• MUTH 1400 Theory I Summer 2010
  • Mondays through Thursdays 12:30 to 1:45 MU 288
  • Instructor: Dr. David Bard-Schwarz
  • Office: MU 104
  • E-mail: david.schwarz@unt.edu
  • Office Hours: To be announced

In this class you will learn diatonic musical materials both analytically and compositionally. Analytically you will become fluent in being able to reproduce the structure of the materials of diatonic music (pitches, pitch-classes, intervals, triads, seventh chords); compositionally, you will become competent in four-part part-writing in the style of J. S. Bach.

There are two things you must know:

  • You must pass the final exam in order to pass the class.
  • In order to move on to MUTH 1500 (Theory II) you must receive a grade of C or higher in this class.

In order to do well in this class, you need to come to class every day, arriving at 12:30 p.m. You may miss class due to scheduled UNT COM activities and acute medical emergencies. In case of UNT COM activities or medical emergencies / illnesses, download the following pdf and fill it out with signatures and names of you and appropriate faculty / staff. All excused work must be made up within one week of your return to school. It is your responsibility to make up missed work. Excused missed work must be accompanied by the absence.pdf form filled out in its entirety, stapled to your assignment, and both pinned to the cork board outside my office (MU 346) Absence / illness form; NOTE: if you know in advance that you are going to miss more than one class, treat each missed class individually and download the form with signatures, accompanied by made-up work within a week of your return to UNT.

Computers may be used during class for note-taking purposes only. If we discover you using computers for any other purpose (such as watching movies, playing games, etc.) you will receive a 0 for that day's work.

All cell phones must be turned off during class. If we discover one on, you will receive a 0 for the day.

There will be no unexcused, late work accepted. Graded work, and unexcused late work can be revised and corrected at the discretion of the graders. No grade will change as a result of re-worked material; re-doing work will, however, give you added confidence for future assignments.

Bring staff paper to every class. Only work handed-in on full, 8 1/2 X 11 staff paper (printed) will be accepted.

Many course materials are presented below as pdf files that you can download; do not download pdf files from the College of Music computer lab. You can listen to the mp3 files by clicking on the links; a player appears on the right of the page. These mp3 files cannot be downloaded.

There is one text required for the course: Edward Aldwell and Carl Schachter, Harmony and Voice Leading. Third Edition (text only; no workbook required). (New York: Schirmer, 2003).

Grades will be determined as follows:

  • Daily work = 25%
  • Midterm = 25%
  • Cumulative Final Exam (in class) = 50%

Check the site each day for assignments and information. I promise to post all materials that you need by 6 p.m. of the class day before class.

  • 06.07.2010
    Haydn, String Quartet Opus 74, no. 3 Minuet: mp3

    First Day: Chapter 1

    Major and Minor thirds: pdf

    Triads (major, minor, augmented, diminished) in major and minor: pdf

    Tomorrow I'll ask you to write the key signature (with treble or bass clef) of a key; then I'll ask you write out the triads of a certain kind that exist in that key. For example in F-sharp minor, show the major triads. You'd write out (say in the bass clef) three sharps, and the III chord, the V chord, the VI chord and the VII chord.

  • 06.08.2010

    Chapter 2: the overtone series (pp. 24-25), and consonance / dissonance (pp. 26-34).

    Introduction to First and Second Species Counterpoint (passing tones): pdf

    For tomorrow (for a quiz) be able to illustrate all inversions of all triads in all keys. Take a look at the first and second species counterpoint as well and be ready to illustrate them and ask questions if you have them (not for a grade).

  • 06.09.2010

    Chapter 4 and be ready to illustrate in language and musical notation all triads (major, minor, augmented, diminished) and their inversions in all keys.

    Introduction for Fourth Species Counterpoint (suspensions): pdf

    For tomorrow be ready to take a quiz like today's on seventh chords in all keys in all inversions.

  • 06.10.2010

    Chapter 4: Seventh Chords

    Here is a list of the seventh chords: "3" refers to a minor third; "4" refers to a major third:

    • major seventh chord: 4 3 4. It naturally occurs on scale degrees 1, and 4 in major; it occurs naturally on scale degrees 3 and 6 in minor
    • minor seventh chord: 3 4 3. It naturally occurs on scale degree 2, 3, and 6 in major; it occurs naturaly on scale degrees 1, 4, 5 in minor
    • major-minor seventh chord (aka "dominant seventh"): 4 3 3. It occurs naturally on scale degree 5 in major; it occurs in minor on scale degree 5 with a raised leading tone (chord member third)
    • fully-diminished seventh chord: 3 3 3. It occurs in major on scale degree 7 with a lowered seventh; it occurs in minor with a raised leading tone
    • half-diminished seventh chord: 3 3 4. It occurs naturally in major on scale degree 7; occurs naturally in minor on scale degree 2

    Introduction of Seventh Chord Inversions: pdf

    Be ready for a quiz on 5-1, 5-2, and 5-3 of Schachter's Chapter 5 (pp. 63-65).

