) should register; these courses are graded on a
credit/no credit basis. The courses carry variable credit: either
one-half course or zero credit for one semester. To qualify for credit,
students must have taken or be currently enrolled in a one-unit course
at level 111 or above at Reed, for which they can receive two
half-units of credit for a music performance course, one-half unit per
semester (the only exception is Orchestra, Music 104; see the
description below). No more than one-half credit may be earned per
semester. A second one-unit course at level 111 or above qualifies the
student for another two half-units of credit for music performance. No
more than two units may be received for the same music performance
course. A third one-unit course at level 111 or above qualifies the
student for two more half-units of credit in a different music
performance course. These credits in music performance may be used
toward the quantity requirement of 30 units for graduation, though not
toward the Group A or Group X requirements. If the accompanying
classroom course is dropped, credit for music performance must also be
relinquished.
Music 101 - Private Instruction
Variable credit: either one-half course or zero credit for one
semester. Individual instrumental or vocal instruction. Students taking
this course for credit are encouraged to participate in at least one
student recital.
See above for pre- or corequisite for credit.Music 104 - Reed Orchestra
Variable credit: either one-half course or zero credit for one
semester. Availability of credit is dependent on instruments needed for
repertoire to be performed in any given semester. Because there are two
rehearsals per week, the pre- or corequisite of enrollment in other
music courses to earn credit is waived, although the restrictions on
the amount of credit that can be earned still apply. The orchestra
rehearses and performs works from the 18th to the 21st century. It presents one or two concerts each semester and sometimes
performs at the Reed dance concert.
Music 105 - Reed Chorus
Variable credit: either one-half course or zero credit for one
semester. The chorus rehearses and performs works from all periods of
music, often with the orchestra.
See above for pre- or corequisite for credit.Music 107 - Collegium Musicum
Variable credit: either one-half course or zero credit for one
semester. The Collegium rehearses and performs vocal music suitable for a
small group. Audition required.
See above for pre- or corequisite for credit.Music 108 - Jazz Ensemble
Variable credit: either one half-course or zero credit for one
semester. Jazz ensembles selected by the instructor rehearse and perform. Rehearsals include improvisational
techniques, soloing, and accompanying. Audition required. See above for
pre- or corequisite for credit.
Music 109 - Chamber Music
Variable credit: either one-half course or zero credit for one
semester. Available by audition when there are enough advanced students
to form an ensemble of one player per part. This course consists of
weekly coaching sessions and the chance to perform during the semester.
Prerequisite: audition. Corequisite: participation in the Reed
Orchestra (except for keyboard players). See above for pre- or
corequisite for credit.
Music 111 - Theory I
Full course for one semester. This course examines notation of pitch
and rhythm; scales and key signatures; intervals, triads, and diatonic
seventh chords; and writing in four parts. It begins with the basic
elements of music, but moves swiftly through the contents of a
first-semester college-level music theory course. Labs include sight
singing, dictation, and keyboard. Lecture and laboratory.
Music 141 - Introduction to World Music
Full course for one semester. This course will examine a variety of world musical cultures, including those of West Africa, the Middle East, India, and Latin America. The musics we study will be described locally, in society, religion, politics, and identity. They will also be considered in relation to larger political, technological, and economic changes taking place at the global level. Themes we will explore include the tensions between traditional and modern musical forms and meanings, relationships between music and the nation-state, and the impact of recording technologies and the global circulation of local musics; we will also emphasize the development of critical listening skills. Lecture-conference.
Music 142 - Latin American Popular Music
Full course for one semester. This course examines Latin American popular musics within their social, political, and cultural contexts. Musical genres to be studied include tango, samba, son, nueva canción, tropicália, rock nacional, and funk carioca, among others; themes to be discussed include music and the nation, music and dictatorship, and the crisis of cultural inclusion and exclusion in contemporary Latin America. Understanding how these musics are framed by broader assumptions regarding race, class, gender, and ethnicity will be a key concern of the course. Our focused listening will be complemented with analytical, critical, and contextual readings, including relevant selections from Latin American literature in translation and occasional film screenings. Lecture-conference.
Music 211 - Theory II: Intermediate Harmony and Species Counterpoint
Full course for one semester. This course continues the laboratory
skills acquired in Music 111. Students are introduced to principles of
melodic construction, modal counterpoint, and more advanced tonal
harmony, applying them to appropriate musical examples.
