Courses:

Music Since 1960 >> Content Detail



Study Materials



Readings

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Readings assigned for each class session are given in the following table.

Amazon logo Duckworth = Duckworth, William. Talking Music: Conversations with John Cage, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson and 5 Generations of American Experimental Composers. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 1999. ISBN: 9780306808937.

Amazon logo Ford = Ford, Andrew. Composer to Composer: Conversations About Contemporary Music. Australia, Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin, 1994. ISBN: 9781863734431.

Amazon logo Griffiths = Griffiths, Paul. Modern Music and After: Directions Since 1945. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780198165118.

New sounds = Amazon logo Griffiths, Paul. New Sounds, New Personalities: British Composers of the Nineteen Eighties. London, UK: Faber & Faber, 1985. ISBN: 9780571100613.

Amazon logo Rockwell = Rockwell, John. All American Music: Composition in the Late 20th Century. New York, NY: Vintage/Knopf Publishing Group, 1984. ISBN: 9780394722467.

Amazon logo Schwartz and Childs = Schwartz, Elliott, and Barney Childs. Contemporary Composers on Contemporary Music. 2nd ed (reprint). Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 1998. ISBN: 9780306808197.

Amazon logo Schwartz and Godfrey = Schwartz, Elliott, and Daniel Godfrey. Music Since 1945: Issues, Materials and Literature. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 1993. ISBN: 9780028730400.

Amazon logo Simms = Simms, Bryan. Composers on Modern Musical Culture. New York, NY: Schirmer Books, 1999. ISBN: 9780028647517.


LEC #TOPICSReadings
1Welcome

Ritual Reading of the Syllabus

Overview
Prelude: 1900-1960
2Expressionism and Serial Technique

Arnold Schoenberg: Pierrot lunaire (1912), Variations for Orchestra (1928)

Alban Berg: Five Orchestral Songs (Altenberg-Lieder) (1912), Wozzeck (1922), Lulu (1935)

Anton Webern: Slow Movement for String Quartet (1905), Six Bagatelles for String Quartet (1913), Piano Variations (1936)
3Primitivism, Neoclassicism, Mavericks

Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (1913), The Rake's Progress (1951)

Maurice Ravel: Le tombeau de Couperin (1917)

Béla Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta (1936)

Olivier Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du temps (1940)

Edgard Varèse: Hyperprism (1923)
4Electronics and Other Developments after World War II

Pierre Boulez: Structures I (1952), Le marteau sans maître (1954)

Karlheinz Stockhausen: Gesang der Jünglinge (1956), Zyklus (1959)

Edgard Varèse: Poème électronique (1958)

Iannis Xenakis: Metastasis (1954)
Unit One: Order and Entropy
5Pierre Boulez: Pli selon pli [Fold upon Fold] (1957-62)

Ralph Shapey: Incantations (1961)

Luigi Nono: Canti di vita e d'amore (1962)

Igor Stravinsky: Requiem Canticles (1965-66)
Griffiths. pp. 70-99 and 104-115.

Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 78-106.

Rockwell. pp. 60-70 (Shapey).

Simms. pp. 145-151 (Boulez).
6Donald Martino: Notturno (1973)

Elliott Carter: A Mirror on which to Dwell (1975)

Iannis Xenakis: Pleïades (1979)

Charles Wuorinen: Capriccio (1981)
Ford. pp. 1-9 (Carter).

Griffiths. pp. 53-59 (Carter); 91, 198 (last paragraph), and 200 (Xenakis).

Rockwell. pp. 37-46 (Carter).

Schwartz and Childs. pp. 261-273 (Carter), and 367-375 (Wuorinen).

Simms. pp. 227-234 (Carter).
7Karlheinz Stockhausen: Samstag [Saturday] (1981-83) from Licht [Light]

Brian Ferneyhough: Intermedio alla ciccona (1986)

Pierre Boulez: Sur incises (1996-98)
Ford. pp. 17-28 (Boulez), 137-146 (Stockhausen), and 147-155 (Ferneyhough).