  • 06.14.2010

    Chapter 5: 1-3

    Part-Writing Template: pdf

    Introduction to Figured Bass: pdf

    Realize this figured bass for Wednesday: pdf

    Triads and Seventh Chords in Inversion (Practice): pdf

    Principles of voice-leading while realizing a figured bass:

    • Have voices move melodically as much as necessary but as little as possible, except when one root position chord moves to another by step, in which case the SAT move in contrary motion to the bass
    • double roots of stable triads
    • double the chord member third of diminished triads

    a tendency tone is a dissonance that must be prepared and / or resolved in a certain way; show preparation of tendency tones with straight lines; show resolution of tendency tones with arrows. Our first tendency tone is "ti" or the leading tone when it is the chord member third of the major dominant or the root of the leading tone diminished triad.

    Part-Writing (pedal and cadential 6/4): in-class work: pdf

  • 06.15.2010

    Chapter 5, 4-10 and in-class work on part-writing.

    Remember to have proper spacing there is no more than two octaves between bass and tenor, no more than an octave between tenor and alto and no more than an octave between alto and soprano.

    Remember to have the soprano line ascend to scale degree 3 5 or 8 and then descend. A 321 (three blind mice) ending is common; 1 7 1 (do-ti-do) is ok too.

    Remember to start with a wide open position if the bass rises; if the bass descends, space the first chord tight to give yourself room in which to move.

  • 06.16.2010
    Bach, Chorale no. 141: mp3

    Chapter 5: 11-13

    Figured Bass Assignment #1 due in class today

    An illustration of consonant and dissonant fourths in part-writing: pdf

    Bach, Chorale no. 141: pdf

    We have a new tendency-tone: all chord member 7ths are tendency tones; they must be prepared (show with solid line) and resolved down by step.

    Part Writing Seventh chords: pdf

    Figured Bass Assignment due Monday!

    Remember that we have a new tendency tone: all chord member 7ths; they must be prepared (show as a solid line in part-writing) and they must be resolved down by step (show as an arrow in part-writing). The resolutions can and often are delayed; show delayed resolutions with arrows as well in your part-writing.

    Remember the definition and be able to illustrate using musical notation the following non-chord tones:

    • passing tones
    • neighbor notes
    • suspensions
    • anticipations
  • 06.17.2010

    Chapter 5: 15-18

    Today we found two new tendency tones--each note in the "tritone" in the supertonic diminished triad in minor. If these tones occur as an augmented fourth, the notes resolve "out" to a sixth; if these tones occur as a diminished fifth, the notes resolve "in" to a third.

    Note: since we never double tendency tones, we are never going to double THESE new tendency tones. Since our "tritone" is between the root and chord member fifth of the chord, we are going to double the third of the chord. Let's consider this a RULE, although there are some contexts in which composers break it.

    Stephen Hogue's part-writing: pdf

    Remember that the half-diminished seventh chord built on scale degree 2 in minor has three tendency tones--the seventh and the tritone that exists between the root and chord member fifth.

  • 06.21.2010
    Bach, Chorale no. 193: mp3

    Chapter 6: 1-4

    Figured Bass Assignment #2 due in class today

    Bach, Chorale no. 193: pdf

    Review of Cadences: identify these: pdf

  • 06.22.2010

    Go over Practice Exam! See Parts I, II, and III below!

  • 06.23.2010

    Review for Midterm

  • 06.24.2010

    Midterm Exam

    There will be three parts to the exam: Part I (identifying triads and seventh chords in SATB texture 20 points); Part II (part-writing a short figured bass 40 points); Part III: analysis of short passage from a Bach chorale (40 points).

    Here is a practice exam:

    Part I: pdf

    Part I: answers: pdf

    Part II: pdf

    Part II: answers:pdf

    Part III: pdf

    Part III: answers pdf

  • 06.28.2010

    Chapter 7: Pay great attention to section 11. Be able to part-write / illustrate what Schachter says about normal and abnormal resolutions of tritones in section 11, subsections 7-14, 7-15, 7-16 and 7-17.

