Music History
Courses
M H L T 1001 Introduction to Music (MOTR MUSC 100): 3 semester hours
An historically oriented study of art music, its styles and forms from the Baroque period to the present day. This course will not apply toward requirements for a music major.
M H L T 1003 History of Rock Music (MOTR MUSC 100RP): 3 semester hours
This course is a year-by-year review of the music, artists, composers, record producers, and others associated with rock 'n' roll from 1954 to the present with emphasis on the controversies surrounding this genre. The course will examine the artistry of rock music as well as its historical contexts and social implications.
M H L T 1070 Introduction to Jazz (MOTR MUSC 100J): 3 semester hours
A survey course which examines the musical, historical and social aspects of the subject. This course will not count toward requirements for a music major.
M H L T 1080 Introduction to Irish Traditional Music: 3 semester hours
Will survey the rich tapestry of Irish traditional music, song and dance. Particular attention will be given to the cultural history of the traditional music maker in Irish society, as well as among the constituent communities of the Irish diaspora in Europe and North America. Will introduce students to the instruments, performance settings and regional styles of Irish traditional music. Using field recordings and archive materials collected in Ireland and North America, will focus on celebrated folk performers of the past and present, and evaluate the impact of contemporary media on their ancient, yet evolving, musical genre. No prior experience of Irish traditional music is necessary to pursue this course.
M H L T 1140 Popular Music in America: 3 semester hours
This course is designed as a survey of major genres of American popular music - Tin Pan Alley, musical theater, ragtime, blues, early and more popular phases of jazz, country, rock, pop, hip-hop, rap, etc. Included will be a broad spectrum of cultural and historical contexts, insight into the development of the music industry, study of significant artists, and understandings of the formal and stylistic components of the music.
M H L T 1150 Drumming Cultures of the World (MOTR MUSC 102): 3 semester hours
Drumming is one of the oldest forms of expression in the world and is prevalent on every continent. This course is designed as a survey of drumming throughout the world and the significance to the cultures therein. Included will be a broad spectrum of cultural and historical contexts, performance practices and hands on instruction. The major focus in this course will be the drumming practices of Africa, Asia, South America and the Caribbean. This course fulfills the cultural diversity requirement for the University.
M H L T 1160 Musical Journey through Latin America: 3 semester hours
Explore the diversity of this contagious music of the past and present, from the tango of Argentina, to salsa and meringue of the Caribbean, and from huayno of Amerindian cultures, to the marimba of Middle Latin America! This introduction to musical cultures of Latin America reveals the rich and wide range of musical forms, instruments, and styles that has influenced music on almost all parts of the globe today. This course fulfills the cultural diversity requirement for the University.
M H L T 1170 Musical Journey through the Far East: 3 semester hours
This class will explore the musical traditions and instruments of the countries of East Asia - China, Japan, and Korea. Much of the legendary founding of music and musical instruments originated on the Asian continent and transplanted along the Silk Road (trade routes from India, Persia and the Mediterranean) to the Far East. We will examine some of the world's most amazing sounds of the Orient. This course fulfills the cultural diversity requirement for the University.
M H L T 1180 Musical Journey Through Africa: 3 semester hours
This introduction to musical cultures of Africa provides a snapshot of African music south of the Sahara, or sub-Saharan Africa. We will explore the extraordinary rich and diverse musical traditions through the sounds and rhythms of its people. Highlights of the course include the introduction to a wise range of authentic musical instruments from Africa. This course fulfills the cultural diversity requirement for the University.
M H L T 1190 Musical Journey of the Native North American: 3 semester hours
This introduction to musical cultures of the Native American provides a snapshot of the aboriginal and modern day Native American in North America. We will explore the extraordinary rich and diverse musical traditions through the sounds and cultural practices of its people. Highlights of the course include the introduction to a wide range of authentic musical instruments of the Native American. This course fulfills the cultural diversity requirement for the University.
M H L T 1200 History of Jazz Music: 3 semester hours
This course is a chronological exploration of the history of jazz with an examination of its roots, important genres and styles, historic recordings, important musicians, and relation to society.
M H L T 2010 History of Western Music I (MOTR MUSC 103): 3 semester hours
Prerequisites: THRY COM 1311 and THRY COM 1312, or consent of instructor. This course is a survey of music history from antiquity through the Baroque period, with readings, listening, and lecture. The principal objectives are to acquaint students with important musical works from this period of Western music history, and to place these works in their larger social, cultural, economic, and intellectual contexts.
M H L T 2020 History of Western Music II (MOTR MUSC 104): 3 semester hours
Prerequisites: M H L T 2010, or consent of instructor. This course is a survey of music history from ca. 1750 to the present, with readings, listening, and lecture. The principal objectives are to acquaint students with important musical works from this period of Western music history, and to place these works in their larger social, cultural, economic, and intellectual contexts.
M H L T 2030 Special Topics in Musicology: 3 semester hours
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. This course connects students with specialized topics in and related to music in and beyond the traditional western art canon. The primary goals of this class are to provide students opportunities to engage in close study of music from cultures, genres, and musicians that are typically excluded from music classes in the cultural west, and to explore commonalities between different musics along thematic lines. The specific topics and subject matter change from year to year at the discretion of the instructor.
M H L T 4000 Directed Studies: 1-5 semester hours
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Directed independent study of selected topics in music. May be repeated, but no more than 5 hours may be applied toward a degree.
M H L T 4220 Music of the Renaissance: 3 semester hours
Prerequisite: M H L T 2010 or consent of department. A study of the theoretical and practical impact of humanism on music, musicians, and musical thought from 1450 to 1600. Sacred and secular music; the rise of an instrumental idiom.
M H L T 4230 Music of the Baroque: 3 semester hours
Prerequisite: M H L T 2010 or consent of department. A detailed study of music from 1600 to 1750. The rise of the new style, national styles in the seventeenth century and the culmination of the Baroque period.
M H L T 4240 Music of the Classic Period: 3 semester hours
Prerequisite: M H L T 2020 or consent of department. A study of the growth of classical style; Galant and expressive styles; Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven.
M H L T 4250 Music of the Romantic Period: 3 semester hours
Prerequisite: M H L T 2020 or consent of department. Composers, forms and styles in nineteenth century music. The literary and social background of musical romanticism.
M H L T 4260 Music from 1900 to the Present: 3 semester hours
Prerequisite: M H L T 2020 or consent of department. A detailed study of trends in modern music and of influential composers; impressionism, serial composition, electronic music and other recent techniques.
M H L T 4280 American Music: 3 semester hours
Prerequisites: M H L T 2010 or M H L T 2020 or consent of department. A study of the history and literature of American music, its composers, performers and influences on American and world culture. Compositions studied include classical compositions from the colonial era through contemporary times as well as literature from the gospel, blues, jazz and popular music genres.