Emily C. Hoyler

Music is sometimes called the universal language, yet writers often seek to describe it in words. Music scholars, music critics, music fans, and musicians use words to describe music and to make claims about its merits. This course will explore various styles, techniques, and vocabularies for writing about musical sound and performance. The focus will be on reviews of live concerts, album releases, and film music. Students will develop critical thinking skills by evaluating the effectiveness of an author’s argument. Students will practice making claims and presenting arguments that are successfully supported by writing style, sources, evidence, structure, and logic. Students will read various articles, essays, and chapters about music by historical and contemporary music scholars, critics, and journalists. Topics vary but may include film music, art music and modernism, music technology, and the recording industry, with a focus on music in the 20th and 21st centuries in the United States. In addition to in-class writing assignments, students will write an original research paper, broken down into several assignments/ drafts. Students should expect to write 15-20 double-spaced pages over the course of the term, including revisions based on instructor and peer feedback.

Music reflects and informs many aspects of society and culture. This course examines the writings of scholars and critics who have argued for various philosophies, functions, and styles of music. Each week, we will feature a topic related to music’s role in society and explore issues of aesthetics, expression, and performance. Writing exercises will focus on a specific writing technique or strategy. Students will develop critical thinking skills by evaluating the effectiveness of an author’s argument through rhetoric, logic, and evidence. Students will practice making claims and presenting arguments that are successfully supported by writing style, sources, structure, and reason. Students will read a selection of music scholars, critics, and writing specialists, including but not limited to Joseph Auner, Jane Bernstein, Susan Douglas, Hua Hsu, Mark Katz, Alex Ross, and Kate Turabian. Topics vary but may include opera, film music, modernism, music technology, protest music, text setting, and musical genre. In addition to in-class writing assignments, students will write an original research paper, broken down into several assignments/drafts. Students should expect to write 15-20 double-spaced pages over the course of the term, including revisions based on instructor and peer feedback.

This is a course on contemporary art music: its history, philosophy, performance techniques, and interdisciplinary worlds. Its aim is to enjoy, explore, analyze, critique, expose, and learn about Western art music and modern composers from the turn of the twentieth century to the present day. The focus is on experimental music, composers, musicians, and conceptualists. Gender, race, class, and privilege are explored as they pertain to the career of the professional artist. Course objectives include building strong listening skills and acquiring the vocabulary to speak and write about music and its cultural contexts effectively. Screenings and viewings will vary but will typically include examples of works by musical artists such as Laurie Anderson, Cathy Berberian, John Cage, Wendy Carlos, Philip Glass, Pauline Oliveros, Terry Riley, and Arnold Schoenberg. Readings will also vary but will typically include works by musicologists such as Daniel Albright, Joseph Auner, Mark Katz, and Carol Oja, as well as writings by composers about their own music. Topics will include modernism, expressionism, atonality, technology, indeterminacy, minimalism, performance art, and experimental opera and theatre. Students should expect to write 15-20 double-spaced pages over the course of the term, including revisions based on instructor and peer feedback. Assignments may include a close listening essay and an original research paper. Students will present a 10-minute oral presentation on their research paper.

This is a course on music and cinema in the late-20th and early-21st centuries. The focus will be on original scores for full-length films made over the last forty years, with historical, contemporary, and animated subject matter. Students will learn about the history of film scoring and evaluate uses of music by featured composers in selected films. Topics include narrative underscoring, musical motives, diegetic and extradiegetic music, and sonic signifiers of time and place. Course objectives include building strong audio-visual listening skills and acquiring the vocabulary to speak and write about film music and its historical and cultural contexts effectively. Screenings and viewings will vary but typically include examples of feature-length films with original music by composers including Terence Blanchard, Wendy Carlos, Alexandre Desplat, Patrick Doyle, Danny Elfman, Michael Giacchino, Philip Glass, Hildur Gu?nadottir, Joe Hisaishi, James Horner, Quincy Jones, Dario Marianelli, Ennio Morricone, Rachel Portman, Howard Shore, Gabriel Yared, and Hans Zimmer. Readings will vary but typically include works by musicologists and film theorists such as Michel Chion, Rebecca Coyle, Dean Duncan, Julie Hubbert, Lawrence Kramer, Frank Lehman, Richard Leppert, and Laura Mulvey, as well as film critics and journalists. Students will write 15-20 double-spaced pages during the semester, including revisions based on instructor and peer feedback. Assignments may include discussion threads, a close listening essay, an original research paper, and an oral presentation.

