Prerequisite: Admission to the graduate program in Music or permission of the instructor.
The expectation of this course is that you have a good knowledge of such matters as the basic chronology of events, people, and musical styles that define the entire canon of Western art music.
Graduate Students enrolled in this course should be aware that they may be working with undergraduate students on the same materials.
Textbook and Materials:
Course Objectives: This course is an in-depth examination of Western European art music from the late-16th century through the mid-18th century (c. 1580-1750, commonly referred to as the "Baroque Era"). Topics for study and discussion include (1) major composers of the era and some of their principal works, (2) representative forms and genres used by these composers, (3) technical aspects of music, e.g., melody, harmony, rhythm, musical instruments, performance techniques, notation, theory, etc., that define the musical styles of this era, and (4) aspects of culture, society, history, and geography that relate to the music of that era. Among the knowledge and skills that you will acquire or improve are:
Communication: It is your obligation to read, follow and complete all assignments and other instructions (verbal or written) given to you in the course of this semester. You are responsible for any information or instructions given out in any of the following ways:
Attendance: Regular class attendance is expected of all enrolled students. As graduate students you will not earn any formal credit for attendance, however attendance will be take at every class meeting and poor attendance will affect your grade. You are responsible for all materials covered and all announcements made in every class, whether you are present or not.
Attendance Policy for Tests & In-class Assignments: No unexcused absence from an announced test, quiz or other in-class assignment will ever be allowed. Failure to appear for such a test or assignment will result in a grade of “0” (zero) for that test or assignment. Late arrivals at announced tests will not be given any additional time to complete the test, nor will instructions or audio portions of the test be repeated.
Make-up Policy: Should you be unable to attend an announced test due to participation in an officially sanctioned UCF event or personal observance of a religious holiday, you must notify me at least one week in advance of that test to schedule an alternate time. For personal or family emergencies (e.g., funerals), you must notify me as early as possible. At a minimum, send an email message as soon as possible to inform me of your situation. In some cases, I will require documented proof of the reason for your absence. You may then be allowed to take a make-up test no later than 48 hours after the scheduled test or your return to campus. Make-up tests may be different from announced tests to ensure the integrity of the testing process.
Testing and Grading: Your grade in this course will be determined by your performance in the following:
| Assignment / Test | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Assignments Class Participation | 10% |
| Short Paper on 17th C topic | 10% |
| Major Paper | 30% |
| Two (2) Listening Quizzes @ 10% each | 20% |
| Basso Continuo Assignment | 15% |
| Fugue Analysis & Paper | 15% |
The miscellaneous assignments will consist of tasks related to class discussions, e.g., preparation of small reports, analyses, etc. Your ability and willingness to contribute to class discussions will also be noted here.
The Short Paper and Major Paper will be research projects of your own design (following a set of posted instructions).
The Listening Quizzes will be an in-class identification tests on the music examples in the Anthology.
The Basso Continuo Assignment will be either a written-out "realization" of a passage from a Baroque bass line or a response paper based on readings in treatises about basso continuo practice.
The Fugue Analysis & Paper will be a formal analysis (harmony, melody, and structure) of a polyphonic work by J.S. Bach.
The following numeric equivalents apply to all grades (individual assignments & final course grade):
| 100.00 – 92.00 | = A | Clearly Superior Work at the Graduate Level, Assignments meet all stated requirements, Strong writing that contains no or very few minor errors, Work submitted on or ahead of time. |
| 91.99 - 90.00 | = A- | |
| 89.99 - 88.00 | = B+ | Completely Satisfactory Work at the Graduate Level, Assignments meet most stated requirements, Writing that contains minor errors that do not impede understanding, Work generally submitted on time. |
| 87.99 - 82.00 | = B | |
| 81.99 - 80.00 | = B- | |
| 79.99 - 78.00 | = C+ | Marginally Satisfactory Work at the Graduate Level, Assignments usually meet most stated requirements, Writing that contains errors that begin to impede understanding, Work not always submitted on time. |
| 77.99 – 72.00 | = C | |
| 71.99 – 70.00 | = C- | |
| 69.99 – 68.00 | = D+ | Generally Unsatisfactory Work at the Graduate Level, Assignments do not meet most stated requirements, Writing that contains errors that significantly impede understanding, Work rarely submitted on time. |
| 67.99 – 62.00 | = D | |
| 61.99 – 60.00 | = D- | |
| 59.99 - 0.00 | = F | Unsatisfactory Work at the Graduate Level, Assignments do not meet stated requirements, Writing with excessive errors, lacks organization and approaches incoherence, Work not submitted or frequently late. |
Questions about the grading or evaluation of any test or other assignment must be raised at the time that item is returned to you. You may not argue for points based on your perception of the grading of a question vis-à-vis another student’s work. Only obvious clerical errors on my part will be corrected.
