Last modified on August 4, 2023
This week, you will learn about set theory and segmentation. You’ll analyze music using set theory, apply set theory terminology, and critique the usefulness of set theory.
Table of Contents
Set theory
Readings and videos
I am part of a team of theorists developing an online textbook. Several short chapters will prepare you to analyze using set theory. The chapters also include videos, made by myself, that help explain these concepts.
- Pitch and pitch class
- Intervals
- Pitch class sets, normal order, and transformations
- Set class and prime form
These pages above should get you fully prepared for the analysis assignment. But if these are not sufficient and you need still more detail, I have a few readings uploaded from the Straus textbook Introduction to Post-Tonal Theory (), which is the standard text for these topics.
Concept check
Complete the Concept Check quiz on Blackboard to see if you are understanding the set theory concepts properly.
Due Thursday: Reading response
In the Reading Responses channel on Teams, post a message with some type of response about the readings/videos. You may either make a new post or reply to someone else’s post (both count for this participation grade). You can approach this in a bunch of different ways! You might ask clarifying questions about the reading, summarize an important bit of it, share a related personal anecdote…anything counts, as long as it relates to the reading in some way.
Due Sunday: Analysis assignment
Instructions
- Listen to the recording of the excerpt (found in the Readings folder).
- Analyze this excerpt according to the prompts on this worksheet. You will probably want to use a combination of score annotation and verbal response—do whatever you need to get your point across efficiently. Please be succinct in your verbal response.
Grading
- You will be assessed on the following concepts
- Understanding of interval types (interval classes, pitch intervals)
- Understanding of set classes
- Understanding of transformations (Tn and In)
- Interpretation
- You will be given detailed feedback through the rubric. Click “View rubric” in the gradebook to access this.
- Assignments are always graded pass/fail, with a threshold of 70% to pass.
Submission
- Submit your assignment on Blackboard.
- Upload your assignment as a .pdf attachment. Please do not use other file types.
Bibliography
Bibliography
If articles are not available online, you should be able to find them in the Readings folder on Teams.