This is a course on music and cinema in the late-20th and early-21st centuries. The focus will be on original scores for full-length films made over the last forty years, with historical, contemporary, and animated subject matter. Students will learn about the history of film scoring and evaluate uses of music by featured composers in selected films. Topics include narrative underscoring, musical motives, diegetic and extradiegetic music, and sonic signifiers of time and place. Course objectives include building strong audio-visual listening skills and acquiring the vocabulary to speak and write about film music and its historical and cultural contexts effectively. Screenings and viewings will vary but typically include examples of feature-length films with original music by composers including Terence Blanchard, Wendy Carlos, Alexandre Desplat, Patrick Doyle, Danny Elfman, Michael Giacchino, Philip Glass, Hildur Gu?nadottir, Joe Hisaishi, James Horner, Quincy Jones, Dario Marianelli, Ennio Morricone, Rachel Portman, Howard Shore, Gabriel Yared, and Hans Zimmer. Readings will vary but typically include works by musicologists and film theorists such as Michel Chion, Rebecca Coyle, Dean Duncan, Julie Hubbert, Lawrence Kramer, Frank Lehman, Richard Leppert, and Laura Mulvey, as well as film critics and journalists. Students will write 15-20 double-spaced pages during the semester, including revisions based on instructor and peer feedback. Assignments may include discussion threads, a close listening essay, an original research paper, and an oral presentation.

From fin-de-siecle decadence to pop feminism, this course explores issues and representations of sexuality in twentieth-century western music, including opera, musical theater, instrumental music, art song, and popular music. Themes include modernist thought, sonic constructions of sexuality, and gendered roles in music. Drawing from musicology and gender studies, this course will address diverse aspects of the identities of composers and artists through examining authorship, expression, and performance. Course objectives include building strong listening skills and acquiring the vocabulary to speak and write about music and its cultural contexts effectively. Screenings will vary but will typically include examples of works by musical artists such as David Bowie, Benjamin Britten, Ornette Coleman, Madonna, Cole Porter, Prince, Ma Rainey, and Rodgers & Hammerstein. Readings will include works by authors such as Jane Bernstein, Philip Brett, William Cheng, Tammy L. Kernodle, Susan McClary, Sheila Whiteley, and Stacy Wolf. Students should expect to write 15-20 double-spaced pages over the course of the term, including revisions based on instructor and peer feedback. Assignments may include a close listening essay and an original research paper. Students will present a 10-minute oral presentation on their research paper.

Since the early twentieth century, radio technology has shaped innovations in communication, news, and entertainment. This powerful medium has driven political influences, established cultural trends, generated communal listenership, and diminished spatial boundaries for the dissemination of information. Radio served as a precursor for later forms of mass media such as television, the Internet, and podcasts. This course will address the history, theory, and aesthetics of radio transmission in Europe and North America. Through lectures, discussion, listening, reading, and writing, students will explore radio?s influence on social habits, political dynamics, and artistic expression.

Since the early twentieth century, radio technology has shaped innovations in communication, news, and entertainment. This powerful medium has driven political influences, established cultural trends, generated communal listenership, and diminished spatial boundaries for the dissemination of information. Radio served as a precursor for later forms of mass media such as television, the Internet, and podcasts. This course will address the history, theory, and aesthetics of radio transmission in Europe and North America. Through lectures, discussion, listening, reading, and writing, students will explore radio?s influence on social habits, political dynamics, and artistic expression.