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MU4006: RENAISSANCE COUNTERPOINT (2018-2019)

Last modified: 22 May 2019 17:07


Course Overview

This course is intended both for those interested in Renaissance music and for composition students who wish to explore the many possibilities of musical invention within a very controlled compositional environment. To acquire the basic tools of Renaissance composition, students progress through counterpoint exercises in two and three voices. Through more advanced exercises in motivic placement, canon, invertible counterpoint, and the fundamentals of improvised counterpoint, students learn to structure a complete composition, culminating in a motet for three voices. In addition, works are studied through analysis of compositions.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 4
Term First Term Credit Points 30 credits (15 ECTS credits)
Campus None. Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Frauke Jurgensen

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Either Programme Level 4 or Programme Level 5
  • Either Bachelor of Music or Bachelor of Music with Honours (Education)
  • Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

  • MU3095 New Directions: Evolution and Revolution in Music (Studied)
  • Bachelor of Laws with Options in Music (Honours) (Studied)
  • (Studied)

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

This course is intended for both those interested in Renaissance music and for composition students who wish to explore the many possibilities of musical invention within a very controlled compositional enviroment. To acquire the basic tools of Renaissance composition, students progress through species counterpoint exercises in two and three voices. Through more advanced exercises in motivic placement, canon (with and without cantus firmus), invertible counterpoint, and the fundamentals of improvised counterpoint, students learn to structure a composition, culiminating in a motet for three voices. In addition, contemporaneous works are studied through analysis of compositions and investigation of treatises.

Further Information & Notes

This course does not run every year.

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

1st Attempt: Portfolio of compositions.

Resit: Students resit failed elements of assessment.

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Feedback

Feedback will be provided on individual elements comprising the portfolio as the course progresses to allow students to learn from their mistakes. It will take the form of annotations to the work. The folio itself will be assessed at the end of the course, and a report written on it.

Course Learning Outcomes

None.

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