For descriptions of all classes, including those not offered this semester, see the Course Descriptions pages for Musical Studies in the admissions section.

Techniques of Music
Harmony
Counterpoint
Solfège
Form and Analysis
Keyboard
Music History
Electives

TECHNIQUES OF MUSIC
Preparatory Musical Studies
A noncredit course designed specifically for younger students, providing intensive drill in the fundamentals of music, including key signatures, scales, intervals, and triads.

Fundamental Musical Studies
A one-term course in the basics of music theory (i.e., scales, key signatures, intervals, and chords), preparing students for the Curtis musical studies program.

Solfège for Singers
Designed to address the specific needs of some singers, the content of this course is to be arranged with the instructor.

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HARMONY
Harmony I
The basic progressions of tonal harmony, studying the functions of triads on all diatonic scale degrees.

Harmony II
Modulation to the dominant in major and to the mediant in minor, sequential progressions, melodic and rhythmic figuration, and chromaticism through modal mixture.

Harmony III
Diatonic modulation to all keys, the Phrygian II, augmentedsixth chords, and advanced chromaticism.

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COUNTERPOINT
Counterpoint I
The writing of cantus firmus and two-part species counterpoint in the major and minor modes.

Counterpoint II
Three-part species counterpoint and introduction to combined species in three voices.

Counterpoint III
Further study of combined species, double (i.e., invertible) counterpoint, and fugue.

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SOLFÈGE
Solfège I
Sight-singing in five clefs, singing and recognition of intervals and triads, two-part contrapuntal dictation, rhythmic dictation, and score-reading.

Solfège II
Advanced sight-singing in seven clefs, chromaticism, three-part contrapuntal dictation, simple figured-bass dictation, and reading Bach chorales in open score.

Solfège III
More complex figured-bass dictation with chromaticism, atonal dictation and sight-singing, and advanced score-reading.

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FORM AND ANALYSIS
Form
Beginning with the study of phrase structure, a survey of the principal musical forms of the baroque, classical, and romantic eras, with particular emphasis on the evolution of sonata form.

Analysis
The analysis of tonal music through the study of its voiceleading structure. This course will examine works from different genres, including binary and song forms, as well as complete sonata movements.

Twentieth-Century Analysis
A survey of analytical techniques based on original methods of composition and separately produced perspectives. A wide range of works will be studied, from early pieces of “free atonality” and impressionism to music written in the past twenty years.

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KEYBOARD
Keyboard Studies I
Contrapuntal and harmonic progressions in all keys, fundamentals of figured bass, keyboard settings of folk and chorale melodies, and basic score-reading.

Keyboard Studies II
Figured bass chorales, introduction to continuo, techniques of orchestral score-reading, Bach’s Art of the Fugue in open score, and sight-reading for two and four hands.

Keyboard Studies III
Advanced continuo, advanced orchestral score-reading, and advanced sight-reading for two and four hands.

Keyboard Improvisation
An exploration of the techniques for creating formal tonal structures on both given and free materials. The first semester will focus on harmonization and ornamentation of chorale melodies, including chorale prelude, variations, and ground bass. Free-form structure will be explored in the second semester, as well as including some two- and three-part form.

Chamber Chorus
The basics of voice production and ensemble singing, taught in a practical setting. The repertoire for this course is a broad overview of sacred and secular choral music. Two semesters are required for Diploma and Bachelor of Music students majoring in composition, conducting, harpsichord, organ, or piano.

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MUSIC HISTORY
Music History I MHS 101–102; 3 s.h./term
The history of Western music from its origins in ancient Greece to the beginning of the twentieth century. This course aims to provide a general survey of the major composers, as well as the development of tonality to its dissolution at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Music History II MHS 201–202; 2 s.h./term
An examination of the trends and ideas that shaped music from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present. Students will explore this development through a chronological study of the composers, as well as through the creation of their own works employing the different compositional techniques of the era.

Music History Seminars MHS 301–302; 2 s.h./term
Bachelor of Music candidates are required to take at least two seminars. Offerings vary from year to year. Sample topics include: Bartók and Stravinsky, J. S. Bach, film composers, madness in opera, creativity, Medieval seminar, the Second Viennese School, performance practice, and music of Latin America.

History of Performance Practice
Is it important to understand what the instruments of Bach’s time sounded like?

• Would Beethoven or Mozart prefer the sound of the modern Steinway over the pianoforte?
• Are modern instruments an improvement over so-called authentic period instruments?
• Is the modern vocal style really what the great bel Canto singers had in mind?
• What about pitch, intonation, or vibrato?

This survey course seeks to open the debate through the study of original source materials and treatises on performance practice. This class will not only trace the origins of the early-music movement and its effect on the performance of the music of the baroque, but look at the evolution through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well. We will study the earliest recordings of legendary performers and composers who hand us an astonishing glimpse into the sound world of the nineteenth century.

Music of Latin America
This survey of the folk and concert music of Latin America will span from colonial times to the present. Special emphasis will be placed on the unique culture of this region and its relationship to the compositional characteristics of it music. Students will become familiar with the geography, history, and distinctive elements that make up the major regions (Rio de la Plata, Caribbean, Andean, etc.). All genres and basic bibliography will be studied. Although there are no prerequisites, a reading knowledge of Spanish would be desirable.

The Second Viennese School
This course will examine the music of the Second Viennese School, beginning at early works of Schoenberg and following through his later music and that of his two most accomplished students, Alban Berg and Anton Webern. The music will be explored analytically as it relates to technique; it will also be treated in its artistic and cultural context.

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Supplementary Composition
Fundamentals of music composition focusing on original music. Students with previous experience as composers are welcome, though none is necessary. Form, analysis, and modern techniques will also be taught. Students will further learn through readings of their works and possible performance opportunities.

Requirement: consent of the instructor

20/21: The Curtis Contemporary Music Ensemble
The 20/21 ensemble will study, rehearse, and perform music ranging from important twentieth-century works to new music not yet borne into the repertoire. The ensemble will be flexible in size and scope—to include solo pieces, standard chamber music forces, and larger works that require a conductor. Performers and conductors will be drawn from the Curtis student body and include faculty and alumni.

Dr. Ludwig will coordinate readings, programming, rehearsal, and concert activities in tandem with school administration. Students will be expected to participate in rehearsals regularly and as needed.

Chamber music credit can be arranged at the discretion of the dean.

Improvisation for Performers
This course will study improvisation in various styles from the eighteenth to twenty-first centuries, often based on works from the participants’ repertoire, while developing imagination in performance and learning to make music from a composer’s point of view. Topics include cadenzas, ornaments, creating variations, free improvisation, and more. Open to advanced instrumentalists with instructor’s permission.

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