Griffiths. pp. 244-248 (Stockhausen's Licht), and 294-303 (Ferneyhough).

New sounds. pp. 65-83 (Ferneyhough).

Schwartz, and Childs. pp. 379-383 (Stockhausen), and 469-480 (Ferneyhough).

Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 466-67.
Unit Two: Mavericks
8Krzysztof Penderecki: Threnody (1960)

György Ligeti: Atmosphères (1961)

Witold Lutoslawski: Trois poèmes d'Henri Michaux [Three poems by Henri Michaux] (1963)

Karel Husa: Music for Prague (1968)

Giacinto Scelsi: Khoom (1962)

Harry Partch: And on the Seventh Day Petals fell in Petaluma (1964)
Griffiths. pp. 100-101, 134-136, and 254-256.

Schwartz and Childs. pp. 209-220 (Partch), and 388-402 (Ligeti).

Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 181-191.
9George Crumb: Ancient Voices of Children (1970)

György Kurtág: Messages of the Late R.V. Trussova (1976-80)

Harrison Birtwistle: Secret Theatre (1984)
Ford. pp. 51-59 (Birtwistle).

Griffiths. pp. 162 (Crumb), 281-288 (Kurtág), 218-221, and 320-324 (Birtwistle).

Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 233-235 (Ancient Voices...), and 428-429 (just the paragraph on Kurtág).
10Conlon Nancarrow: Selected Studies for Player Piano

György Ligeti: Selected Études for Piano Solo (1985-)

Henri Dutilleux: Mystère de l'instant (1989)

Harrison Birtwistle: Selected movements from Harrison's Clocks (1997-98)
Duckworth. pp. 29-51 (Nancarrow).

Griffiths. pp. 100-03, and 276-281.

Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 176 (Nancarrow).
Unit Three: New Sounds, New Technologies
11John Cage: Aria (1958)

Milton Babbitt: Phonemena (1969-70)

Luciano Berio: Sequenza III (1966)

Mario Davidovsky: Synchronisms no. 3 (1965)

Mario Davidovsky: Synchronisms no. 6 (1970)
Duckworth. pp. 3-28 (Cage), and pp.52-93 (Babbitt).

Ford. pp. 171-184 (Cage).

Griffiths. p. 69 (Babbitt), pp. 140-147 (Stockhausen), and pp. 191-194 (Berio).

Rockwell. pp. 25-36 (Babbitt), and pp. 47-59 (Cage).

Schwartz, and Childs. pp. 243-250* (Babbitt), and 335-348 (Cage).

Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 120-134 (survey of electronic music, ca. 1960-1985), and pp. 411-412 (Cage).

Simms. pp. 160-167 (Cage), and 152-159* (Babbitt).

*These are the same essay by Babbitt ("Who cares if you listen?/The composer as specialist").
12Paul Lansky: Six Fantasies on a Poem by Thomas Campion (1978-79)

Pierre Boulez: Répons (1981-84)

George Benjamin: Antara (1985-87)

Mario Davidovsky: Synchronisms no. 9 (1988)
Griffiths. pp. 310-312 (Benjamin), and 318-320 (Boulez).

New sounds. pp. 22-30 (Benjamin).

Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 342-369 (survey of computer music), and pp. 445-446 (Benjamin).
13Kaija Saariaho: Noa noa (1992)

Jonathan Harvey: Song Offerings (1985)

Tristan Murail: Allégories (1989)

Joan La Barbara: Shamansong (1992)

John Oswald: Plunderphonic

Richard D. James (a.k.a. Aphex Twin): Selected pieces arranged for chamber orchestra
Griffiths. pp. 248-249 (Murail).

New sounds. pp. 46-53 (Harvey).

Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 425 (Saariaho), and 444 (Harvey).
Unit Four: Quotation and Polystyle
14Stockhausen: Hymnen (1966-67)

Luciano Berio: Sinfonia (1968)

Peter Maxwell Davies: Eight Songs for a Mad King (1969)
Griffiths. pp. 160-170 (Quotation, Berio, Stockhausen).

Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 230-232 (Davies), 242-262 (collage and quotation), and 375-378 (Berio).

Simms. pp. 182-187 (Berio).
15The Beatles: Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Leonard Bernstein: Mass (1971)

HK Gruber: Frankenstein!! (1971-78)

William Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and Experience (1981-84)
Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 259 (Gruber), and 306-307 (Bernstein).
16Alfred Schnittke: String Quartet no. 3 (1983)

John Harbison: November 19, 1828 (1988)

John Zorn: Cat-o'-nine-tails (1988)

Osvaldo Golijov: Ayre (2004)
Griffiths. pp. 252-254 (Schnittke).

Schwartz and Godfrey. p. 472 (Schnittke).
Unit Five: The Minimalist Impulse
17Terry Riley: In C (1964)

Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians (1976)

Philip Glass: Einstein on the Beach (1976)

John Adams: Shaker Loops (1978)

King Crimson [Robert Fripp et al.]: Discipline (1981)

Laurie Anderson: United States, parts I-IV (1981)
Ford. pp. 61-67 (Reich).

Griffiths. pp. 209-214 and 260-263 (Reich).

Rockwell. pp. 109-122 (Glass), and pp. 123-132 (Anderson).

Schwartz and Childs. pp. 421-424.

Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 315-341.
18Henryk Górecki: Symphony no. 3 (1976)

Louis Andriessen: De staat (1972-74)

Arvo Pärt: Berlin Mass (1992)

John Adams: Nixon in China (1985-87)
Ford. pp. 79-85 (Andriessen).

Griffiths. pp. 274-276, 267, 289 (Adams), and 309.

Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 429-431 (Górecki, Pärt), and 436 (Andriessen).
19Meredith Monk: Atlas (1987-91)

Michael Torke: Adjustable Wrench (1987)

Elena Ruehr: Shimmer (1994)

Julia Wolfe: Lick (1994)

Evan Ziporyn: Partial Truths (1997)

John Adams: On the Transmigration of Souls (2002)

Brian Robison: The Congress of the Insomniacs (2003)
Griffiths. pp. 274-275 (minimalism).

Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 338-339 (Torke).
Unit Six: The Persistence of Tonality
20Dimitri Shostakovich: String Quartet no. 8 in C Minor (1960)

Benjamin Britten: War Requiem (1961)

George Rochberg: String Quartet no. 3 (1972)

David Del Tredici: Final Alice (1976)

Joan Tower: Petroushskates (1980)

Joan Tower: Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman (1986)
Rockwell. pp. 71-83 (Del Tredici).

Schwartz and Childs. pp. 403-407 (Rochberg).

Schwartz and Godfrey. pp. 263-288 ("The resurgence of tonality"), and 382-385 (Del Tredici).

Simms. pp. 190-197 (Rochberg).
21John Harbison: Mirabai Songs (1982)

Stephen Albert: Symphony: RiverRun (1983)

Astor Piazzolla: Hora cero (1965), Sex-tet (1989)

Ellen Taafe Zwilich: Clarinet Quintet (1990)

John Corigliano: Symphony no. 1 (1990)
Ford. pp. 11-16 (Zwilich).

Simms. pp. 198-205 (Harbison).
22Libby Larsen: Marimba Concerto: After Hampton (1992)

Aaron Jay Kernis: Still Movement with Hymn (1993)

Tan Dun: Ghost Opera (1994)

Jennifer Higdon: Running the Edge (1996)

Peter Child: Fantasia (2003)

Charles Shadle: The Penny Ballad of Elvious Ricks (2005)
Unit Seven: Agora
23-26Student Presentations of Term Papers
Final Exam

 








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