Items turned in late will be assessed a 10-point penalty for every 24 hours or fraction of a day that they are late. This penalty may be waived or lessened at my discretion, provided I am informed at least 24 hours in advance when you will not meet a deadline.
Final course averages are calculated to the nearest 1/100 of a point. In the case of a borderline final average, I reserve the right to award the next highest grade, based on class participation, preparation, attendance, and related factors.
No extra credit work or alternate assignments will be accepted in lieu of or in addition to the assignments and tests listed on this syllabus.
Due dates for all tests and graded assignments will be announced at least one week in advance.
The Final Examination period for MUH 5345 is scheduled for Thursday, 26 April 2012 at 7:00 to 10:00 pm. All graded materials are due by 10:00 pm on that day.
Reserve Materials: As the semester progresses both optional and required supplementary items will be placed on reserve for reading or listening. You will be informed in class when such items go on reserve, and the course web page will include a list of all such items used in the term. Additionally, some assignments will require materials that are not on reserve. Students are advised to remember that other members of the class may need access to them, and to act accordingly.
Class Procedures and your Responsibilities: This course will follow a roughly chronological order. You will read and listen to the relevant items before they are discussed in class (see the schedule on a separate web page). You should complete the reading and listening before the scheduled class meeting so that you may participate in discussions and ask relevant questions.
You should carry your textbook, relevant score(s), and notebook to all class meetings. You should take notes about any information presented in class, and you should feel free to ask questions at any time if something is not clear to you.
Following the class, you should re-read the relevant passages in the textbook and study the scores and recordings used in class.
As a matter of respect to others in the classroom, you are not to engage in conversations unrelated to the current activities of this course, use cell phones or any other electronic devices, with the exception of laptop computers (turn off all other such devices before entering my classroom), or work on anything unrelated to MUH 5365 (assignments for other courses, newspapers, puzzles, etc.) during class time. Individuals engaged in such activities will be asked once to cease. The second time they will be told to leave the classroom, and they will be marked absent for that day.
Because of the intense schedule of this course, you are advised to allot as much time (outside of class) as possible during the three weeks of this course to work on MUH 5345 materials and assignments. While you may be given some modest leeway with deadlines, the very tight schedule of a three-week course will not allow for exceptionally late submissions of assignments and tests. Please arrange your personal lives so that you may give your best efforts during the brief term of this course.
You may find it useful to form study groups so that you may help one another in your preparations for class and for tests. You are not, however, allowed to collaborate on any graded assignments in this class unless you are specifically directed so. (see "Academic Integrity" below)
Academic Integrity: All graded work in this class must be yours alone. You are never to collaborate with anyone on tests or other graded assignments in this class. You are allowed and encouraged to work together with your classmates or any other individuals, e.g., professors, students not enrolled in this class, etc., when you are reading the textbook or other assigned readings, studying for tests, and even in the general research that you do before preparing your various projects, but any graded work that you present as your own may not contain the work or assistance of any other individual. Violators will be referred to the appropriate UCF authorities for prosecution (see the latest edition of The Golden Rule for more details).
Accomodations for Disabilities: Any student with a documented disability may receive a special accommodation to complete any requirements of this course. Any student requesting such an accommodation must contact the Office of Student Disability Services (SRC 132; phone 407-823-2371), where such requests are processed. The SDS will ask for documentation of the disability, and they will then notify the instructor of the appropriate accommodations that may be allowed. NB. You cannot simply tell me of your situation, nor can you make requests after the fact, e.g., after you have taken a test or completed the course.
Tentative Schedule: A tentative listing of all class meetings, topics for discussion, readings, and due dates may be found on the relevant web page for this course.