Time Schedule:
Craig Sheppard
MUSIC 326
Seattle Campus
For music majors.
Class description
All three quarters of this course will offer a general introduction into the incredibly large world of piano repertoire.
The Fall quarter will concentrate on the three great Baroque composers, Bach, Handel, and Scarlatti, with a possible incursion in the early Classical period (J.C. Bach, Clementi).
Student learning goals
Greater awareness of each composer's general output.
Greater understanding of the keyboard works in that output, and why the composer would have decided to put his/her energy into that medium.
Greater understanding of the world and culture in which each composer lived.
Greater understanding of the geography and even geopolitics that gave the composer his/her background.
How the composers differ from each other stylistically, and the elements (compositional, instrumental)that made this possible.
General method of instruction
Dates and history are extremely important. Did you know that Bach, Handel, and Scarlatti were all born the same year? Two of them were born within perhaps fifty miles of each other. In addition to dates, I often bring a map of Europe to my classes. Geography, and the ability to understand the composers within a broader historical context (i.e., what was happening in Europe at that time) is invaluable toward understanding what and how they wrote.
My lectures are mostly spontaneous, and it is a good thing if you can take notes while I'm talking. This is especially relevant for the occasional surprise quizzes, which will happen a few times per quarter. The quizzes are given both so that I have more to base my final grade on, and also to make sure you are keeping up with the work.
Things such as Opus numbers are particularly important. Musicians do not, for instance, refer to a Mozart concerto as #27, but rather K.595. This sort of training is very important for you, as it will give you a better idea of when the pieces were both composed and published during the composer's lifetime (these two things were not always in sync).
Recommended preparation
The only general way you can prepare for this course is to come in with an attitude that your parameters regarding the piano literature are about to be vastly expanded.
THIS COURSE IS ESSENTIALLY FOR PIANO-MAJORS. ALL OTHERS WISHING TO ENTER MUST HAVE THE PERMISSION OF THE TEACHER BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO ENROLL.
Class assignments and grading
Each quarter, you will pick a biography of one of the composers we are studying. Then you will write a three to four page (doublespaced) book report, to be given to me at the latest by the date of the final exam. We will discuss possible sources for these biographies the first day of class. During the Spring quarter (Music 328), our project might be a performance assignment, rather than a book report.
There will be weekly listening assignments. Please go to the Listening Center downstairs in the School of Music and listen to between five and ten excerpts of pieces (or, in the case of the Scarlatti sonatas, whole sonatas) we will be discussing. The CDs for such will be available on a shelf marked 'Sheppard - Music 326'. You may, of course, listen to your own CDs at home of the given works, but then you must identify the artist(s) you've been listening to. So often, I will ask a student 'Whom were you listening to?', and they have no clue. The performing artist on the CD is frequently as important as the actual work you are listening to, due to differences in style and execution, so please pay attention to that. I will give you a listening list each week at the end of class. Please write down a few sentences about each one - not to be taken from the liner notes in the booklet! - describing what you've heard and how it has affected you. Please add a sentence or two about the FORM of the work (sonata, rondo, dance, etc.). If you don't know, look it up! These weekly assignments are very important, and if you keep up with them, they will greatly enhance your chances of doing well in the occasional quizzes and the final exam.
Here is where you can make up ground, if you have not received good grades in your exams. I put a lot of emphasis on class participation. The energy each and every one of you brings to that class (even at 3:30 in the afternoon, after a long hard day) is as important to me as what I see on paper every week from your assignments. I am always delighted when a student brings in a salient piece of information about a composer that I have either not known about, or forgotten to mention. We're all here to learn!
Therefore, 30% of the grade will consist of class participation and your weekly listening assignments.
30% will consist of the quizzes.
20% your book report.
And 20% your final exam. The final exam will consist of twenty to thirty questions regarding history, dates and geography, and between ten and twenty listening examples. So keep on top of those weekly listening assignments!
