Introduction to the Theory and Analysis of 20th- and 21st-Century Concert Music

4.0 credits

This course will provide an introduction to theoretical and analytical approaches to 20th- and 21st-century concert music. Theoretical topics will include set theory, contour theory, chord quality, transformational theory, voice leading, prolongational theory, serial theory, and novel approaches for post-war music. Readings will include classics establishing each sub-discipline, cutting-edge recent scholarship, and other selections of notable work in each area. Analytical examples will be drawn from the post-tonal canon as well as from the work of more recent and marginal figures.