1

1he reparat|on of erformance Notes (rogram, Cr|t|ca| or Ana|yt|ca|)

Cverv|ew

1he followlng guldellnes apply Lo assessed rogram noLes, CrlLlcal noLes and AnalyLlc
uocumenLaLlon submlLLed ln connecLlon wlLh Ponours and osLgraduaLe reclLals.

rogram notes are requlred for performances underLaken ln Ponours, Cradulp and MMusSLudles.
1he noLes musL lnclude an assessmenL cover sheeL, should be approxlmaLely 1300 words ln lengLh,
and should be wrlLLen wlLh an lnformed audlence ln mlnd.
Cr|t|ca| notes are requlred for performances underLaken ln Lhe MMus(erf) and uMA. 1he noLes
musL lnclude an assessmenL cover sheeL, should be approxlmaLely 3000 words ln lengLh, and should
be wrlLLen for an experL reader.
Ana|yt|c documentat|on ls requlred for performances underLaken ln Lhe hu by performance and
Lhesls. 1he noLes musL lnclude an assessmenL cover sheeL, should be approxlmaLely 3000 words ln
lengLh for each reclLal, and should be wrlLLen for an experL research reader.
Subm|ss|on: lour coples of Lhe noLes should be submlLLed Lhrough Lhe AdmlnlsLraLlon offlce on
Level 2, addressed Lo Lhe Chalr of unlL. An elecLronlc copy of Lhe noLes should also be emalled Lo Lhe
Chalr of unlL.
1he submlsslon daLe for Ponours rogram noLes ls as speclfled ln Lhe course documenLaLlon. Plgher
degree performance noLes are Lo be submlLLed no laLer Lhan one week prlor Lo Lhe performance.
noLes submlLLed afLer a performance wlll lncur an academlc penalLy and wlll recelve a fall grade lf
more Lhan a week laLe.
Chalrs of unlLs wlll dlsLrlbuLe Lhe noLes Lo Lhe examlnaLlon panel prlor Lo Lhe performance,
accompanled by a marklng gulde. Cne member of Lhe examlnaLlon panel wlll collaLe commenLs on
Lhe noLes Lo provlde a flnal grade and summarlse feedback. leedback wlll be made avallable Lo
sLudenLs followlng Lhe examlnaLlon perlod.
Spec|f|c gu|de||nes for each type of performance notes are g|ven be|ow.

2

Gu|de||nes for rogram Notes

A|m
1he alm ln provldlng program noLes ls Lo sLlmulaLe lnLeresL ln Lhe muslc, Lo provlde lnLeresLed
readers wlLh a conLexL for lnformed and lnLelllgenL llsLenlng, and Lo provlde general lnformaLlon
whlch may enhance Lhe llsLener's experlence of Lhe work. 1he learnlng alm ls Lo provlde an
opporLunlLy for sLudenLs Lo undersLand Lhe conLexL and lmporLance of Lhe works performed and
galn pracLlce ln wrlLlng Lhls speclflc form of muslcal documenL. 1he noLes should be lnformaLlve,
clear, engaglng ln sLyle, demonsLraLe and promoLe undersLandlng, make connecLlons and provlde
lnLelllgenL lnslghLs lnLo Lhe muslc.

keadersh|p
?ou should carefully conslder Lhe readershlp of your noLes and provlde someLhlng useful Lo LhaL
readershlp. ln general, lL ls besL noL Lo assume Lhe readers have an undersLandlng of deLalled
Lechnlcal or hlsLorlcal knowledge of muslc. 1echnlcal Lerms may be used provlded LhaL Lhey are
explalned or used ln such a way LhaL Lhey lncrease Lhe posslblllLy of undersLandlng Lhe performance.
1ake care LhaL Lhe wrlLlng ls ln a general, lncluslve sLyle and does noL use language whlch would
allenaLe Lhose who are noL pracLlLloners or who are new Lo Lhe sLyle. noLes wlll usually be read by
people wlLh a wlde varleLy of background knowledge. 1he challenge ln wrlLlng noLes ls Lo caLer for
Lhls range and provlde someLhlng of lnLeresL Lo boLh Lhe well lnformed llsLener and Lhe novlce, whlle
avoldlng belng elLher Loo paLronlslng or Loo esoLerlc.

