PERCUSSION LITERATURE AND PEDEGOGY
Spring, 2017
Monday – Wednesday – Friday - 11:00 – 11:50 AM
Room 250
COURSE NUMBERS:
MUAG 6370-701 Instrumental Literature
MUAG 5673-001 Instrumental Pedagogy and Repertoire
MUSAG 4370-001 Instrumental Pedagogy and Repertoire
INSTRUCTOR: Christopher Deane – Office 940-565-3714/Cell 940-453-4629
(cell phone reception in the music building is poor so use the office phone to leave messages during school hours). Office Hour: TBA and by Appointment.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
http://percussion.music.arizona.edu/perchistory/index.html
User name = johncage Password = kyoto
This course costs $50.00. You must pay by the third scheduled class (January 23rd)
Student membership in the Percussive Arts Society
REQUIRED MATERIALS – A 1 inch ring binder notebook. It is recommended that you print out all articles, hand-outs, timelines, etc., as a source for future reference.
All details listed in the course syllabus are subject to change or adjustment. Notification of changes will be given in class and reinforced through email notice.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
This course is designed to provide an overview of the history and literature for the Western concert percussion instruments most frequently encountered in modern orchestral, chamber and solo performance practice. Learning names, dates and facts will be central to the course goal but equally important will be studying and understanding artistic concepts and aesthetics that have affected the creation of percussion music as well as the interpretation of the music studied during the course.
Topics include a panoramic survey of the history and evolution of percussion instruments, percussion use in the orchestra, in chamber music, in percussion ensembles, and major concerti and solos for percussion instruments. Grading will be based upon the scores of six module exams, the course final exam, a number of reports and assignments, and a major research paper. Class attendance is required because much of the information will be gained through class discussion and participation. Three unexcused absences will result in a lowering by one letter grade. Each subsequent unexcused absence will lower the grade by one letter. The reports and assignments will be taken together to equal the value of one exam grade. The research paper will be in written form and presented to the class. The equal average of the tests and the research paper will determine the student’s grade for the semester. See the attached “Project Description” sheet for more information.
SEMESTER SYLLABUS 2017
Module One:
Jan. 18 – Course introduction - Discuss syllabus, grading, student projects, course philosophy and goals. Give diagnostic test. Assign reading - pages 3 + 4 from Smith-Brindle’s book Contemporary Percussion (in the on-line Module One)
Jan. 20 – Discuss diagnostic text results. Discuss Pages 3 + 4 from Contemporary Percussion. Watch video on instrument classification. Watch video Early Sources and discuss. Discuss other sources beyond what is provided in video. Assign reading - Chapter 3 from Smith-Brindle’s Contemporary Percussion and Symbols For Percussion Notation by Frank McCarty. Be ready to discuss in January 23rd class.
Jan. 23 – Discuss Chapter 3 from Contemporary Percussion. Assign reading – Recent Trends in Percussion Notation by John C. O’Neill to be discussed in the January 25th class period. Watch on-line video Percussion Notation in class. Discuss Guide to Aural Analysis of Music. Discuss pictorial sources and how they can be used to learn historic performance practice.
Jan. 25 – Discuss the reading assignment Recent Trends in Percussion Notation.
Assign reading – Visual Correspondence Between Notation Systems and Instrument Configuration by Michael Udow. Discuss how notation and performance are related. Discuss various scores relating to the topic of notation. Look at two Viewing examples in on-line course.
Jan. 27 – EXAM 1 - Relating to all reading assignments to date and in-class discussions. Paper Assignment 1, subject of paper presented to students in class period. Paper due on February 1st. Discuss Composer Research project Major Research Paper as outlined in the online Module One) due near the end of the semester – date and time to be determined and agreed upon by professor and student.
MODULE TWO:
Jan. 30 – Begin Module Two “Instrument Histories” of the on-line course. Watch the Video: Janissary Music in class and discuss briefly. Assign reading – the Edmond Bowles article – The Impact of Turkish Military Bands…, William Lichtenwanger “The Military Music of the Ottoman Turks”. Be prepared to discuss in class.
Feb. 1 – Hand in first written assignment from January 27. Discuss the previous reading assignments by Edmond Bowles and William Lichtenwanger. Watch videos on the history of the cymbals, bass drum and triangle. Discuss briefly. Hand out article from Percussive Arts Magazine on Haydn Symphony 100 performance practice by Michael Bayard.
Assignment: Read - Groves online: Nakers and Caldwell Titcomb: Baroque Court and Military Trumpets…
Feb. 3 - Module Two continued – History of the Timpani –Watch video on Timpani History and discuss the two reading assignment articles.
Assignment: Read Peter Kogan: Edmond A. Bowles: Timpani Scholar and
Edmond Bolwes: Nineteenth-Century Innovations in the Use…
Feb. 6 – Module Two continued – Discuss reading assignment articles. Continue discuss of Timpani history and performance practice.
Assignment: Read Grove Online: Xylophone – Grove Online Xylorimba
James A. Strain: James Calhoun Deagan
Paper Assignment 2 – subject of paper presented to students in class period. Paper due February 13th.
Feb. 8 – Module Two continued – Watch videos on Xylophone and Snare Drum.
