demonstrate your ability to talk about music on a deeper level, by properly using music vocabulary terms
Review and listen to ALL music from Chapters 20 through 23 on Modernism. Choose 2 pieces of music FROM THESE CHAPTERS to write about in a Listening Journal Entry. These two, separate entries, should add up to approximately one full, single spaced page, and be submitted in Blackboard by the start of class (1:25pm) on Monday November 13th. Listening journals will be available in Blackboard for 5 days after the due date. However, journals will lose 10% each day they are late. This journal will be worth 40 points. Once again, I strongly recommend that you write the journal in a standard program such as Microsoft Word, and upload your journal to this assignment through the link below: Attach File > Browse My Computer. Do NOT write it in the “comments” section below as it will appear as a huge jumble of words with no separations or paragraphs.
Please choose 2 songs/pieces (from Ch. 20-23) that can be vocal or instrumental music. Do NOT choose 2 sections or movements of the same piece, but rather two different pieces. If you choose a vocal piece you MUST read the listening guides in your textbook that provide translations of the words into English. There is NO EXCUSE for not understanding what they’re singing about, when you discuss the piece. Don’t guess. Use the available resources. Your entries should include proper use of music vocabulary, and try to make detailed comments, not broad generalizations. You DO NOT need to provide Youtube links for your pieces. They should be the versions used in our textbook.
**If you reference, direcectly quote, or even paraphrase background information from an outside source (such as the textbook), you MUST provide properly formatted citations to avoid plagiarism. The reference book to use for these citations is called “A Manual for Writers: of research papers, theses, and dissertations” 8th edition by Kate L. Turabian. This includes parenthetical/in-text citations at the end of sentences or paragraphs AND a brief Bibliography listing at the end of the journal. However, since this is supposed to be YOUR thoughts and observations, it should not be necessary to use much outside information.**
When you begin your discussion of each piece, please include the TITLE of the larger work, the specific song, aria, or movement, and the COMPOSER. Imagine your reader knows very little about music.
In the journal entry you should discuss: What do you hear? What is going on in the piece? How does the music develop compositionally or sound-wise throughout the piece? What are the instruments or vocal ranges being used? What genre and/or style are they playing/singing? What distinguishes this piece of music from others you know and have listened to? What do you like about this music? What do you not like? Do you have an emotional response to the music? Be specific and describe what you hear. You should use vocabulary words that you have learned so far, and your own words to describe the music.
GOALS for the Assignment: As always, the goal is for you to demonstrate your ability to talk about music on a deeper level, by properly using music vocabulary terms. I don’t want multiple paragraphs of background information or the story behind the piece, which you likely copied or paraphrased from an outside source. This is missing the point of the assignment and will result in a lower grade. I want to see you talking about the actual music itself.