nead|ng |nformat|on
?ou should provlde accuraLe lnformaLlon abouL Lhe works performed. ?ou should use full LlLle or
genre LlLle, lncludlng, as approprlaLe, keys (use caplLal leLLers: a mlnor" ls confuslng, A Mlnor" ls
clear), numbers, opus numbers, relevanL caLalogue number (k. 8Wv, eLc), nlcknames of works
(usually ln quoLaLlon marks ln brackeLs), daLe of composlLlon (lf known) ln a separaLe seL of brackeLs,
composer's full name followed by daLes ln brackeLs. under Lhe prlmary headlng you should llsL all
movemenLs, or song LlLles. Always lLallclse LlLles (such as wlotettelse) buL noL genre LlLles whlch
should slmply have lnlLlal caplLals (such as SonaLa no. 1). lf Lhe openlng secLlon ls noL ln Lhe maln
Lempo lL ls cusLomary Lo lndlcaLe boLh and separaLe by a dash (AJoqlo - Alleqto molto) alLhough lL ls
noL necessary Lo lndlcaLe every Lempo change ln a movemenL. Look aL Lhe example below, Laklng
noLe of Lhe formaL used.

Ludwlg van 8eeLhoven SonaLa no.9 ln A mlnor for lano and vlolln Cp.47 (kreuLzer") (1803)
(1770-1827) Adaglo sosLenuLo - resLo
AndanLe con varlazlonl
resLo

lf llsLlng a secLlon from a larger work, such as an arla from an opera, lL ls usual Lo use quoLaLlon
marks (wlLhouL lLallcs even lf Lhe subsecLlon ls ln anoLher language) and use lLallcs for Lhe maln
work. 1hus:

Come scogllo" from cosl foo totte

1here are several accepLable formaLs for puncLuaLlon and abbrevlaLlon ( Cp." versus Cpus", eLc).
keep puncLuaLlon ln LlLles Lo a mlnlmum and elLher follow Lhe sLyle above or LhaL glven ln 1be
cblcoqo Mooool of 5tyle.

3

1lLles should normally be glven ln Lhelr orlglnal language. Where Lhe orlglnal LlLle ls unllkely Lo be
recognlsed by an Lngllsh speaklng audlence and a LranslaLed LlLle ls ln common use, glve Lhe orlglnal
LlLle followed by Lhe LranslaLlon ln parenLheses, for example:

llboJy llsky 8ysttoosky (1he Cunnlng LlLLle vlxen)

A slmllar formaL may be used where Lhe orlglnal LlLle ls ln a non-8oman scrlpL (eg Cyrllllc, Creek,
Pebrew, or Chlnese). ln Lhese cases a LransllLeraLlon lnLo 8oman scrlpL (LhaL ls, sLandard WesLern
Luropean leLLerlng, llke Lhls documenL) may also be glven ln place of Lhe orlglnal scrlpL.

