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MU3547: 19 SONGS (2022-2023)

Last modified: 31 Jul 2023 11:19


Course Overview

There was an abundance of song in nineteenth-century Britain. On the street and in the home, on the stage and in the classroom, singing was by turns ordinary and astounding – a feature of everyday life and a wonder to behold. This course introduces students to some of the best-known songs and singers of the era while providing them with the tools to explore many more pieces and performers off the beaten track. No detailed prior knowledge of nineteenth-century song is required. 

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 3
Term Second Term Credit Points 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Jonathan Hicks

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

  • Either Programme Level 3 or Programme Level 4
  • Music (MU)

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

The course is taught in a series of ten seminars where the emphasis is on discussion of set reading and listening as well as students’ independent research. In the first weeks we explore methodological questions related to the historical study of songs and singing, drawing on musicology, performance practice, print culture, political history, Victorian literature, and other related fields. Students are encouraged to explore a range of critical and creative approaches to the course material; ideally no two students will have the same experience of ’19 Songs’.

As the weeks go by, and each seminar introduces new case studies, students develop a sense of the different sorts of songs that were popular in the British nineteenth century alongside the settings in which they were typically sung. Christian hymns, national anthems, operatic arias, street ballads, children’s choruses, and music-hall numbers are just some of the songs we explore. To help students gather their thoughts along the way, everyone on the course keeps a physical scrapbook or ‘commonplace book’ with notes, pictures, and cuttings relevant to nineteenth-century song. This book, which should include at least 19 entries on nineteenth-century song, forms part of the assessment. Each student will also give a short oral presentation and either write an essay or submit a creative alternative (e.g., a composition, arrangement, or performance agreed with the course coordinator).


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

Final assessment format by negotiation.

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 60
Assessment Weeks 40 Feedback Weeks 43

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Feedback

One option is a 3,000-word essay.

Alternative submissions of an equivalent value – e.g., c. 10-minute lecture recital or c. 5-minute composition – are also possible.

Credit will be given according to the relevant departmental guidelines for different sorts of assessment.

Feedback provided in writing. 

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualUnderstandKnowledge and understanding of: A selection of C19 songs and singers Shifts in the social settings and functions of singing The conceptual frameworks of the study of C19
ProceduralAnalyseBe able to: appreciate C19 songs in their literary, musical, and cultural contexts understand the formal and stylistic factors that bear on the history of C19 songs engage in independent research
ProceduralEvaluateBe able to: discuss relationships between singing and society discuss the reception of the C19 songs respond critically and creatively to C19 songs
ReflectionCreateBe able to: discuss complex issues with clarity and cogency respond to material in the course to produce a historically-informed piece of work organise study time effectively

Oral Presentation: Individual

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 20
Assessment Weeks 27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35 Feedback Weeks 38

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Feedback

10-minute individual oral presentation on a nineteenth-century song or singer. Students will submit presentation slides and/or bibliography on the day of the presentation. Credit will be given for independent research and engagement with ideas introduced in class. 

Feedback: within three weeks of presentation 

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ProceduralEvaluateBe able to: discuss relationships between singing and society discuss the reception of the C19 songs respond critically and creatively to C19 songs
ReflectionCreateBe able to: discuss complex issues with clarity and cogency respond to material in the course to produce a historically-informed piece of work organise study time effectively

Portfolio

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 20
Assessment Weeks 40 Feedback Weeks 43

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Feedback

The portfolio is a scrapbook – or ‘commonplace book’ – containing clippings, drawings, and notes relating to the course. This is submitted along with a reflective piece of writing that provides a supporting narrative. Credit will be given for including and elaborating on material beyond what is provided in class.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualUnderstandKnowledge and understanding of: A selection of C19 songs and singers Shifts in the social settings and functions of singing The conceptual frameworks of the study of C19
ProceduralEvaluateBe able to: discuss relationships between singing and society discuss the reception of the C19 songs respond critically and creatively to C19 songs

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Resit Assessments

Same assessment criteria as first sit, but any performance recorded rather than live.

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 100
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

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Feedback
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ProceduralAnalyseBe able to: appreciate C19 songs in their literary, musical, and cultural contexts understand the formal and stylistic factors that bear on the history of C19 songs engage in independent research
ConceptualUnderstandKnowledge and understanding of: A selection of C19 songs and singers Shifts in the social settings and functions of singing The conceptual frameworks of the study of C19
ProceduralEvaluateBe able to: discuss relationships between singing and society discuss the reception of the C19 songs respond critically and creatively to C19 songs
ReflectionCreateBe able to: discuss complex issues with clarity and cogency respond to material in the course to produce a historically-informed piece of work organise study time effectively

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