Due Thursday, January 8
Write at concert pitch the harmonic spectrum of the following pitches: cello low C, trombone pedal Bb (just below cello low C), contrabass low E, horn pedal F (just above bass low E), violin low G, violin low D, A 440.
Listen to and study the score of:
Haydn Symphony No. 48, pp. 1-2.
Mahler Das Lied von der Erde, first three pages, pp. 22-24, and last 3 pages.
Thursday, January 8, Friday, January 9, and Sunday, January 11
Attend the LA Philharmonic performance of Mahler and Haydn.
Monday, January 12
Attend the UCSD Percussion Ensemble concert (Antheil, Cage, et al) at the Japan America Theatre.
Due Tuesday, January 13
Study the same Mahler excerpts and come to class with observations and questions regarding the orchestration in those passages. Note the way he achieves texture through heterophony, variety through concentrating on specific pitch ranges, and unique blended timbres.
Read Kennan regarding the violin.
Due Thursday, January 15
Study and listen to:
The solo violin part in the first 210 measures of Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto.
The Bach Chaconne
Due Tuesday, January 20
Compose 2 or more variations on the given melody, for solo violin. Present two copies of a neat and legible part for the professor and the violinist to read.
Listen to and study:
For viola:
Dobrian, Now and Then, especially from 3'45" to 4'30".
Debussy, Sonata for flute, viola, and harp, especially 1st movement.
Berio, Folk Songs, especially 1st movement. See also movements 5, 8, and 9 for mixture of viola and cello.
For cello:
Dobrian, I, Alone, especially pp. 1-2 and 6-7.
Bach, Six Suites for Violoncello, prelude of 1st suite and gigue of 6th suite.
Xerox and be ready to discuss in class on Tuesday and Thursday:
Now and Then, from 3'45" to 4'30.
Debussy Trio, pp. 3 and 5.
Folk Songs, mvt. 1 pp. 1 and 4, mvt. 5 pp. 1 and 2, mvt. 8 pp. 1 and 3.
I Alone, pp. 1-2 and 6-7.
Bach, Suite 1 pp. 1-2, Suite 6 Gigue.
Due Tuesday, January 27
Listen to and study:
Debussy String Quartet, movement II.
BartokString Quartet No. 4, movement III.
Attend Kronos Quartet concert at Barclay Theatre, 8pm.
Due Thursday, January 29
String Quartet:
Debussy String Quartet, mvt. II, especially the first 6 pages
A xerox of the score is on reserve, and the CD is on reserve
Bartok String Quartet No. 4, mvt. III
The score and CD are on reserve
String Orchestra:
Tchaikovsky Serenade for strings, mvt. I
Score is on reserve, recording is in the regular collection
Mozart Symphony No. 40, mvt. I, especially the first few pages
Recording is available in the regular collection, the score is in the Norton Anthology, Fifth Edition, Vol. I available on the shelves in MMC
Contrabass:
Stravinsky Pulcinella, the movement that begins at rehearsal # 170
Score is on reserve, recording is in the regular collection
Mahler Symphony No. 1, mvt. III, especially the first few pages
Score is on reserve, recording is in the regular collection
To the extent that we have time, we will discuss these excerpts in the coming week (probably mostly on Thursday). I'd like for you to take over the lead in the discussion of excerpts, so please prepare some observations of things that interest you in these excerpts. Xerox (at least for yourself to use in class) the pages that interest you most.
Also...
Guitar:
Britten Nocturnal
Xerox of score on reserve, recording in regular MMC collection
Villa-Lobos Preludes #2 & #3
Xerox of score on reserve, recording in regular MMC collection
Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez
No score on reserve, recording in regular MMC collection
Thursday, Jan. 29
Debbie Klak playing remaining violin exercises (?)