Content and sty|e of program notes
rogram noLes should, as a mlnlmum, glve baslc hlsLorlcal, and blographlcal lnformaLlon and may
also lnclude culLural, analyLlcal and lnLerpreLaLlve lnformaLlon. Clve lnformaLlon whlch wlll aLLracL
Lhe reader's aLLenLlon and lnLeresL, lncludlng lnslghLful or provocaLlve quoLaLlons by Lhe composer
or by a slgnlflcanL crlLlcal commenLaLor. lL may be lnLeresLlng Lo provlde polemlcal sLaLemenLs abouL
Lhe work (eg lnlLlal adverse crlLlclsm, whlch has noL been borne ouL by posLerlLy), or slgnlflcanL
blographlcal lnformaLlon whlch could be sald Lo have had a slgnlflcanL lmpacL on Lhe work.
Make your wrlLlng engaglng by uslng wlL, meLaphor, alluslon, lrony, eLc. lf Lhe work has a LexL or
program Lhls should be glven, preferably ln Lhe performed language and also ln LranslaLlon, where
feaslble. (1exLs and LranslaLlons are addlLlonal Lo Lhe expecLed word counL for Lhe program noLes
Lhemselves).
rogram noLes can be sLrucLured ln varlous ways, for lnsLance, some programs are besL lnLroduced
by a subsLanLlal dlscusslon of Lhe research flndlngs or concepLual framework LhaL lnforms Lhe
program, wlLh shorLer noLes on Lhe lndlvldual works. A program made up of many shorL pleces
would also demand a dlfferenL approach from one conslsLlng of one very subsLanLlal work.
neverLheless, Lhe noLes on lndlvldual works wlll Lyplcally conLaln Lhe followlng klnds of lnformaLlon.
1. An lnlLlal sLaLemenL or secLlon whlch capLures someLhlng of Lhe overall slgnlflcance of Lhe work.
1hls should noL be [usL bland pralse buL should glve an lndlcaLlon of whaL ls unlque or speclal abouL
Lhls work. CommenLs by Lhe composer, by slgnlflcanL muslclans, or a commenL whlch, ln your vlew
encapsulaLes someLhlng lmporLanL abouL Lhe work can help ln engaglng Lhe reader's lnLeresL ln Lhe
work.
2. 8aslc facLs abouL daLes, places, blographlcal lnformaLlon and oLher clrcumsLances of Lhe work's
composlLlon, flrsL performance, dedlcaLee or commlssloner, subsequenL revlslons, eLc. lL ls ofLen
useful Lo refer Lo works wrlLLen aL Lhe same Llme or comparable works elLher by Lhe composer or
anoLher composer. 1hese should be relaLed ln prose, noL polnL form, and should form an lnLeresLlng
narraLlve. lf posslble Lry and lead Lhe dlscusslon from Lhe when" and Lhe where" lnLo broader
lssues of how" and why". lor example, where approprlaLe, lnclude whaL ls known abouL Lhe
moLlvaLlon for Lhe composlLlon of Lhe work, how lL flLs lnLo Lhe hlsLory of lLs genre (sonaLa,
symphony, eLude, eLc), how lL relaLes Lo oLher works by Lhe composer, and ln whaL ways lL ls orlglnal
(or convenLlonal).
3. PlsLorlcal and culLural lnformaLlon parLlcularly of a klnd whlch Lhrows llghL on evenLs or culLural
Lrends whlch lnfluenced Lhe work's composlLlon.
4. A descrlpLlon of Lhe layouL of Lhe work, slgnlflcanL ldeas or momenLs, and analyLlcal observaLlons.
ln general, Lhls should be undersLandable by a reader wlLhouL speclallsL knowledge, Lhough ln some
cases, Lechnlcal Lerms may be approprlaLe lf Lhey Lhrow slgnlflcanL llghL on a passage. 1he alm here
ls noL Lo glve an analysls buL Lo glve lnformaLlon whlch mlghL help a llsLener's appreclaLlon. 8ear ln
mlnd LhaL your readers wlll noL have Lhe score ln fronL of Lhem, and LhaL your noLe wlll be read by
boLh novlces and Lhose who may know Lhe work well. lL should caLer for boLh.

4

3. A concludlng remark. 1hls doesn'L need Lo conLaln a ma[or concluslon or summary buL Lry Lo brlng
Lhe noLe Lo a loglcal concluslon and avold looklng as Lhough you have slmply run ouL of space.

Informat|on
?our sources of lnformaLlon wlll depend on Lhe works belng dlscussed. As a guldellne:
- use recenL and up-Lo-daLe sources. Lven wlLh well known works, knowledge changes as a resulL of
research. ?ou should alm Lo presenL Lhe mosL recenL avallable knowledge on Lhe muslc. use Mu5lc
lNu\, kllM (hLLp://www.llbrary.usyd.edu.au/daLabases/muslc.hLml) and oLher research Lools Lo
locaLe Lhe mosL auLhorlLaLlve and currenL sources. 1he ConservaLorlum Llbrary's sub[ecL gulde for
muslc also has many helpful llnks and guldes for flndlng lnformaLlon. See:
hLLp://llbguldes.llbrary.usyd.edu.au/muslc.
- Where posslble use more Lhan one source. 1hls helps cross check Lhe currency of lnformaLlon and
can provlde a dlverslLy of vlews.
- 8e careful abouL daLes. uaLes of composlLlon may dlffer from daLes of flrsL performance, so be
sure you don'L confuse Lhese. 1be New Ctove has rellable caLalogues for many composers and
should usually be consulLed.
- uon'L rely excluslvely on Cu noLes. Whlle Lhese are ofLen wrlLLen by scholars ln Lhe fleld and are
Lherefore a useful source of lnformaLlon, Lhls cannoL be relled upon. lnformaLlon should be checked
agalnsL rellable sources. Slmllarly, Wlklpedla may be useful ln dlrecLlng you Lo oLher sources for
some Loplcs, buL do noL rely on lL dlrecLly as Lhls ls an un-refereed source.

