This page contains hyperlinks to online documents and information relevant to the class.
More links will be added over the course of the quarter.
Apreggiation of a classical progression - a drill for training singing and recognition of different triads and seventh chords one is likely to encounter in major and minor keys, to be practiced in every major and minor key, replacing the solfège syllables with note names.
Au Privave - by John Coltrane, a leadsheet for analysis.
Autumn Leaves - by Joseph Kosma, based on the original score.
Autumn Leaves - by Joseph Kosma, rearranged with some changes.
Autumn Leaves - by Joseph Kosma, a leadsheet for analysis.
Autumn Leaves - by Joseph Kosma, arranged for solo guitar.
Autumn Leaves - by Joseph Kosma, a leadsheet for analysis.
Ave Maria - by Franz Schubert.
Blue Monk - by Thelonius Monk, a leadsheet for analysis.
Come Sunday - by Duke Ellington, a leadsheet for analysis.
Come Sunday - by Duke Ellington, a piano arrangement based on the original score.
Confirmation - by Charlie Parker, a leadsheet for analysis.
The Days of Wine and Roses - by Henry Mancini (lyrics by Johnny Mercer), a leadsheet for analysis.
Heaven - by Duke Ellington, a piano arrangement based on the original score.
How High the Moon - by Morgan Lewis, a leadsheet for analysis.
In the Beginning God - by Duke Ellington, a piano arrangement based on the original score.
Lullaby of Birdland - by George Shearing, a leadsheet for sightsinging and analysis.
New Word A-Coming - by Duke Ellington, a piano arrangement based on the original score.
One Note Samba - by Antonio Carlos Jobim, a leadsheet for analysis.
I - IV - V arpeggiation - a drill for training singing and recognition of primary chords in major and minor keys, to be practiced in every major and minor key, replacing the solfège syllables with note names.
I - vi - IV - V - I arpeggiation - a drill for training singing and recognition of primary chords in major keys, to be practiced in all major keys, replacing the solfège syllables with note names.
i - VI - iv - V - i arpeggiation - a drill for training singing and recognition of primary chords in minor keys, to be practiced in all minor keys, replacing the solfège syllables with note names.
Nancarrow String Quartet No. 1, pp. 8-9 - a passage demonstrating explicit use of changing meter.
Nancarrow String Quartet No. 1, pp. 26-27 - a passage demonstrating use of quintuplet quarter notes, quintuplet half notes, and quintuplet dotted half notes (i.e., 5:2, 5:4, and 5:6).
Nancarrow String Quartet No. 1, pp. 28-29 - a passage demonstrating cross-rhythms of 2:3:4:5:6 as well as 4:3 hemiola.
Nancarrow String Quartet No. 1, pp. 30-31 - a passage demonstrating cross-rhythms of 2:4:5:6 simultaneous with metric hemiola of 5:4:3:24/7.
Non-chord tones - examples and explanations of the proper use of passing tones, neighboring tones, and suspensions in classical harmony writing.
Chromatic lower appoggiaturas - a drill for practice singing lower chromatic appoggiaturas to each note of the diatonic major scale.
Chromatic lower neighbor tones - a drill for training your ear to hear lower chromatic neighbor tones to each step of the diatonic scale, and also to hear those directly as lower chromatic appoggiaturas.
Chromatic melodies - two melodies with chromatic neighbor tones and appoggiaturas to the notes of the diatonic scale.
C clef melodies - melodies for practicing sightreading in tenor and alto clefs.
More C clef melodies - melodies for practicing sightreading in tenor clef, and for practicing diatonic melodies with some chromaticism.
Counterpoint - An example of two-part imitative counterpoint in Baroque style, based on a chord progression derived from Bach's Partita in B minor for violin, with all pitches and intervals analyzed.
Divisions up to 8 - an exercise for practicing and comparing beat divisions 1 through 8.
Duplets in 6/8 time - an exercise for practicing correct performance of 3 against 2 in 6/8 time, duplets and quadruplets (2 against 3 and 4 against 8) in 6/8 time, and contrasting similar rhythms in 5/8 and 7/8 time.
Duo in C minor - Sixteen measures of tonal two-part counterpoint for viola and cello based on this chord progression.
Section C of movement 1 of the 4th concerto of Le quattro staggioni The Four Seasons (1725) by Antonio Vivaldi, containing the same chord progression as used in the 1945 popular song Les feuilles mortes (Autumn Leaves) by Josef Kosma.
In the In-Between, a jazz composition for trombone, piano, and bass by Christopher Dobrian.
In stiller Nacht - a folk song arranged for mixed choir by Johannes Brahms.
Jazz duo - Opening measures of a duo in jazz style for alto saxophone and bass (and a version with the alto part transposed).
Simple jazz piano intro - an example of a simple piano accompaniment that realizes the same harmonies as the first four measures of the above duo in jazz style for alto saxophone and bass: Am7, Dm7, G9, C7.
Chromatic jazz piano intro - an example of a much more chromatic and dissonant piano accompaniment that implies the same harmonies as the above simple jazz piano intro.
