UCD School of Music

Scoil an Cheoil UCD

Third Stage Students: BA and BMus Degrees

BA students studying music as a joint major subject have to take five modules which include:

“Dissertation/Recital” as a core module
one module from “History & Analysis of Music before 1750”
one module from “History & Analysis of Music since 1750”
one module from “World Music & Area Studies”
one of the three Seminars

BMus students have to take ten modules, including:

“Dissertation/Recital” as a core module
one module from “History & Analysis of Music before 1750”
one module from “History & Analysis of Music since 1750”
one module from “World Music & Area Studies”
one of the three Seminars

They can take one or two module in Performance Studies for credit as part of their BMus obligations (notwithstanding their elective choices).

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Core Module
MUS 30380 - Dissertation/Recital

History & Analysis of Music before 1750
MUS 30100 - Coming to know Medieval Song
MUS 30010 - The High Baroque
MUS 30050 - Studies in Early Music Notation

History & Analysis of Music since 1750
MUS 30020 - The Symphony from Beethoven to Mahler
MUS 30160 - Modernism and Avantgarde
MUS 30150 - Techniques of Musical Analysis
MUS 30390 - From Concert Overture to Symphonic Poem

World Music & Area Studies
MUS 30030 - African-American Religious Music
MUS 30120 - Music and Film Cultures
MUS 30130 - Introduction to Ethnomusicology

Seminars
MUS 30070 - Seminar in Musicology
MUS 30080 - Seminar in Ethnomusicology
MUS 30170 - Seminar in Analysis & Composition

Performance Studies
MUS 20240 - UCD Philharmonic Choir III
MUS 20250 - UCD Philharmonic Choir IV
MUS 20300 - UCD Choral Scholars III
MUS 20280 - UCD Choral Scholars IV
MUS 20260 - UCD Symphony Orchestra III
MUS 20270 - UCD Symphony Orchestra IV

* * * * *

MUS 30380
Dissertation/Recital
Semester One or Two

In this module, students will either research and write a dissertation of about 8,000 words or give a recital of 30 minutes duration.

For a dissertation, students will work under close supervision of a full-time member of staff who advises on the research and writing process. Regular contact between the student and his/her supervisor is therefore essential. The dissertation should give a competent survey of the selected subject area and reflect conflicting opinions as well as recent publications, assessing them critically. The development of critical and independent thinking and the ability to make an original contribution to a scholarly discourse are crucial aspects of this module.

Students choosing to present a recital have to prepare a programme of thirty minutes duration, containing pieces representing at least two different styles/historical periods. The School of Music expects a performance at Diploma Standard. It has to be accompanied by programme notes written by the students.

MUS 30100
Coming to know Medieval Song
Semester Two
Frank Lawrence

This module explores various types of Medieval Song from the period 800-1200 focusing on compositional techniques, historical development and the socio-cultural context of Medieval Europe. The transmission of plainchant in an oral context, improvised polyphonic practice, the emergence of vernacular song and the pervasive presence of this music in daily medieval life will be addressed. The transition from memory to written record in the transmission of plainchant and polyphony will be examined and the functions of musical notation and modality discussed. The early polyphonic traditions of England and France as well as Latin and vernacular song associated with pilgrimage to Compostela and Jerusalem will receive special attention.

MUS 30010
The High Baroque
Semester One
Prof White

This course divides into three parts which collectively address different genres, issues and compositional techniques which shaped the development of European art music in the period 1700-1750 as follows:

(1) The Lutheran Masses of Johann Sebastian Bach
(2) The Mass Ordinary as a Musical Genre at the Imperial Court in Vienna
(3) Handel's English Oratorios

MUS 30050
Studies in Early Music Notation
Semester Two
Dr Marx

Musical notation has continuously evolved since the middle ages; each period developed specific notational signs and conventions most suited to represent its specific musical styles – often, the respective period notation represents the meaning and style of a composition much clearer than a modern transcription. The original notation also reveils much about the performance practices of an age.

In this module, the notation of the late middle ages and the renaissance period (ca. 1250-1600) will be investigated. Students will learn how to read and transcribe black and white mensural notation, including ligatures, the choice of note values and time signatures and accidentials. Manuscript sources and printed editions will be consulted in facsimiles.

MUS 30020
The Symphony from Beethoven to Mahler
Semester Two
Dr Horton

This module offers an analytical history of the Austro-German symphony in the long nineteenth century. It pays special attention to the influence of specific Beethovenian models and to the changes in the genre's aesthetic and social import in the wake of Beethoven's achievement. Close analysis will be undertaken of works by Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Bruckner, Brahms, and Mahler

MUS 30160
Modernism and Avantgarde
Semester Two
Mr Crilly

This module assesses fundamental issues in twentieth-century art music by considering its major composers (Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Messiaen, Ligeti, etc.) and trends (serialism, neoclassicism, minimalism, etc.). Seminars concentrate alternately on topics and significant works of the period, thus combining historical and analytical approaches. The course aims towards a broader understanding of modernist, avant-garde and experimental concepts, and music’s relationship to the other arts.