keferences and c|tat|ons
As w|th any academ|c wr|t|ng, you must g|ve the sources of quotat|ons and g|ve cred|t when
mak|ng use of the |deas of others. 1h|s shou|d be done through footnotes (Ch|cago sty|e) or |n-text
references (AA) |n the usua| way. A b|b||ography must a|so be prov|ded. If |n doubt about
referenc|ng requ|rements, consu|t the Conservator|um Ass|gnment Gu|de, !"#$%& ()*+,$+-. at
http:]]www.mus|c.usyd.edu.au]docs]GDL_ISU_whats-expected.pdf


Cther resources
8ellman, !onaLhan u. A 5bott ColJe to wtltloq oboot Moslc. 2nd ed. new ?ork: earson Longman,
2007.
Cowdery, !ames 8. ed. now to wtlte oboot moslc. tbe kllM mooool of style. 2nd ed. new ?ork:
8eperLolre lnLernaLlonal de LlLLeraLure Muslcale, 2006.
Wlngell, 8lchard !. wtltloq oboot Moslc. oo lottoJoctoty qolJe. Lnglewood Cllffs, n.!.: renLlce Pall,
1990.
1be cblcoqo Mooool of 5tyle. llfLeenLh edlLlon. Chlcago: Chlcago unlverslLy ress, 2003.
ConservaLorlum AsslgnmenL Culde, wbots xpecteJ. 5ee.
hLLp://www.muslc.usyd.edu.au/docs/CuL_lSu_whaLs-expecLed.pdf

3


Gu|de||nes for Cr|t|ca| Notes

CrlLlcal noLes are slmllar ln formaL Lo rogram noLes (above), buL go beyond Lhem ln a number of
respecLs.

A|ms
As parL of a research degree Lhe CrlLlcal noLes should be
- well researched: Lhe producL of scholarly lnvesLlgaLlon
- prepared LhoughLfully, demonsLraLlng crlLlcal LhoughL and Lhe sLudenL's lnslghL
- Lhoroughly documenLed ln Lhe usual ways expecLed ln academlc wrlLlng.

CrlLlcal noLes wlll documenL Lhe alms of Lhe performance and lLs place ln your research program, as
well as glvlng a scholarly dlscusslon of Lhe muslc belng performed. 1hls ls unllke rogram noLes,
where Lhe alms are Lo lnform and Lo engage Lhe lnLeresL of Lhe llsLener. CrlLlcal noLes wlll resemble
rogram noLes buL Lhey wlll be ln more depLh and wrlLLen for an experL reader.

1he developmenL of crlLlcal noLes ls lnLegral Lo Lhe developmenL of your performance as a whole. lL
ls a good ldea Lo sLarL researchlng your program early ln Lhe semesLer so LhaL your flndlngs can
lnform your performance declslons. 1hls crlLlcal research lnLo Lhe overall Lheme of your performance
should Lhen be encapsulaLed ln Lhe crlLlcal noLes. 1he crlLlcal noLes provlde experL readers wlLh a
scholarly lnslghL lnLo Lhe performed works. 1hey should be lnformaLlve, clear, engaglng ln sLyle,
demonsLraLe and promoLe undersLandlng, make connecLlons and provlde lnLelllgenL lnslghLs lnLo Lhe
muslc. 1hey should show evldence of research and demonsLraLe an academlc flavour Lhrough
correcL use of academlc referenclng proLocols.

keadersh|p
1he readers of Lhe crlLlcal noLes wlll normally be lnsLrumenLal experLs ln your fleld. ln Lhls form of
wrlLlng you can use dlsclpllnary speclflc language, make crlLlcal commenLs regardlng composlLlonal
or performance sLyles, provlde new lnformaLlon or lnslghL lnLo Lhe works, and follow speclflc Lhemes
presenL LhroughouL Lhe performance. ?ou are noL llmlLed by Lhe need Lo slmpllfy for a general
audlence, buL should also be challenged Lo wrlLe creaLlvely and well.

nead|ng |nformat|on
ueLalls of composers and works should be seL ouL ln Lhe formaL speclfled for rogram noLes (above).