Assignment: read both required articles relating to the snare drum.
Feb. 10 – Discuss articles in class on the snare drum. Watch video on Castanet history and the history of Gong and Tam-Tam. Discuss. Review for Exam 2.
Feb. 13 Exam 2 on all Module Two materials. Hand in Assignment 2. Begin discussion of Module Three as remaining class time permits.
MODULE THREE:
Feb. 15 Begin Module Three - Orchestral Literature. Watch video Orchestral Repertoire Part One A, and B in class and discuss.
Assignment: Read John Baldwin: Christmas Oratorio, Jeff Eldridge: The Fairy Queen and Richard Hochrainer: Beethoven’s Use of the Timpani.
Feb. 17 Discuss reading assignments in class. Listen to various recordings and discuss.
Feb. 20 Continue listening and discussion of Module Three materials. Watch Orchestral Repertoire C video in class and discuss.
Feb. 22 Finish discussion and listening of Module Three. Review for Exam 3.
Feb. 24 EXAM 3 on all Module Three materials. Begin discussion of Module Four as remaining class time permits.
MODULE FOUR:
Feb. 27 Begin Module Four. Watch - Part One A and B of Percussion Chamber Repertoire Videos in class and discuss.
Assignment: Read required articles Bela Bartok: Revolution and Evolution in Art, Robert Craft: “Histoire du Soldat” and Paul Jasionowski: An Interview with Saul Goodman about the Bartok Sonata.
Mar. 1 Meet in Room 142 for a demonstration of the techniques of Histoire du Soldat and the Bartok Sonata. By Professor Deane.
Assignment: Read Morris Lang: A journey to the Source and Michael Kingan: The influence of Bartok on Crumb’s…
Mar. 3 Discuss the Lang article and the Crumb article. Listen to Crumb work in class and discuss. Other listening as class time permits.
Mar. 6 Discuss Other Percussion Chamber works in class. Discuss Futurism and Modernism as artistic movements in class. Review for Exam 4.
Mar. 8 EXAM 4 on all Module Four materials and discussions including Professor Deane’s 142 demonstration. Begin discussion of Module Five.
MODULE FIVE:
Mar. 10 Begin Module Five: Ensemble Literature. Watch Video Part One A and discuss in class. Continue discussion of Futurism as an influential movement.
Assignment: Read all Required Reading articles for Module Five over spring break.
Mar. 13 – 17 Spring Break
Mar. 20 – Discuss reading assignment from March 10. Listen and discuss Shorstakovich’s opera The Nose in class. Watch Percussion Ensemble Literature Part One B in class and discuss.
Mar. 22 Continue discussion of Percussion ensemble literature in class. Watch Percussion Literature Part One C in class and discuss.
Mar. 24 Continue discussion of Percussion Ensemble Literature and review for exam 5.
Mar. 27 EXAM 5 on all Module Five materials and discussions. Begin Module Six as class time permits.
MODULE SIX:
Mar. 29 Module Six – Multiple Percussion Literature. Watch video in class and discuss.
Assignment: Read the first three articles listed under the heading The Files: Required Readings.
Mar. 31 Discuss the required reading articles and watch various videos relating to Solo Literature.
Apr. 3 Continue watching /listening to Solo Literature performances and discuss.
Assignment: Read articles by Pratt, Williams and Schick under the heading
The Files: Required Readings
Apr. 5 Discuss the assigned articles in class. Discuss Lou Harrison’s Fugue for Percussion in class. Discuss the use of the I Ching in the music of John Cage.
Assignment: Complete the Assigned Readings List (Sallak, Schick’s second article, Beyer, and Roland).
Apr. 7 Discuss reading assignments in class. Conclude Multiple Percussion Literature segment.
Assignment: Read the Required Readings articles by Kastner, Owen, Smith, Weir, Hufford and Stevens.
Apr. 10 Module Six – Marimba Literature. Discuss the required readings articles in class and listen to various examples related to this list. Watch the Video in class.
Assignment: Continue the Required Readings articles by Strain, Weir (his second article) , Murray, and Campiglia.
Apr. 12 Continue listening and discussion of required readings.
Assignment: Read the last two articles in the Required Readings list
By Gaetano and Parks.
Apr. 14 Discuss the Concert Xylophone and Vibraphone History in class. Listen to various recordings relating to this history. Discuss modern literature for the Concert Vibraphone.
Apr. 17 In-class discussion of Pedagogy methods and materials in class. Demonstrate principles of interpretive strategy within lessons. Review for Exam 6 based on all Module Six materials and discussions.
Apr. 19 EXAM 6. Assignment: prepare a vie minute presentation for the class on any topic relating to any modules in this course to be given in class over the next two class periods.
Apr. 21 Student presentations in class.
Apr. 24 Student presentations in class.
Apr. 26 Discussion of class presentations and follow-up on any extra topics not covered in the on-line course.
Apr. 28 Professor Deane presents on the basic principles of percussion composition relating to his works.
May 1 Review for Final Exam. Materials for this Exam to be taken from the entire semester of class materials and discussions.
May 3 Continued Review for Final Exam.
May 5 Continured Review for Final Exam.
May 8 FINAL EXAM – ROOM 250 -10:30 to 12:30