MUMH 6160 (Great Composer Seminar), Fall 2016

Mahler’s Music and Compositional Contexts for It

Dr. Notley/ Room 295 Music Building

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30–1:50 p.m.

Office: Room 319Phone: 940-565-3751

Hours: Tues. 2–3; Thurs. 2–3;E-mail:

and by appointment: the set hours may change because of committee meetings

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:

Accounts of European music history often present Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) as one of a first generation of “modernist” composers, along with Claude Debussy, Richard Strauss, Jean Sibelius, and others, followed a half generation later by Arnold Schoenberg and his students. Unlike these contemporaries, Mahler almost exclusively cultivated two genres, symphony and lied. Historically and conceptually the two had been polar opposites, the symphony a public type to be performed by a large group and the lied an intimate, domestic genre for two musicians.

Although Mahler was not the first composer to write orchestral lieder, he was undoubtedly the most significant composer in this genre, which challenged traditional understanding of the two opposing types. We will probe this and other issues of genre regarding Mahler’s lifework. The class will also place his works within other European compositional contexts of the time, such as the controversies concerning meaning that goes beyond the notes.

The objectives are that you will

Attain a deeper understanding of “musical genre”

Gain a fuller grasp of the problems involved in interpreting music as semantically rich as that of Mahler

Think more critically about how you conduct your own work.

EXPECTATIONS: The distribution for the final grade (100 points) is as follows:

Attendance: 6 %

Participation:14 % (1/2 point per class)

(*may include short writing assignments)

Leading class discussion twice10 % (5 % + 5 %)

One short paper10 %

Final paper and presentation:60 % (10 % for presentation, 50 % for paper) **

SHORT PAPER: The purpose is to help students consolidate their understanding of a particular assigned topic and to provide early guidance in the writing of a thesis-driven paper.

LEADING CLASS DISCUSSION: Each student will lead class discussion with another student. I will prepare detailed assignments for each class. Since this is a doctoral level class, I expect the students leading class discussion to take the assignmentbeyond the questions I raise on the assignment sheet, and I will send students who have led class discussion a grade after class (0 to 5 points). At the same time, I will also expect all other students to participate fully.

FINAL PROJECTS: The final project will involve an oral presentation and a written paper. Final papers must be 12 to 20 pages long; the presentations are to last 20 minutes. I’ll divide the 50 % allotted for the paper into several stages of writing. **This may include the writing of several short papers that will feed into the final paper.

ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION:

A seminar works only if all students attend class and participate regularly in the discussions: you learn from preparing for class and engaging in discussion. This means that you are expected to be present and prepared for each class. *Please note: I may make short written assignments to ensure that each student participates. To avoid the extra writing, prepare well and participate vigorously from the beginning.

I may be willing to excuse a student for professional reasons, but you must ask for and receive my permission ahead of timeA student will lose two (2) points from his or her grade (100 points to begin with) for each unexcused absence and will be dropped from the roll with a WF after four (4) absences of any kind.

An absence from any one of the classes devoted to final presentations will result in the subtraction of five (5) points from the student's final grade.

A late arrival or early departure counts as a half or full absence, depending on how much of the class the student misses.

MATERIALS:You are to acquire copies of the Dover scores of Mahler’s Symphonies 1 and 2, 4, 5, 7, and 9;Das Lied von der Erde; and two volumes of orchestral lieder (Songs of a Wayfarer and Kindertotenlieder in one volume and ten songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn in the other). Additional materials will be placed on Blackboard (learn.unt.edu) and on carrel 404 in the Music Library (Willis Library, 4th floor).

WEEKLY OVERVIEW OF TOPICS TO BE COVERED (subject to revision)

WeekTopics

1 (8/30)Introduction; Questions concerning Mahler’s Wunderhorn Symphonies (1-4)

2 (9/6)Questions concerning Mahler’s Wunderhorn Symphonies (1-4)

3 (9/13)Questions concerning Mahler’s Wunderhorn Symphonies (1-4)

4 (9/20)Questions concerning Mahler’s Wunderhorn Symphonies (1-4); Symphony No. 5

5 (9/27)No More Programs: Symphony No. 5

6 (10/4)Symphony 5; Kindertotenlieder

7 (10/11)Kindertotenlieder

8 (10/18)Mahler’s Seventh

9 (10/25)Questions concerning Mahler’s Seventh

10 (11/1)The Genre of Das Lied von der Erde: Does it matter?

11 (11/8)The Genre of Das Lied von der Erde; Mahler’s Ninth

12 (11/15)Mahler’s Ninth and Semantic Interpretations of it

13 (11/22)Mahler’s Ninth and Semantic Interpretations of it; Thanksgiving

Weeks 14 (11/29) and 15 (12/6) arefor students’ final presentations. There is no final exam.

You must submithard copies of your final papers before 5 p.m. on Monday, 12 December.

NOTICES FROM THE ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Students caught cheating or plagiarizing will fail the course. The incident will also be reported to the Dean of Students, who may impose further penalty. According to the UNT catalog, the term “cheating" includes, but is not limited to: a. use of any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests, or examinations; b. dependence upon the aid of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments; c. the acquisition, without permission, of tests or other academic material belonging to a faculty or staff member of the university; d. dual submission of a paper or project, or resubmission of a paper or project to a different class without express permission from the instructor(s); or e. any other act designed to give a student an unfair advantage. The term “plagiarism” includes, but is not limited to: a. the knowing or negligent use by paraphrase or direct quotation of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment; and b. the knowing or negligent unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials.

STUDENT BEHAVIOR:Student behavior that interferes with an instructor’s ability to conduct a class or other students' opportunity to learn is unacceptable and disruptive and will not be tolerated in any instructional forum at UNT. Students engaging in unacceptable behavior will be directed to leave the classroom and the instructor may refer the student to the Dean of Students to consider whether the student's conduct violated the Code of Student Conduct. The university's expectations for student conduct apply to all instructional forums, including university and electronic classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc.

Additional notice from Dr. Notley: I expect students to be respectful of each other, the class as a group, and the instructor (me). This is for the good of all. To this end, you must turn off andstow away all cell phones, laptops, and other electronic devices. This is an electronic-free zone!

ACCESS TO INFORMATION – EAGLE CONNECT

Your access point for business and academic services at UNT occurs at my.unt.edu. All official communication from the university will be delivered to your Eagle Connect account.

ADA STATEMENT:The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation.

Fall Semester Academic Schedule (with Add/Drop Dates)

Financial Aid and Satisfactory Academic Progress

A graduate student must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to continue to receive financial aid. Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA in addition to successfully completing a required number of credit hours based on total registered hours per term. Music scholarships require a 3.5 cumulative GPA. Students cannot exceed maximum timeframes established based on the published length of the graduate program. If a student does not maintain the required standards, the student may lose their financial aid eligibility.

If at any point you consider dropping this or any other course, please be advised that the decision to do so may have the potential to affect your current and future financial aid eligibility. It is recommended you schedule a meeting with an academic advisor in your college, an advisor in UNT-International or visit the Student Financial Aid and Scholarships office to discuss dropping a course.

RETENTION OF STUDENT RECORDS

Student records pertaining to this course are maintained in a secure location by the instructor of record. All records such as exams, answer sheets (with keys), and written papers submitted during the duration of the course are kept for at least one calendar year after course completion. Course work completed via the Blackboard online system, including grading information and comments, is also stored in a safe electronic environment for one year. You have a right to view your individual record; however, information about your records will not be divulged to other individuals without the proper written consent. You are encouraged to review the Public Information Policy and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) laws and the university’s policy in accordance with those mandates.