MUS 30150
Techniques of Music Analysis
Semester One
Dr Horton

This module offers a detailed survey of the principal theoretical models that have defined the discipline of musical analysis in the post-war period, dealing particularly with motivic analysis, theories of form, Schenkerian theory, neo-Riemannian theory, topical theory, semiology and set theory. Attention will also be given to the new-musicological critique of analysis, and to the current state of the discipline in the wake of recent postmodern hostility.

MUS 30390
Concert Overture to Symphonic Poem
Semester One
Dr Larkin

This module offers a historical survey of the development of the symphonic poem in the long nineteenth-century, from its historical antecedents in the concert overtures of Beethoven and Berlioz through the genre-defining works of Liszt to its late flowering in the tone poems of Richard Strauss. Seminars will involve the analysis of individual works as well consideration of the aesthetic and philosophical conditions which informed their creation and early reception.

MUS 30030
African - American Religious Music
Semester One
Dr Smith

In this module students will study African-American sacred music. Beginning with the study of spirituals and their antecedents, the module will also consider lined hymnody, chanted and sung prayers and sermons, and Gospel music. Situated within the philosophical and theological context of American evangelical Protestantism and Fundamentalism, the module will outline the history of each genre, drawing on detailed analysis of representative recordings. The evolution of individual genres and regional styles will be examined within the context of American political, social and economic, and racial contexts.

MUS 30120
Music and Film Cultures
Semester Two
Jaime Jones

This course offers an overview of the role of music in selected religious traditions of the world. The aim is to consider the different ways in which music is used, the affective power that music is considered to impart, and the integral nature of music in different religions and religious rituals.

MUS 30130
Introduction to Ethnomusicology
Semester One
Jaime Jones

This course aims to introduce students to the academic discipline of ethnomusicology. They will acquire an understanding of the history and development of this field and develop analytical skills to comprehend the theoretical issues and concepts in the study of the world's musics. Case studies and examples drawn from musics of specific regions will help to advance understanding of the current concerns in ethnomusicology study and research.

MUS 30070
Seminar in Musicology
Semester One
Prof White

This course features five guest speakers who are specialists in historical musicology; each speaker delivers a two-hour seminar which features discussion of the presentation by members of the seminar.

In the remaining seven weeks of the seminar, participants present, under the guidance of the professor, selected reading reports on material (a) germane to the topics raised in the guest seminars and (b) germane to the final presentation.

MUS 30080
Seminar in Ethnomusicology
Semester Two
Dr Smith

This module will introduce the student to the discipline of Ethnomusicology. Guest lecturers will address the students on a variety of topics, and across various areas of world music, and students will write reports on these presentations. Students will, additionally, explore some of the basic literature in the field, and prepare an individual presentation (along the lines of a conference paper) on a topic agreed between the module coordinator and each student. The presentation will form the basis for a research paper.

MUS 30170
Seminar in Analysis & Composition
Semester Two
Dr Horton

The module offers students experience of the practice of musical analysis, centred around engagement with five seminars given by leading practitioners in the field. Students are expected to attend the seminars and produce written critical reports, as well as submit a researched essay, which addresses an analytical theme raised during the seminar series.

MUS 20240 (Sem. 1) & MUS 20250 (Sem. 2)
UCD Philharmonic Choir III & IV
Mr Kehoe

The UCD Philharmonic Choir offers students an opportunity to become familiar with the choral repertoire while developing their ensemble skills and analysing music through performance. The choir gives concerts in its own right and also works with the UCD Symphony Orchestra in the performance of large-scale works. Weekly rehearsals are followed by a week of intensive preparation before performances. Entry to the course is by audition only.

Students wanting to register for this module should also pick up an application form for the auditions in the School of Music, Newman Building, room J301.

MUS 20300 (Sem. 1) & MUS 20280 (Sem. 2)
UCD Choral Scholars III & IV
Mr. Earley

This module offers students the opportunity to participate in the UCD Choral Scholars as a creditable module across levels 1-3. The Scholars perform regularly both in UCD and at concerts and engagements nationally and abroad. Their repertoire is very diverse, embracing music from renaissance polyphony to jazz standards and popular arrangements, and includes both a capella singing and orchestral choral works. There are 16 places altogether, a certain number of which become available on a yearly basis. Admission is by audition at the start of semester 1.
Students wanting to register for this module should pick up an application form for the auditions in the School of Music, Newman Building, room J301.

MUS 20260 (Sem. 1) & MUS 20270 (Sem. 2)
UCD Symphony Orchestra III & IV
Mr Crilly

The UCD Symphony Orchestra rehearses and performs works from the standard classical and romantic repertoire alongside more challenging works from the 20th century. Concerts with soloists are also frequently featured. Weekly rehearsals are followed by a week of intensive preparation and the results are presented in two annual public concerts, one on campus and one at the National Concert Hall, Ireland's premier concert venue. Participation is through application and audition only.

Students interested in taking this module should contact the School of Music office (Newman Building, J301) or fill out a form on the website (www.ucdorc hestra.com) in order to apply for an audition at the beginning of the semester.