MUS 204: Musical Instruments, Sound, Perception, and Creativity
Musical instruments reside at the intersection of varied topics: sound, perception, embodiment, music theory, social values, and more; how has their design influenced the development of music and how might they be reinvented to spur new ideas? We will explore these questions through readings, listening, analysis, labs, and composition. Specific topics include: harmony and the keyboard; tuning and temperament; preparing the piano, digital and analog. More generally, we will consider the productive tension between qualitative and quantitative understandings of musical concepts.
MUS 319: Composition and Improvisation
In this class we will consider a variety of strategies for combining improvisation and notated music, drawing on both contemporary concert music and jazz broadly construed. We will look at the works of musicians such as Butch Morris, Lutoslawski, Shostakovich, Coltrane, and Stockhausen, and will consider how technology might allow us to expand our musical possibilities (e.g. using iPads to facilitate harmonic coordination, or using movies in the place of scores). The ultimate goal will be to imagine hybrid musics drawing on both classical and jazz traditions.
MUS 357: Music and Shakespeare
A survey of Shakespeare’s treatment of music in the plays and sonnets. The course is based on primary sources only; images will be provided. It also features multiple original songs. The focus is on their dramatic function within complete scenes. At all times we will engage in close reading. We will address a range of relevant historical themes, including: harmony and unity, sound and spirit, music education, rhetoric and decorum, male friendship, the power of the eyes, the art of letter-writing, Puritans and music, and music and melancholy. The course includes a visit to the Rare Books Room.
MUS 365: Practices and Principles of Rhythm
This class is centered on the exploration of rhythmic practices and organizational principles in a wide variety of musical contexts: West African Drumming, European Classical Music, Caribbean Traditional Music, American Pop Music, Jazz and Contemporary Experimental Music.
The course will toggle between two major components: 1 – “Hands-On” performance practice
2 – Analysis and comparison of organizational principles of rhythm in a variety of musical traditions.
MUS 400: Opera without the Singing: Fables, Fairy Tales and Narrated Musical Theater
The course will lead students toward the creation of a work of musical theater (for lack of a better term) which will run parallel to the collaboration of the two instructors of the course, Adam Gidwitz and Steven Mackey. Instrumental musical performers of any instrument, composers, writers, actors and others who feel they can contribute to a theatrical presentation are needed. The course will include introducing existing relevant works, the progress and process of the ongoing work of the instructors collaboration and of course facilitation of the student creations.
MUS 243: Music in the Mediterranean
This course examines musical culture at the geographical juncture of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The busy exchange of people, goods, and ideas across the sea uniting these regions is reflected in the musical heterogeneity of the Mediterranean littoral. We consider how social and cultural forces and conditions within the Mediterranean – diaspora and migration; cosmopolitanism, commerce, and exchange; ethnic, religious, and linguistic difference – have historically shaped its music and musical communities.
MUS 300: Junior Seminar
The Junior Seminar is designed to introduce music majors to the study of music, conceived broadly. What kinds of questions might we ask about music, and what methods and materials can we use to explore these questions? What skills might you develop over the course of the semester that will both allow you to explore your interests and contribute to your professional life in the future? In addition to focusing on composition and musicology, we will also explore other aspects of the music business, such as arts administration, production, editing, performance, music education, and music criticism.
MUS 310: Advanced Workshop in Musical Composition
A composition course for independent, self-directed composers who will present their work to the class weekly or biweekly. So Percussion, the department’s Ensemble-in-Residence, will do a reading of the compositions during Reading Period on December 9, 2024. Students will submit final scores and parts on Dean’s Date. The compositions will also be played by So Percussion in a public concert early in the spring semester.
MUS 314: Computer and Electronic Music through Programming, Performance, and Composition
An introduction to the fundamentals of computer and electronic music. The music and sound programming language ChucK, developed here at Princeton, will be used in conjunction with Max/MSP, another digital audio language, to study procedural programming, digital signal processing and synthesis, networking, and human-computer interfacing.
MUS 203: The Great Conductors; the Canonic Repertory
A survey of the canonical symphony and opera repertory as performed by the important conductors of the recording era (roughly 1930s to the present). How did these conductors shape performance practice through the 20th and 21st centuries?
MUS 205: Species Counterpoint
A hands-on, practical course in 16th-century (primarily sacred) vocal music composition. The motivations are numerous: the music is beautiful and pre-functional. In a tonal sense, it provides rich perspective historically, technically, and conceptually upon music of later centuries, including our own. Learning to compose in the style is a deep and challenging way to understand it, and understanding is meaningful beyond the confines of the music itself. In addition to composing, we will spend time singing music from the period and your own projects. This helps us get the sound of the music into our ears and bodies.
MUS 223: The Ballet
A history of ballet from its origins in the French courts through its development into a large-scale theatrical spectacle in the 19th century and its modernist re- and de-formation. Emphasis will be placed on seminal dancers, choreographers, and composers, nationalist tradition, and socio-political context.