Prerequisite: Music 111 or equivalent skill, determined by a
placement examination given at the beginning of the academic year.
Lecture-conference-laboratory.
Music 221 - Introduction to Music History I
Full course for one semester. This course explores the history of
art music in Europe from the early polyphony of the medieval Roman
Catholic Church to the late baroque music of Bach and Handel. Among the
topics investigated are the relationship between music and language,
the characteristics and development of major vocal genres such as
chanson, mass, madrigal, cantata, and opera; and the growing prominence
of instrumental music. Lecture-conference.
Music 222 - Introduction to Music History II
Full course for one semester. Beginning with the new philosophical
orientation of the Enlightenment, this course explores the history
of art music in Europe from the mid-18th century to the present. We
examine formal features, aesthetic ideals, and social meanings of
major instrumental genres such as the sonata, string quartet, concerto,
and symphony, and study the musical manifestations of romanticism,
modernism, and avant-gardism. Lecture-conference.
Music 234 - 19th-Century Symphony
The symphony emerged as a recognizable genre in the early 1700s, but only attained its status as the preeminent form of European orchestral music toward the end of the 18th century. Focusing on selected works by composers that include Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Berlioz, Brahms, Dvořák, and Tchaikovsky, this course will examine the development of the symphony as a musical genre and as a site of discourse on social, cultural, and aesthetic ideals in Europe from the French Revolution to the end of the 19th century. Prerequisite: ability to read music. Lecture-conference. Not offered 2010–11.
Music 240 - The Study of Ethnomusicology
Full course for one semester. Ethnomusicology is the study of music as both aesthetic form and social practice; its goal is to account for the power of music in all its forms and contexts. This course will provide an introduction to the discipline and some of the key theoretical, analytical, and methodological issues facing it today. Our discussions of major issues in ethnomusicology will be informed by work in related fields, including anthropology, historical musicology, folklore, and cultural studies. We will listen to and analyze a wide range of musical examples from around the world, although the course is not a geographic survey of musical cultures. Our goal is to develop a critical understanding of how music functions and is made meaningful in specific cultural contexts, serving as both a symbol and generator of other forces in social life and history. Conference.
Music 243 - Music and Globalization
Full course for one semester. Music presents something of a paradox. On the one hand, no expressive form is taken to articulate cultural identity, tradition, and roots more immediately than music. On the other hand, recorded music has circulated widely since the late 19th century, when recording technology first enabled sound to be separated from its source. These dual trends have only been exacerbated by developments in digital technology over the last quarter century, such that music is now at the center of claims regarding cultural globalization and its consequences. In this course, we will examine the changing relationship between music, place, and cultural identity at a time when almost any sound can be heard almost anywhere. Discussions and readings will be paired with close analytical listening to significant musical examples from around the world. The goal of the course is to help students develop a critical vocabulary and historical framework for engaging the ethics and aesthetics of music in our global era. Conference.
Music 247 - American Musical Theatre
Full course for one semester. We will study the development of American
musical theatre as exemplified mainly but not exclusively in the
Broadway musicals of the past 80 years. Shows to be studied will
include
Show Boat;
Porgy and Bess;
The Cradle Will Rock;
Lady in the Dark;
Oklahoma!;
Kiss Me, Kate;
Guys and Dolls;
My Fair Lady; West Side Story;
Cabaret; Into the Woods;
Rent; and
Urinetown.
We will look at the construction of individual songs and scenes and
study the evolving ideal of integrating music and drama. Conference.
Cross-listed as Theatre 247. Not offered 2010–11.
Music 257 - Brahms
Full course for one semester. Johannes Brahms (1833–97) was the most
prominent composer of the 19th century who did not write operas. He was
considered old-fashioned by his contemporaries, but was labeled
"progressive" by Schoenberg. Can both descriptions be true? Why has
Brahms's music remained beloved by audiences and performers alike? We
will explore his life and music, listening to works in all the genres
in which he composed. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
Lecture-conference. Not offered 2010–11.
Music 260 - History of Jazz
Full course for one semester. The course will trace the development of jazz from the early 20th century to the present day. We will pay particular attention to the contributions of Sidney Bechet, Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Art Tatum, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, and Charles Mingus. Readings will address their music from the points of view of biography, musical analysis (though no music literacy is required as a prerequisite), and cultural history. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Lecture-conference.