    Normal and Special Cases of Resolutions of Leading Tone Diminished Triads: pdf

  • 06.29.2010
    Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, Prelude in C major: mp3

    Figured Bass #3 due in class today: pdf

    Bach, WTC Prelude no. 1: pdf

    Introduction to Tonicization: pdf

  • 06.30.2010

    Chapter 9. Focus on page 135 and the ways in which Schachter talks about harmonizing a 5,6,7,8 progression; read page 136 carefully in terms of the prolongation of a supertonic chord (would this work in minor?); and finally read what the author says about 5-6 progressions carefully on page 137.

    Adrian Valderrama's part-writing: pdf

  • 07.01.2010
    Haydn, String Quartet, Op. 76, no. 4, III: mp3

    Modulation

    Chapter 10. Pay particular attention to the alternate dominant complex voicings on page 148, section 4. Look very carefully as well at "back-relating dominants" and "antecedent / consequent construction" on page 153, sections 13 and 14.

    We will talk about the first 8 measures of the Haydn below.

    Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76, no. 4, III: pdf

    Haydn, String Quartet Opus 76, no. 4 (in-class work): pdf

    Bach, WTC Prelude no. 1 (in-class work): pdf

  • 07.05.2010
    Haydn, String Quartet Opus 76 no. 1 Minuet: mp3

    Phrase and Period Structure

    A phrase is a short passage of music that ends with a cadence; phrases can be grouped together into a period (two or more phrases whose final cadence is "stronger" than its first, or earlier phrases) or phrase group.

    A phrase is antecedent if it points forward in some way (like a question mark); it is consequent if it points back in some way (like an exclamation mark).

    A period is parallel if its phrases begin similarly; a period is contrasting if its phrases begin differently.

    A period is either modulating (if it modulates) or non-modulating (if it doesn't modulate.

    Chapter 11. Pay particular attention to patterns of descending thirds (page 158), descending fifths (page 159), 1, 2, 3 motions in the soprano (page 161 bottom), and 6, 7, 8 lines in the bass in both major and minor (page 166).

    Figured Bass #4 due today: pdf

    Haydn, String Quartet Opus 76 no. 1 Minuet: pdf

    Practice with the Alto Clef: pdf

  • 07.06.2010
    Schubert, Erlkoenig: mp3

    Review of Secondary Dominants and Substitute Secondary Dominants.

    Review of non-chord tones and harmonic analysis in Schubert's "Erlkoenig" first page.

    Chapter 21: 9-11

    Schubert, Erlkoenig: pdf (complete)

    Schubert, Erlkoenig: pdf (text)

    Victoria Smith's Figured Bass: pdf

    Beethoven, Violin Concerto Rondo: pdf

  • Beethoven, Violin Concerto: mp3
  • 07.07.2010

    Review of non-chord tones

  • 07.08.2010

    Review of Modulation by Pivot

    Review: 290 from 4 to 5 today (confirmed).

  • 07.09.2010
    The piece under Practice for Part III below: mp3

    Final Exam: 12:30 to 1:45

    The Final Exam will have three parts: Part I = spelling; Part II = part-writing; Part III = analysis.

    Here are review materials:

    Practice for Part I: pdf

    For the practice for part I above, apply the correct roman numeral to each example. N.B. There are triads, seventh chords, and secondary triads and secondary seventh chords in all inversions. To expand your mastery of these sonorities, I'd suggest doing the following: put all chord member sevenths in parentheses; put all leading tones and all secondary leading tones in triangles; put all tritones in squares. You can also stretch your thinking by imagining different tonal contexts in which each sonority might occur! N.B. One voice has to drop out from mm. 5-9.

    Practice for Part II: pdf

    For the practice for Part II above, part-write the passage according to the instructions, taking care to follow them carefully. There's a note which I will emphasize here: you may omit the chord member fifth of any triad or seventh chord in root position (you'll see why this is very helpful once you start realizing the passage). To expand your mastery of this material, I'd suggest the following: transpose the passage to other minor keys; substitute a pedal 6/4 passage for the passing 6/4 in measure 1; try other secondary dominants in measure 3; reverse the cadence types; find a part-writing you really like and try switching the tenor, alto, and soprano lines around; re-write the passage in major and have it similarly modulate to the dominant; transpose this to other major keys.

    Practice for Part III: pdf

    For the practice for Part III above, analyze mm. 1-14 (right up to the double bar). Include roman numerals; put non-chord tones in parentheses and identify them ("p" = passing tones; "n" = neighbor notes; "sus" = suspension; "ant" = anticipation, etc.); show the modulation by pivot as we have been doing in class. To expand your mastery of this material, re-write the passage in four voice SATB texture (simplifying the rhythm) and showing everything on the score as we have been doing with the part-writing. If you've just laughed out loud, give it a try; it's not that hard!