MUS 225: Instrumental Music: The Symphony from Haydn to Florence Price
This course examines the development of the symphony from the eighteenth to the middle of the twentieth century, particularly in terms of musical procedures, composer background, and cultural contexts. Repertory studied includes creative voices beyond the traditional symphonic canon. The course is designed to be accessible to non-majors with a focus on listening, and the ability to follow musical notation is quite helpful. Supplemental readings reinforce technical discussion and broaden historical context introduced in lectures.
MUS 230: Music in the Middle Ages
A survey of the history of music in Europe between about 600 and 1400. The course is structured in five big subject areas: (1) plainchant: from St Gregory the Great to St Hildegard of Bingen, (2) the earliest polyphony, from the 8th to 12th centuries; (3) the tradition of the troubadours and trouvères, from the 11th to 14th centuries; (4) the Ars Antiqua: polyphony in the 13th century; (5) the Ars nova, polyphony in the fourteenth century. As much as possible, materials for discussion in class consist almost wholly on primary sources (in reproduction), modern recording, and musical scores.
MUS 355: Thinking with Bad Bunny: the Cultural Politics of Race, Language, and Empire
This interdisciplinary course examines the cultural and political significance of Puerto Rican
mega star Bad Bunny who has transcended musical genres to become a global phenomenon.
Through an interdisciplinary lens, students will engage in a critical analysis of his music, lyrics,
aesthetics, activism, gender non-conforming performances, and savvy business strategies. We
will examine how Bad Bunny/Benito uses his platform and artistry to negotiate the complexities
of being both a global Latinx icon and a child of Puerto Rico’s colonial context.
MUS 105: Music Theory through Performance and Composition
The intent of this course is to understand the fundamentals of tonal music by creatively using the theoretical concepts explored in class. The student will write melodies, harmonize and arrange both their own music and already existing songs and instrumental music. Voice-leading will be examined in context as students gain a more detailed understanding of the basics. We will place a lot of emphasis on listening to music and attempting to understand what we’re listening to, so as to better enable model composition and theoretical understanding of tonal music.
MUS 362: Opera: Culture and Politics
This course examines how politics and culture play out in that most refined of art forms: opera. The course will introduce students to the history of European opera, focusing on 19th century composers in France, Germany, and Italy. We will closely examine three operas: one French (Bizet’s Carmen), one Italian (Verdi’s Aida) and one German (Wagner’s Die Meistersinger). Following Edward Said’s work, we will examine how politics and culture play out in these works: European colonialism in Aida; the question of antisemitism in Wagner; stereotypes of Spain in Carmen. Includes excursions to the Metropolitan Opera.
MUS 105: Music Theory through Performance and Composition
Music 105 introduces foundational elements of music making, while considering relevant contextual information like form, function, and identity. A broad and inclusive range of musical genres from around the world will be examined in equal measure to help develop holistic insight into how and why music works. The course is designed to strengthen your ability to analyze a wide variety of existing music from the past and present, and gain new approaches to composing your own. The emphasis is firmly on the practical application of the concepts we encounter within music, rather than an abstract understanding of limited musical methods.
MPP 219: Opera Performance
This course will explore Mozart’s singspiel, Die Zauberflote. It is open to singers, orchestral players and 2 piano accompanists. The final project will be a full production of the opera with costumes, stage scenery, and orchestra. For this production, the musical selections will be performed in the original German language and the dialogue will be performed with revised/updated translation performed in English.
MPP 231: Princeton University Steel Band
Originating in the vibrant streets of Trinidad and Tobago, the steel pan has evolved into a global musical phenomenon, captivating hearts and minds with its unique melodies and infectious rhythms. In “Exploring the art of the Steel Pan,” you will embark on a journey through rich history, cultural significance, and global influence.Through a combination of lectures and hands-on rehearsals, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the instrument’s construction, playing techniques, and its role in various music genres, including calypso, reggae, pop, classical, and more.
MPP 299: Independent Instruction in Voice or Instrument
Independent instruction in voice or instrument is an intensive immersion in all aspects of recreating music for performance. Lessons are geared towards the development and embedding of solid technique, and the application of this technique to proper style and musical expression. Issues explored include but are not limited to interpretation, stylistic appropriateness, historical context, theoretical/syntactical underpinnings, the avoidance of injuries, audition and performance strategies, and career planning.
MPP 213: Projects in Instrumental Performance: Chamber Music
Instrumental chamber music of the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, both canonic and non-canonic. Preparation for performance of ensembles. Each ensemble’s repertoire will be determined in consultation with the instructors during the first week of classes. Students will be required to participate in a culminating performance on May 1, 2024, followed by a brief written assignment that is due on Dean’s Date.
MPP 216: Techniques of Conducting
The course focuses on four areas: 1. Preparation and Rehearsal (score study and analysis; developing interpretation; rehearsal planning), 2. Gesture (fundamentals; advanced essentials; the vocabulary of movement), 3. Sound and Repertoire (listening critically to the choral sound; constructing a value system for analyzing and creating sound; building a personal library of diverse and exciting choral repertoire), 4. Essence (What do we do? the art of non-verbal communication; sustaining a community of singers)
MPP 208: Music for Large Chamber Ensemble Drawn from Less-Performed Works
An exploration of music for large chamber ensemble of lesser performed repertoire. The course culminates with a Spring performance.