| CODE | MSP2268 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Principles of Counterpoint and Fugue | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Music Studies | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit focuses on the study of the craft of counterpoint and fugue. The unit is designed for the study and perfection of contrapuntal principles that are fundamental to the control of all Western musical styles. Further to a solid contrapuntal technique, the student is also introduced to the art of fugal textures that have been a prominent aspect of Western art music since the late Middle Ages. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit will focus on demonstrating a thorough understanding of contrapuntal and fugal textures. The unit is designed to foster the relevant technical skills in assuring the clarity of idiomatic contrapuntal and fugal textures when handling strict, imitative, and free counterpoint. The study-unit aims at: 1) advancing the students’ knowledge and understanding of fugue as a compositional procedure; 2) providing the students with a detailed understanding of writing and analysing music composed according to fugal principles; 3) engaging critically with the wider aesthetic discourse surrounding composition of the 18th century; 4) providing students with the skill to judge the effectiveness and accuracy of their work. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1) be proficient in stylistic writing within a range of relevant contrapuntal and fugal textures; 2) write with an assured technique of polyphonic 16th century vocal music and 18th century instrumental music; 3) develop a detailed understanding of fugue as a compositional procedure, particularly as used by composers such as JS Bach, Haydn and Mozart. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1) confront certain fundamental principles, all of which demand a sense of architectural balance: between counterpoint and harmony, between derived and new material; 2) handle different textures contrapuntal and fugal; 3) explore the keys of the middle entries, and the recapitulation in fugue; 4) write regular counter-subjects to fugue subjects, writing invertible counterpoint, constructing sequences out of given material; 5) deconstruct and analyse problems or complex situations; 6) find solutions to problems through analyses and exploration of all possibilities using appropriate methods, resources and creativity; 7) work in an efficient and structured manner. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Bent Ian. Music Analysis in the Nineteenth Century: Volume 1, Fugue, Form and Style. CUP, 1994. - Calderoni, Caterina & Sanusini, Roberto. La Fuga, fondamenti di tecnica compositiva, Ricordi, 2005. |
|||||||||
| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-Requisite qualifications: A-Level Music or Grade 8/7 theory | |||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | |||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
|
|||||||||
| LECTURER/S | John Galea |
|||||||||
|
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
||||||||||