Fall 2023 – Page 2 – Analytical Techniques (MUSI 611)

Week 5 (Sep 18): Analysis Symposium #1 (F23)

For our first analysis symposium, we will focus on a classic piece by Anton Webern, his Variations for Piano, Op. 27.

Week 4 (Sep 11): Serialism (F23)

This week you will learn about 12-tone serial techniques and the variety of ways this can be implemented. You’ll learn how to identify row forms, do a row count, make a matrix, and interpret serial pieces. You will also do a guided analysis of a piece by You’ll be analyzing the first movement of Ernst Krenek’s Suite for Solo Cello, Op. 84.

Week 3 (Sep 4): Set Theory (F23)

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.

Note: set theory ≠ serialism! We are learning serialism next week. Make sure you aren’t confusing these things!

Week 2 (Aug 28): Narrative (F23)

This week, you’ll read about the most prominent theory of narrative in the field of music theory and analyze a piece with narrative theory.

Week 1 (Aug 21): Intertextuality (F23)

Postmodernism had a huge impact on academia in the humanities, of which music theory is a part. This week involves some philosophy as you learn about Roland Barthes’s essay “The Death of the Author.”