Introduction to Musical Composition
Project-oriented class, beginning with a series of guided micro-compositions and culminating in a final composition which is rehearsed, workshopped, and performed. Assignments focus on specific musical parameters (melody and mode, rhythm and meter, form and structure), composing for film and video games, creating beats and grooves, and using microphones and digital audio workstations to create sound sculptures. Listening and discussion assignments present music from a wide range of genres and styles. Students create several complete pieces, sharpen their notation and musicianship skills, and learn the basics of sequencing, recording, and audio editing. Familiarity with western music notation is strongly encouraged; previous compositional and/or arranging experience is welcome but not required. Enrollment limited.
Spring 2014
Through a progressive series of composition projects, students investigate the sonic organization of musical works and performances, focusing on fundamental questions of unity and variety. Aesthetic issues are considered in the pragmatic context of the instructions that composers provide to achieve a desired musical result, whether these instructions are notated in prose, as graphic images, or in symbolic notation. No formal training is required. Weekly listening, reading, and composition assignments draw on a broad range of musical styles and intellectual traditions, from various cultures and historical periods.
Prerequisites & course information
Prereq: None U (Fall, Spring) 3-0-9 units. HASS-A
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2014
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.