Composition recital information and deadlines

On the last day of Theory class (Thursday 4/25), we will have a composition recital of pieces composed by you! Tuesday will be a workshop day, so the closer your piece is to being complete, the better.

Criteria for your compositions/performances:

• Performance
• Each student must perform on at least one piece (your own or a classmate's)
• Each piece must have at least one student performer from our class. Other performers are welcome if you would like to invite them
• Be sure to get a commitment from your performer(s) before deciding on your instrumentation

• Composition
• Your piece should be a minimum of 16 measures and two phrases long. Longer is acceptable (within reason; 5 minutes maximum length)
• It should conform to common-practice norms ... one goal for this project is for you to demonstrate your understanding of these norms
• (If you want to write and perform a non-common practice piece, you may do so, but only IN ADDITION to your common-practice piece. Grading will be based on the common-practice piece)
• The piece should contain at least three concepts covered this semester. These may be harmonic (for example, mediant or submediant triads, diatonic seventh chords), phrase-structural (e.g., sentence structure, parallel interrupted period), thematic (diminution, inversion, etc.), or harmonic sequences. At least one of these concepts should be harmonic, and at least one should be something other than harmonic. As you see, we did a lot this semester!

I suggest you start with a framework in which you sketch out the harmonic progression and phrase structure, possibly with some main notes, and subsequently work these into a melody. Feel free to choose whatever meter and key you find appropriate. It would be a good idea to work with your performers to get feedback about what is idiomatic for their instrument/voice type.

One of the learning objectives of the composition project is to help you develop your written communication skills. Therefore, the project includes two written components.

For the performances on Thursday, you should also write at least one paragraph of Program Notes. This should be written in a relatively formal style similar to program notes you have seen on student or guest recitals. Program notes are written for a lay audience (assume your readers are intelligent people, but not necessarily trained musicians; therefore, program notes don't include musico-technical vocabulary). Ideas that may be included are: the mood you hope to evoke with your piece; specific instrumental or vocal techniques that you use; your reasons for choosing the particular key and meter you did; and the style or styles you are referring to with your composition. Program notes should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 words. A bit more or less is OK within reason (500 words or 20 words are not acceptable lengths).

Additionally, write a brief analytical paragraph (for me, not for public distribution) explaining your use of the theoretical concepts. This will not duplicate the content in the program notes (but may refer to some of the same ideas). This represents a different kind of writing, where you will demonstrate skill in explaining musical concepts to a specialized audience, your professor, who understands musical terminology and concepts. You will hand in an annotated score (showing the concepts); your analytical paragraph may refer to this.

What/when to submit:

• Due Tuesday, April 23, 12:30 PM:
• A draft of your composition. Bring these to class (one copy should be enough, also post a picture to the blog, so that all class members can provide feedback).
• Due Wednesday, April 24, 6:00 PM:
• Title, personnel, program notes (Use this form)
• Final version of composition. You should have at least two hard copies. One will be the annotated score, which will be handed in to me. (Annotations will be things like a roman numeral analysis, markings showing any motivic relationships, sequences, phrase structure, cadences, etc.) The other one(s) will be used for your performer(s) to read off. Also hand in the brief analytical essay at this time.