Writing (About) Music: Music and Meaning

Undergraduate

What is musical “meaning”? What are the different ways that a piece of music can produce meaning? Does music have a fixed meaning determined by its composer, is meaning communicated by the performer, or is meaning something that the listener brings to the music? The issue of meaning occupies an interesting position within Music Studies. On the one hand, the question of what and how (and for whom) music means has been a central concern of philosophizing for decades. On the other hand, questions of musical meaning are the unspoken motivator behind much music-theoretical and musicological writing. To contemplate musical meaning is thus to grapple with the most fundamental activities of music scholarship. In this writing-intensive course, students will learn and practice the norms of writing within the disciplines of Musicology and Music Theory (and across the humanities) through targeted writing exercises and in-class discussion of course readings about musical meaning. We will pay particular attention to communicating clearly and effectively, focusing on developing prose that summarizes, evaluates, and argues. The course will culminate in a piece of writing about musical meaning through a philosophical or analytical lens, depending on students’ individual interests. WR , HU MW 4pm-5:15pm