Skip to content

Course Syllabus

Course: MUSC 2120

Division: Fine Arts, Comm, and New Media
Department: Music
Title: Music Theory IV

Semester Approved: Summer 2019
Five-Year Review Semester: Spring 2025
End Semester: Spring 2025

Catalog Description: This course is a continuation of Basic Music Theory, including 19th Century chromatic harmony, composition, analysis and 20th Century harmonic practices. Prerequisite: completion of MUSC 2110 with a grade of C or better. Must be concurrently enrolled in MUSC 2140.

Semesters Offered: Spring
Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 3; Lecture: 3; Lab: 0

Prerequisites: MUSC 2110 with grade of C or better

Corequisites: MUSC 2140


Justification: This course, required of music majors throughout the state of Utah, prepares music majors to transfer with Junior class status to music programs at four year colleges and universities. The second year of theory is taught at all Utah universities at the 2000 level, and statewide articulation agreements stipulate the transfer of this credit so long as a student receives a grade of C or better.


Student Learning Outcomes:
Students will demonstrate an ability to analyze the various kinds of harmonies studied throughout the semester. This outcome will be assessed through weekly written assignments, and the comprehensive final examination.

Students will demonstrate an ability to analyze both sonata and rondo forms. This outcome will be assessed through weekly analysis assignments, and the comprehensive final examination.

Students will demonstrate an ability to use the harmonic languages learned in the course in their own creative works. This outcome will be assessed through assigned student compositions.

Students will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of harmonic function from the 18th through the 21st centuries.  This outcome will be assessed through the comprehensive final examination.


Content:
This class will include assigned text readings, in-class analysis, and lectures on:1. Neopolitan Chords2. Augmented Sixth Chords3. Enharmonic Respellings of Chords4. Chromatic Modulatory Techniques5. Sonata and Rondo Forms6. Modal Harmonies7. Synthetic Scales8. Free Atonal Harmonization9. Serialism and Tone Row10. Secundal and Cluster Chords11. Quartal and Quintal Harmonies12. Polychords13. Polytonality and Polymodality14. Pandiatonicism15. Microtones16. New Forms of Notation17. Aleatoric/Chance Music.

Key Performance Indicators:
Weekly Written Assignments 30 to 40%

Student Composition Assignments 30 to 40%

Comprehensive Final Examination 30 to 40%


Representative Text and/or Supplies:
Harmony in Context. M. Roig-Francoli. McGraw-Hill. Current Edition.

Workbook and Anthology for use with Harmony in Context. M. Roig-Francoli. McGraw-Hill. Current Edition.


Pedagogy Statement:
This course will be delivered via direct instruction, student collaborative work, modeling and demonstration, and the evaluation of student compositions.

Instructional Mediums:
Lecture

Maximum Class Size: 20
Optimum Class Size: 16