Discussion on principles, methods and techniques of music analysis which were invented or have their roots in Vienna ((Schenker, Schönberg, Réti, ...). Analysis of pieces of music in connection
with the development of compositional techniques in the last decades of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century (fin de siecle, Jugendstil, Impressionismus, Expressionismus). Comparison with other arts such as painting and poetry. Influence of Austrian composers in American exile (Schoenberg, Steiner, Korngold, etc.).
Prerequisites:
Two or four semesters of music theory
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, students should have be able to:
• do form analysis 19th to 20th century
• understand combinations of different arts (music/poetry, music/painting, etc.)
• Compare form, structure, and idea in compositions by R. Strauss, G. Mahler, A. Schoenberg, E.W.
Korngold, A. Berg and others.
Required work and form of assessment:
Midterm exam, Final exam, written assignment (second half of class), class participation including presentation of the written assignment (30%), midterm exam (20%), final exam (30%), written work (20%).
content:
Session 1: Fundamentals of form
Session 2: Form and genres in 19th century music
Session 3: Form and genres in 20th century music
Session 4: Development of tonality in the fin de siècle
Session 5: Examples by R. Strauss and G. Mahler
Session 6: Examples of atonal compositions
Session 7: Principals of dodecaphony
Session 8: Composers in exile
Session 9: Opera in the 20th century
Session 10: Avant-garde compositions
Required readings:
Auner, Joseph. A Schoenberg Reader. Documents of a Life. New Haven and London: Yale University
Press: New 2003
Bruhn, Siglind. Signs in Musical Hermeneutics. The American Journal of Semiotics, Vol. 13, Numbers 1 to 4, Fall 1996
Bruhn, Siglind. Musical Ekphrasis Composers Responding to Poetry and Painting. Interplay No. 2, Hillsdale, NY: Pendragon Press 2000
Frisch, Walter. Schoenberg and his World. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1999
Meyer, Leonard B. Style and Music. Theory, History, and Ideology. Philadelphia: University of
Pennsylvania Press 1989.
Recommended readings:
Amon, Reinhard. Lexikon der Harmonielehre. Wien – München: Doblinger – Metzler 2005.
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Gerold Gruber earned a Ph.D. in Musicology from the University of Vienna. He is currently Professor at the Music University in Vienna where he teaches seminars and lectures on Music Theory, Music Analysis and Music Aesthetics. Current research areas focus on Arnold Schönberg’s Treatise on Harmony, Exiled Composers, and Analytical Topics. He is head of the M.A.E.D. Music Analysis and Exile Documentation Research Center at the Music University of Vienna as well as head of the charity organization exil.arte (www.exilarte.at).
Discussion on principles, methods and techniques of music analysis which were invented or have their roots in Vienna ((Schenker, Schönberg, Réti, ...). Analysis of pieces of music in connection
with the development of compositional techniques in the last decades of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century (fin de siecle, Jugendstil, Impressionismus, Expressionismus). Comparison with other arts such as painting and poetry. Influence of Austrian composers in American exile (Schoenberg, Steiner, Korngold, etc.).
Two or four semesters of music theory
By the end of the course, students should have be able to:
• do form analysis 19th to 20th century
• understand combinations of different arts (music/poetry, music/painting, etc.)
• Compare form, structure, and idea in compositions by R. Strauss, G. Mahler, A. Schoenberg, E.W.
Korngold, A. Berg and others.
Midterm exam, Final exam, written assignment (second half of class), class participation including presentation of the written assignment (30%), midterm exam (20%), final exam (30%), written work (20%).
Session 1: Fundamentals of form
Session 2: Form and genres in 19th century music
Session 3: Form and genres in 20th century music
Session 4: Development of tonality in the fin de siècle
Session 5: Examples by R. Strauss and G. Mahler
Session 6: Examples of atonal compositions
Session 7: Principals of dodecaphony
Session 8: Composers in exile
Session 9: Opera in the 20th century
Session 10: Avant-garde compositions
Auner, Joseph. A Schoenberg Reader. Documents of a Life. New Haven and London: Yale University
Press: New 2003
Bruhn, Siglind. Signs in Musical Hermeneutics. The American Journal of Semiotics, Vol. 13, Numbers 1 to 4, Fall 1996
Bruhn, Siglind. Musical Ekphrasis Composers Responding to Poetry and Painting. Interplay No. 2, Hillsdale, NY: Pendragon Press 2000
Frisch, Walter. Schoenberg and his World. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1999
Meyer, Leonard B. Style and Music. Theory, History, and Ideology. Philadelphia: University of
Pennsylvania Press 1989.
Amon, Reinhard. Lexikon der Harmonielehre. Wien – München: Doblinger – Metzler 2005.
Gerold Gruber earned a Ph.D. in Musicology from the University of Vienna. He is currently Professor at the Music University in Vienna where he teaches seminars and lectures on Music Theory, Music Analysis and Music Aesthetics. Current research areas focus on Arnold Schönberg’s Treatise on Harmony, Exiled Composers, and Analytical Topics. He is head of the M.A.E.D. Music Analysis and Exile Documentation Research Center at the Music University of Vienna as well as head of the charity organization exil.arte (www.exilarte.at).