Music 263 - Music of the Caribbean
Full course for one semester. With the discourses of identity/alterity
and créolité providing a conceptual framework, this course will
introduce students to musical styles from the Caribbean region,
including bachata and merengue (Dominican Republic), calypso and steel
pan (Trinidad), rara and konpa (Haiti), son (Cuba), reggae and
dancehall (Jamaica), and the U.S.-based styles Latin jazz and salsa.
Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Lecture-conference. Not offered 2010–11.
Music 264 - Modernism
Full course for one semester. This course is an introduction to the
music of Strauss, Mahler, Debussy, Ravel, Satie, Stravinsky,
Schoenberg, Berg, Webern, Bartòk, Hindemith, Weill, Prokofiev,
Shostakovich, Ives, Varése, Crawford, Gershwin, and Copland. We will
approach this music from the perspective of modernist aesthetic theory.
Lecture-conference.
Music 266 - The Music of Duke Ellington
Full course for one semester. As composer, arranger,
songwriter, bandleader, and pianist, Duke Ellington (1899–1974) stood
at the center of American music. His works mirror the development of
jazz from ragtime to hot jazz, swing, bebop, and beyond. We will trace
the development of Ellington’s style, the evolution of his orchestra
and the influence of its players on his music, and his collaboration
with Billy Strayhorn. We will also examine Ellington’s exploration of
different genres, including extended jazz compositions, musical
theatre, and religious music. Lecture-conference. Not offered 2010–11.
Music 271 - Studying Popular Music
Full course for one semester. This course is an introduction to some of
the key aesthetic, theoretical, and methodological concerns in the
burgeoning field of popular music studies, which has explored the ways
in which meaning is produced through the performance, (re)production,
and consumption of popular music. Among the topics the course will
address are popular music as creative expression, as recorded sound,
and as a field of sociocultural discourse, focusing primarily on
popular music in the United States. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
Lecture-conference. Not offered 2010–11.
Music 272 - Music Since 1968
Full course for one semester. We will study representative works of
late modernism, avant-garde music, minimalism and postmodernism by
Elliott Carter, Olivier Messiaen, Karlheinz Stockhausen, György Ligeti,
Witold Lutoslawski, John Cage, Morton Feldman, Steve Reich, Philip
Glass, Meredith Monk, George Crumb, John Adams, Arvo Pärt, and Alfred
Schnittke. Lecture-conference. Not offered 2010–11.
Music 275 - Film Music
Full course for one semester. This course is a survey of film music history, genres, styles, and practices. We will focus primarily on American cinema, but draw examples from other traditions as well. Films to be studied include
King Kong, Alexander Nevsky, Casablanca, Singin’ in the Rain, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, and
Run Lola Run. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Lecture-conference.
Music 277 - Music and Politics
Full course for one semester. In this course we will examine the relationship between art music and politics from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. In an effort to understand how and why music has been such an important carrier of ideology, we will study both ostensibly “apolitical” works that have been appropriated for political purposes as well as music composed specifically for political causes. Composers whose works we will investigate will include, among others, Lully, Handel, Beethoven, Verdi, Wagner, Copland, Eisler, and Shostakovich. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Lecture-conference.
Music 312 - Theory III: Advanced Harmony
Full course for one semester. This course will examine the development
of harmonic resources in 19th- and 20th-century musical idioms through
compositional and analytical exercises. In particular we will study the
chromatic styles of Schubert, Chopin, and Wagner; the impressionist
harmonies of Debussy and Ravel; the modernist idioms of Stravinsky, Bartók,
and Schoenberg; and contemporary jazz harmony. Prerequisite: Music 211. Conference with musicianship lab.
Music 314 - Composition
Full course for one semester. This course is an introduction to
contemporary composition. Students will compose and perform short
works. The course will deal with problems of instrumentation, notation,
and performance, as well as the larger aesthetic issues of coherence
and gesture, within a broad range of styles and media. Prerequisite:
Music 312 or consent of the instructor. Conference. Not offered 2010–11.
Music 338 - Choral Music
Full course for one semester. We will trace the long tradition of Western choral music from its beginning in Gregorian chant to the present day. Emphasis will be on listening to works both sacred and secular especially loved by singers (and orchestral players) such as Bach's
St. John Passion, Haydn's
Seasons, Mendelssohn's
Elijah, Brahms's
Requiem, Stravinsky's
Symphony of Psalms, and others. Prerequisites: sophomore standing and the ability to read music. Lecture-conference. Not offered 2010–11.
