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School of Music · ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
This course addresses skills required to compose music for small standard combinations including: choir, piano plus two, and for saxophone quartet, contemporary rock and jazz groups. Working with these standard combinations focuses on the development of essential four-part writing technique (homophonic and polyphonic). Related to these creative tasks students will be guided in analysis of pieces from a range of genres, styles and cultures with reference to: scales and series, harmony and form, counterpoint and texture, orchestration – composing with colours.
2 group tutorial presentations —first is 5 minutes, 5%; and second is 10 minutes, 10%
Learning outcomes 1
3 Analysis/Orchestration assignments, 5% each, maximum 32 bars each
Learning outcomes 1, 2
Portfolio of works totalling 14 minutes in duration, 20% folio, 10% exegesis of 500 words (total 30%)
Learning outcomes 3, 4
Commission Project of 6 minutes, for chamber music ensemble (set instrumentation provided), 30% score/recording, 10% exegesis of 500 words (total 40%). To reflect the real-world environment of commissions, late submissions will not be accepted, and will receive a mark of 0
Learning outcomes 3, 4
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of workshop and workshop-like activities; and, b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing. Work Integrated Learning Simulation/Virtual This course gives students real world experience composing a new work for live ensemble, organising a performance in a professional venue. Students gain experience necessary to prepare them for careers as free-lance composers.
N/A minor amendments Preliminary Reading Adler, Samuel. The Study of Orchestration. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2002. Baker, David, Arranging & Composing for the small ensemble: jazz/r&b/jazz-rock. Bloomington, Indiana: Frangipani Press, 1985. Brant, Henry. Textures and Timbres: An Orchestrator’s Handbook. New York: Carl Fischer Music, 2009. Burkhart, Charles. Anthology for Musical Analysis. 7th ed. New York: Schirmer, 2011. Cassella, Alfredo and Virgilio Mortari. The Technique of Contemporary Orchestration. 2nd ed. Milan: Ricordi, 2004. Dobbins, Bill. Jazz Arranging and Composing: A Linear Approach. Rottenburg. Germany: Advance Music, 1986. Gould, Elaine. Behind Bars: The Definitive Guide to Music Notation. London: Faber and Faber, 2011. LaRue, Jan. Guidelines for Style Analysis. 2nd ed. Sterling Heights, Michigan: Harmonie Park Press, 2011. Schoenberg, Arnold. Fundamentals of Musical Composition. New. ed. London: Faber and Faber, 1967. Wright, Rayburn. Inside the Score. Delevan, New York: Kendor Music, 1982.