Melodies for sightsinging - for practicing chromatic alterations, diminished seventh chords, and octave displacements.
Minuet in D-minor from the notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach - note the use of the minor ninth Bb as an appoggiatura to the dominant seventh chord on A, which demonstrates the close relationship between the dominant seventh chord and the leading tone diminished seventh chord.
Nana for voice and piano, from Siete Canciones Populares Españolas by Manuel de Falla.
Partita in B-minor for violin by Johann Sebastian Bach - in this course we will study the Sarabande (found on page 6 of the PDF document, printed with the page number 15) and the Double that follows the Sarabande (found on page 7 of the PDF document, printed with the page number 16).
Prelude and Fugue in C-major by Johann Sebastian Bach - from the Well Tempered Clavier, book 1.
Rhythm exercises - rhythms emphasizing timepoints in triple and quadruple beat divisions, and "gear-shifting" between divisions of 3, 4, and 5, provided by TA Danny Sanchez.
"Schubert"-like song - the opening measures of a song modeled on the type of harmonies, accompaniment, and melody found in Ave Maria by Franz Schubert.
Secondary chords - a chord progression exemplifying secondary seventh chords, also good for demonstrating structural elaboration of a basic chord progression, and for practicing figured bass notation and Roman numeral analysis. (Can also be heard as a MIDI file.)
Secondary chords analyzed - the same chord progression with various types of analysis written in: "jazz/popular"-style chord designations are provided above each system (that's like modern-day figured bass notation), Roman numeral analysis of every chord is written below each system, then an interpretation of what all those Roman numerals mean is provided by showing how there are embedded tonicizations of vi and IV (each one arrived at by a tonic-variable-predominant-dominant-deceptive progression) before the final ii-V-I, and finally the structural view demonstrates that the entire passage can be viewed as a global tonic-variable-predominant-dominant-tonic progression, à la Gauldin.
Secondary chords Schenkerian analysis - a Schenkerian graph demonstrating the "fundamental structural" view of the preceding chord progression.
Seventh chord arpeggiation: I7 - vi7 - ii7 - V7 - I7 - a drill for training singing and recognition of some of the most commonly used seventh chords in major keys, to be practiced in every major key, replacing the solfège syllables with note names.
Seventh chord arpeggiation: i - VI7 - iiø7 - V7 - i - a drill for training singing and recognition of some of the most commonly used seventh chords in (harmonic) minor keys, to be practiced in every minor key, replacing the solfège syllables with note names.
Sixes - an exercise emphasizing sextuple beat divisions, considered either as two groups of three or as three groups of two.
Sixteen bars of 5/8 - A simple melody and arpeggiated piano accompaniment in 5/8 time.
Symphony No. 5 in C minor - by Ludwig van Beethoven, full orchestral score.
Tell Me It's the Truth - by Duke Ellington, a piano arrangement based on the original score.
Thirds in major - a drill for singing all the thirds found in a major scale.
Thirds in harmonic minor - a drill for singing all the thirds found in a harmonic minor scale.
Prelude to the first act of Tristan und Isolde by Ricard Wagner, full orchestral score.
All possible timepoints in quadruple beat divisions - are systematically presented in a four-measure rhythm for practice.
This rhythm systematically steps through all possible timepoints in quadruple beat divisions, and then shows those timepoints notated only as sixteenth notes.
Timepoints in Beat Divisions 4 and 3 - systematically shows all possible rhythms within quadruple and triple beat divisions.
Timepoints in Divisions of 4 and 3 (Hocket Exercises) - exercises incorporating all possible rhythms in quadruple and triple beat divisions; for practice solo and/or as a duo with a partner.
Two-three-four-five-six - a rhythm exercise that contains every possible adjacency of duple, triple, quadruple, quintuple, and sextuple beat divisions.
Will You Be There? - by Duke Ellington, choral arrangement for six voices (p. 3).
Triads in Major is a drill for training singing and recognition of triads in the major scale, to be practiced by replacing the scale degree numbers with note names and transposing to every major key.
Up-Down Drill in Major (also available on NoteFlight) - a drill for training singing and recognition of intervals in the major scale, to be practiced by replacing the solfège syllables with note names and transposing to every major key.
Up-Down Drill in Minor - a drill for training singing and recognition of intervals in the natural minor scale, to be practiced by replacing the solfège syllables with note names and transposing to every minor key up to five flats and sharps.
Up-Down Drill in Harmonic Minor - a drill for training singing and recognition of intervals in the harmonic minor scale, to be practiced by replacing the solfège syllables with note names and transposing to every minor key up to five flats and sharps.
The Days of Wine and Roses by Henry Mancini as performed by Tony Bennett and Bill Evans.
Heaven by Duke Ellington, performed by the Ellington Orchestra, Duke Ellington piano, Alice Babs vocal, Johnny Hodges alto saxophone.
In the In-Between by Christopher Dobrian, performed by Michael Dessen, Kei Akagi, and Darek Oles.
One Note Samba by Antonio Carlos Jobim as performed by Stan Getz.