Music 343 - Theory IV: Form and Analysis
Full course for one semester. This course is a study of the forms of
the Classical and Romantic periods and an introduction to the analytic
ideas of Schenker, Reti, and Schoenberg. Prerequisite: Music 312.
Conference.
Music 352 - Johann Sebastian Bach
Full course for one semester. We will investigate Bach's life and
music, with attention to works he wrote for the conditions of his
employment at different times in his career. The histories of the
genres in which he composed—Lutheran church music and other vocal
works; and instrumental works, including those for keyboard instruments,
other instruments, and orchestra—will also be considered.
Prerequisites: sophomore standing and the ability to read music. Conference. Not offered 2010-11.
Music 354 - Shostakovich
Full course for one semester. The music of Soviet composer Dmitry Shostakovich (1906–1975) has polarized critics, who are strongly divided on what his music can tell us about the time and place in which he lived. At the same time, his music continues to grow in popularity with audiences. In this course we will investigate the central issues surrounding Shostakovich’s legacy by studying works from a wide variety of genres including, but not limited to, opera, film music, symphony, string quartet, and song. Prerequisites: sophomore standing and the ability to read music. Lecture-conference.
Music 362 - History and Memory in African American Music
Full course for one semester. This course will consider the
ways in which African American musical expression has offered critical
perspectives on the past. Topics to be explored include the reception
of the spiritual during the Harlem Renaissance; historical
consciousness in sample-based hip-hop; resonances of southern history
in soul music; and the "blues aesthetic" in literature and the visual
arts. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Lecture-conference. Not offered 2010–11.
Music 364 - The Blues: Forms, Styles, Meanings
Full course for one semester. In this course we will study one of the most important wellsprings for 20th-century popular music, the blues, proceeding along three lines of inquiry: musical elements that characterize the blues, focusing on formal and harmonic structure, melodic and poetic ideals, and improvisational strategies; stylistic manifestations of the blues, including country blues, “classic” blues, postwar commercial styles, and influences on gospel music, rock, and jazz; and hermeneutic approaches that probe the “blues aesthetic” as a cultural signifier, as reflected in music criticism, documentary film, literature, its production and consumption, and international reception. Lecture-conference. Not offered 2010–11.
Music 365 - Avant-garde Music
Full course for one semester. The term “avant-garde” was applied to music, such as Schoenberg’s "Pierrot Lunaire" or Varèse’s
"Ionisation," that broke with techniques of the past, but also to works
like Satie’s "Relâche," which challenged and destabilized the very
notion of an art work. These tendencies flowered after World War II
with the music and ideas of Cage, Boulez, Stockhausen, Xenakis, Berio,
and Feldman; this course will primarily study this literature. We will
also study composers of the American “maverick” line, such as Ives,
Cowell, Harrison, Partch, and Lucier. Conference. Not offered 2010–11.
Music 372 - Junior Seminar: Mozart’s Così fan tutte as Musical Work and Cultural Text
Full course for one semester; junior seminar. The focus of this course is Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart’s
Così fan tutte, an opera that, since its premiere in
1790, has received copious scholarly attention. Through close study of
Così from a range of interdisciplinary perspectives, the course will
explore topics that include late Classical style, Mozart’s
collaborations with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, Enlightenment
philosophy, the sexual politics and orientalism of Mozart’s Vienna,
approaches to the opera’s production, and, in light of
Così’s complex
reception history, critical and analytical interpretations of the work.
Prerequisites: junior standing, Music 211, 221, and 223. Conference. Not offered 2009–10.
Music 374 - Junior Seminar: Bach's B minor Mass
Full course for one semester. Intended primarily for music majors, the focus of this course is Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B minor, a work that for him represented the culmination of a long career of composition of music for the church and which many scholars and performers consider the greatest choral work ever composed. We will explore topics including the history of settings of the Ordinary, the historiography of this work, its significance in Bach's oeuvre, late Baroque musical style, performance practice, and scholars' and our own criticism and analysis. Prerequisites: junior standing, Music 211, 221, and 222. Conference.
Music 470 - Thesis
Full course for one year.
Music 481 - Independent Study
One-half or full course for one semester. Prerequisite: approval of instructor and division.