Composition

This course consists of individual weekly composition lessons.

This course consists of individual weekly composition lessons.

This course consists of individual weekly composition lessons.

This seminar will take a critical look into the role of electronics in contemporary music-making and transdisciplinary art creation. We will pay special attention to the increasing democratization of music composition, performance, and improvisation through the advent of new technology that gives people of varying musical backgrounds a heretofore unprecedented palette of sonic colors and transformative audio signal processes with which they can express themselves musically. Extensive readings, listenings, and viewings will uncover how electronics have been instrumental in facilitating cooperation across artistic and scientific disciplines, leading to works of collaborative art that foster a spirit of mutual discovery and growth, and that can challenge tradition and dogma. Furthermore, we will explore how advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning are leading to automated improvisation machines, providing an extra layer of complexity to performers who engage in improvisation, as well as a companion to those practicing the craft.

The composition seminar is a weekly session designed for graduate students in composition. It is an open forum for composers to listen to recent music, including their own, and to discuss issues connected with trends, esthetics, and compositional techniques. The entire composition faculty takes part in these sessions. The composition seminar often hosts well-known visiting composers whose works are performed in the city by various groups or ensembles, as well as performers specializing in new music and contemporary techniques.

This course is a continuation of MUSI 261: Introduction to Composition, and an opportunity to go deeper into creative work. The focus will be on writing new pieces while also learning about various techniques and aesthetics, with special attention on music of the last hundred years. The new works will be performed and recorded by professional musicians, with demonstrations of instruments as well. Students are encouraged to bring their own existing interests into discussions and projects, while also incorporating newly acquired ideas and inspirations. There will also be focused attention on analysis of more recent repertoire for a variety of instrumentations and configurations, addressing new ways of thinking about harmony, melody, form, timbre, orchestration, rhythm, improvisation, notation, technology, theatricality, and concept. Students will also attend rehearsals and performances of the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition and other events on campus.

This course consists of individual weekly composition lessons.

This course consists of individual weekly composition lessons.

This course consists of individual weekly composition lessons.

This introductory course in music is intended for students who are interested in exploring the language, interpretation, and meaning of music through coordinated listening, analysis, and creative work. By listening to and comprehending the structural and aesthetic considerations behind significant written and improvised works, from the earliest examples of notated Western music to the music of living composers and performers, students will be prepared to undertake analytical and ultimately creative projects. The relationship between cultural and historical practices and the creation and reception of music will also be considered. The course is taught by a practicing composer, whose experience will guide and inform the works studied. No prior background in music is required.