Symphony No. 5 in C minor - by Ludwig van Beethoven, recorded by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan. (You must be on the UCI LAN, or logged onto it via VPN, in order to access this link.)
"Abstraction", pp. 8-12 excerpted from Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity by David Foster Wallace - a brief discussion of abstraction and logical levels as a means of understanding.
"The Augmented Sixth Chord", pp. 504-513 excerpted from The Complete Musician by Steven G. Laitz - an explanation of the derivation and use of augmented sixth chords in classical music.
"Binary or Two-reprise Design", pp. 429-432 excerpted from Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music by Robert Gauldin - a discussion of rounded-binary form, particularly in Baroque and Classical music.
A Chord in Time: The Evolution of the Augmented Sixth from Monteverdi to Mahler by Mark R. Ellis, excerpted on Google Books, including a chart on page 37 that cites examples of the ways augmented sixth chords were used by well known classical composers from Sweelinck (1620) to Strauss (1900).
"Composition Project: Getting Started" by Christopher Dobrian - some advice and examples for getting started on the final composition project for the class.
"Extended Homophonic and Contrapuntal Formal Designs", pp. 558-569 excerpted from Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music by Robert Gauldin - a discussion of classical sonata form.
"Further Study of Chord Types", pp. 38-43 of Improvising Jazz by Jerry Coker, describing the basics of jazz chords and chord symbols.
"Introduction to Diatonic Harmony", and "The Primary Triads", pp. 117-133 from Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music by Robert Gauldin - basic knowledge and terminology required as a starting point for the study of classical harmony.
"The VI as a Substitute for I: The Deceptive Cadence and Progression", pp. 294-295 from Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music by Robert Gauldin - examples of desirable voice leading in the V-vi or V-VI deceptive cadence.
"How We Listen", chapter 2 of What to Listen for in Music by Aaron Copland - a transcription (unauthorized) of a well-known essay by a prominent American composer
"The Leading-tone Seventh Chord and Other Seventh Chords", pp. 323-333 excerpted from Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music by Robert Gauldin - a discussion of the viio7 chord in Classical usage, and the diatonic use of the leading-tone viiø7 chord.
"The Major Scale and the II-V-I progression" - a brief description of how the ii7-V7-I7 (and iiø7-V7-i) progression is used in jazz, and an explanation of how the modes of the major scale are related to that progression.
"Jazz Terminology and Chord Symbols".
Appendix 1, "Some Fundamentals of Acoustics", pp. A0-A5 from Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music by Robert Gauldin - a very brief summary of the physics of musical sound.
Structural Hearing by Felix Salzer, pp. 10-13 on "Chord grammar - Chord significance", and "Music as directed motion - Structure and prolongation" - introducing the Schenkerian concept of structural analysis, i.e., "structural hearing".
How the valves work on a horn - a straightforward, clear, and useful explanation/demonstration by a professional horn player.
"Polyphonic Overtone Singing" - a demonstration by Anna-Maria Hefele.
"La quinte juste" (The Perfect Fifth) by Kaamelott - a skit by the French television comedy team Kaamelott imagining a discussion of acceptable musical intervals in medieval times.
"Rite of Spring" by Igor Stravinsky - an animated graphic score of Part I of Le sacre du printemps, animation by Stephen Malinowsky.
B minor progression - a worksheet for practice writing melodies strictly based on a given tonal progression.
A comprehensive list of chord symbols excerpted from the introduction to a "real book" of jazz leadsheets.
The "Circle of Fifths" depicted.
Diminished 7th chords - a list of twenty observations about the way diminished seventh chords are used in classical music.
Dobrian's list of jazz chord symbols - the rules the professor follows for notating jazz chord symbols.
Dominant 7th chords - a tutorial page discussing the construction and voice-leading of dominant 7th (V7) chords in four-part harmonic writing.
Figured Harmony Exercises (taken from the book Figured Harmony at the Keyboard Part 1, by R.O. Morris) at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music theory department's website of online materials.
Final exam review - a list of topics likely to be included on the final exam.
Chris Dobrian's patented foolproof 4-part voice leading rules for root-position triad progressions - a useful starting point for doing academic harmony exercises.
Keyboard examples implementing Chris Dobrian's 4-part voice leading rules for root-position triad progressions - practice these in all keys.
Jazz chord worksheet - for practice in the spelling and recognition of jazz chords.
Leading-tone seventh chords - pages 153-155 of the workbook for Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music by Robert Gauldin.
Enharmonic leading-tone seventh chord spellings - an assignment for practicing enharmonic spellings of diminished seventh chords.
Mnemonic devices (in this case,well known tunes) can sometimes be useful for remembering the sound of each melodic interval. You can find lists of such mnemonic tune suggestions online such as this and this.
Modes in C - a comparison of the seven modes of the major scale.
Polyrhythm Calculation - a demonstration of how to calculate any rhythmic ratio, starting with the simple ratios 2:3, 3:2, 3:4, and 4:3.
This page was last modified December 13, 2014.
dobrian@uci.edu
