Undergraduate Course: Special History in Music: A Century of Rhythm (MUSI10071)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | A survey of the main historical, technical and cultural developments in rhythmic practice in music from 1913 to the present day, including case studies of significant musical texts from a variety of musical styles including Western concert music, jazz, world and popular music. |
| Course description |
The course will investigate the variety of rhythmic practices found in music during the last one hundred years. It will consider the influence of rhythmic theories and practices from Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa, across a variety of musical genres, including Western concert music, jazz, and various styles of popular music. It will examine writings about rhythmic practice from a variety of perspectives, including those of ethnomusicology, Western music theory and cultural theory. The seminar topics will be as follows:
1 Introduction to the course: What is Rhythm?
2 Igor Stravinsky and the moving bar-line.
3 European tradition and the impact of Africa.
4 Folk music from Eastern Europe and rhythmic asymmetry.
5 'Ragtime' and the beginnings of jazz.
6 READING WEEK
7 Jazz and 'Tin Pan Alley': a conflict of accents.
8 What is the drumbeat of popular music?
9 John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen and 'how time passes'
10 Hip-hop and the beat of dance
11 Looping, glitching and the philosophy of the 'Refrain'.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least three Music courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 50 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Presentation (20%) to be scheduled by the Course Organiser.
One c.3,000 word essay (40%) to be submitted in week 8.
One c.3,000 word essay (40%) to be submitted in revision week.
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Students will learn how to use primary and secondary texts in music scholarship.
- Students will gain knowledge of the principles and history of rhythmic theory and practice
- Students will gain knowledge of rhythmic practice across a variety of musical genres.
- Students will learn methods of practical engagement with musical texts in the form of listening, analysis and criticism.
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Reading List
Lerdahl, F., and Jackendoff, R. A Generative Theory of Tonal Music. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press, 1996.
Stockhausen, K. 'how time passes' in Die Reihe (English Edition) 3. Vienna: Universal Edition, 1959.
Arom, S. (trans. M. Thom et al) African Polyphony and Polyrhythm: musical structure and methodology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1991.
Messiaen, O. (trans. J. Satterfield) The technique of my musical language. Paris: Leduc 1956.
Xenakis, I. (ed. S. Kanach) Formalized Music: thought and mathematics in composition. Stuyvesant, NY: Pendragon Press, 1992.
Stravinsky, I. Poetics of Music in the Form of Six Lessons. The Charles Eliot Norton Lectures, 1939-40. London: G. Cumberledge, Oxford University Press, 1947.
Sachs, C. Rhythm and Tempo: a study in music history. London: Dent, 1953.
Cooper, G.W. and L.B. Meyer. The Rhythmic Structure of Music. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1960.
Frith, S. Performing Rites: evaluating popular music. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Malloch, S. & C. Trevarthen (eds) Communicative Musicality: Exploring the Basis of Human Companionship. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Roe, R. The Principles of Rhythm. BiblioLife, LLC BiblioBazaar, 2010.
Hasty, C.F. Meter as Rhythm. Oxford: Oxford University Press,1997.
Barton, P.A. Rap, Rhyme and Rhythm. AuthorHouse, 2004.
Yeston, M. Stratification of Musical Rhythm. Yale University Press, 1976
Edensor, T. Geographies of Rhythm. Ashgate Publishing Group, 2010.
Chernoff, J.M. African Rhythm and African Sensibility. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | RHYTHM MUSIC HISTORY |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Peter Nelson
Tel: (0131 6)50 2433
Email: P.Nelson@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Annabelle Evans
Tel: (0131 6)50 2422
Email: Annabelle.Evans@ed.ac.uk |
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