Ben Israel and Chris Dobrian, guitar
String quartet arrangement due
Tuesday, Feb. 3
Read Kennan on flute, bassoon, and scoring for woodwinds
Cindy Felix, flute; Brad Evans, voice; Jarratt Rossini, bassoon
Suggest attendance at orchestra rehearsal at 7:30
Thursday, Feb. 5
Read Kennan on Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, and scoring for brass
Gerhard Cernek, trumpet; Mark Hamamura, trombone
Suggest attendance at orchestra rehearsal at 7:30
Friday, Feb. 6 and Saturday, Feb. 7
UCI Orchestra concert
Tuesday, Feb. 10
Ed Sirko, Lisa Kim, and Max Vladimiroff, piano
Study in detail and be ready to discuss:
Tchaichovsky Nutcracker Suite, "Marche", mm. 1-2, 7-8, 17-19, and 49-50.
Bartok Concerto for Orchestra, Mvt. II, mm. 90-157.
With special attention to the brass writing, and to the way the composers support the brass with the other instruments.
Thursday, Feb. 12
Alan Donnersberger, woodwinds
Chamber ensemble (trio) pieces due, score (2 copies) and parts
Due Tuesday, Feb. 17
and Thursday, Feb. 19
Read Dobrian "Textural Orchestration".
Study, listen to, and be prepared to discuss the examples in that article.
Study, listen to, and be prepared to discuss Stravinsky "Firebird" rehearsal numbers 70-74, 78-80, 143-150, 150-153, 158-161, 167-168, and 172-173.
70-72: Counterpoint with solo instruments.
72-74: Homophonic string writing; thinning of texture for contrasting phrases.
78-80: Different textural treatment of the same musical material.
143-148: Crescendo by extending range and adding instruments.
148-149: Pure textural orchestration.
149-150: Dissipation of climactic energy.
150-153: Thin texture for accompanying solo woodwind melody.
153: Dramatic (textural) outburst.
158: Extended use of tremolando strings.
160-161: Solo horn acoompanied by tremolando strings.
167-168: Woodwind trills, tremoloando strings, and brass choir.
172-173: Tutti orchestration and use of pitch range contrast.
Rehearse chamber ensemble pieces outside of class time.
Week 8
Perform and discuss ensemble pieces in class
Week 9
Orchestra pieces due, score (2 copies) and parts
Tuesday: Percussion
Thursday: Tom Cockrell on the Tristan Prelude
Week 10
Due Tuesday, March 10
Study and listen to Strayhorn "Take the 'A' Train". A xerox of the score is on reserve at MMC. Recording can be found on CD0744 and CD0259. Figure out which of these is the proper version. The score corresponds to an old (possibly the first?) recording of it. You'll have to compare the recording to the score to determine if you've got the right recording. (These CDs are not on reserve.)
For class, study especially (and xerox!) pp. 2, 3, 18, 24, and 30.
Note particularly:
Also, listen to the song "Sledgehammer" on the Peter Gabriel cassette "So", on reserve in the MMC. Do your best to take dictation from the song, noting the primary role assigned to each instrument, and contrasting his use of brass (a more standard "pop" use of brass) with the big band style of the Strayhorn arrangement.
For Thursday, March 12
Intensive review of instrument ranges and capabilities, and foreign terms. Bring the Kennan book to class as a reference. Try to bone up as much as possible beforehand so we can (attempt to) breeze through all the info.
Tuesday, March 17, 10:30-12:30 in Music Room 190A
Exam will cover terms, ranges, some identification of problems in given examples, and a few (very) brief scoring exercises. Exam will take the full two hours.
Evening reading sessions:
Tuesday, March 10 and Thursday, March 12, 7:30-10:00pm
Bring score and complete set of parts. Come to both sessions, even if your piece is read in the first session. If you plan to conduct, rehearse your own conducting so that you can easily and confidently negotiate tempo and meter changes. Whether you are conducting or not, you must know what your own piece should sound like so you can identify mistakes and answer questions. The better prepared you are, the more sucessful will be your reading. Bring a DAT tape for recording your piece (minimum 30-minute tape). Bring a VHS tape if you want a video document of your conducting and rehearsal style.