Content and sty|e of cr|t|ca| notes
1he advlce glven ln Lhe rogram noLes secLlon of Lhls gulde should be aLLended Lo. ln addlLlon,
crlLlcal noLes have Lo glve evldence of scholarshlp and rlgour. CLhers' ldeas musL be referenced
approprlaLely wlLh Lhe use of fooLnoLes and blbllography, as for an essay. 1he flve sLages presenLed
above ln Lhe rogram noLes secLlon are a good gulde Lo Lhe developmenL of Lhe noLes, buL aL Lhls
level some crlLlcal lnLerpreLaLlons are requlred.


6

Grade Descr|ptors for rogram Notes and Cr|t|ca| Notes
(8ased on Lhe sLandard ConservaLorlum Academlc Crade uescrlpLors. 1bese Jesctlptots sopetseJe
tbose qlveo lo tbe ltloclpol 5toJy (noooots) cootse lofotmotloo booJoot, 2010.)

Ia||: (8elow 30) Work noL of accepLable sLandard. Work may fall for any or all of
Lhe followlng reasons: unaccepLable paraphraslng, lrrelevance of conLenL,
poor spelllng, poor presenLaLlon, grammar or sLrucLure so sloppy lL cannoL be
undersLood, fallure Lo demonsLraLe undersLandlng of conLenL, lnsufflclenL
word lengLh, absence of referenclng, laLe submlsslon wlLhouL explanaLlon.

ass: (30 - 64) Work of accepLable sLandard. WrlLLen work meeLs baslc
requlremenLs ln Lerms of readlng/research, makes a reasonable aLLempL Lo
avold paraphraslng, reasonably coherenL sLrucLure, ofLen has weaknesses ln
parLlcular areas, especlally ln Lerms of narrow or underdeveloped LreaLmenL
of sub[ecL maLLer, accepLable documenLaLlon.
lot ctltlcol Notes: relevanL maLerlal buL Lendency Lo descrlpLlve summary
raLher Lhan crlLlcal commenLary.

Cred|t: (63 - 74) Plghly compeLenL work demonsLraLlng poLenLlal for hlgher sLudy.
Lvldences broader undersLandlng Lhan pass level, offers synLhesls LogeLher
wlLh some crlLlcal evaluaLlon of maLerlal, some evldence of lndependenL
LhoughL, clear and engaglng ln sLyle, good referenclng. A hlgh credlL (70 -
74) shows some evldence of Lhe ablllLy Lo Lhlnk concepLually.
lot ltoqtom Notes: rovldes someLhlng of lnLeresL Lo boLh Lhe well lnformed
llsLener and Lhe novlce.
lot ctltlcol Notes: uemonsLraLes crlLlcal LhoughL drawlng on a range of
relevanL evldence.

D|st|nct|on: (73 - 84) Work of superlor sLandard. uemonsLraLes lnlLlaLlve ln research
and wlde, approprlaLe readlng, complex undersLandlng of Lhe reperLolre and
lLs hlsLorlcal and culLural conLexL, analyses Lhe works performed and/or oLher
source maLerlals consulLed ln relaLlon Lo emplrlcal and LheoreLlcal conLexLs,
properly documenLed, clear, well-developed sLrucLure wlLh some slgns of
llLerary sLyle.
lot ltoqtom Notes: LleganLly caLers for a wlde range of readers wlLhouL belng
elLher paLronlslng or Loo esoLerlc.
lot ctltlcol Notes: uemonsLraLes an ablllLy Lo crlLlcally revlew maLerlal ln
relaLlon Lo underlylng assumpLlons and values, LogeLher wlLh a hlgh level of
lndlvldual lnslghL lnLo Lhe works performed.

n|gh D|st|nct|on: (83 - 100) Work of excepLlonal sLandard. uemonsLraLes hlgh level of
lnlLlaLlve ln research and readlng, lnnovaLlve use of readlng/research maLerlal
and lmpresslve command of underlylng debaLes and assumpLlons, properly
documenLed and wrlLLen wlLh sLyle, orlglnallLy and preclslon.
lot ctltlcol Notes: sophlsLlcaLed crlLlcal analysls of evldence, hlgh level
engagemenL wlLh LheoreLlcal lssues.


7

Gu|de||nes for Ana|yt|c Documentat|on

1he analyLlc documenLaLlon LhaL accompanles a hu performance should represenL an acL of
research scholarshlp. 1he documenLaLlon should be developed ln con[uncLlon wlLh Lhe performance
preparaLlon and used Lo lnform performance declslons. ln addlLlon, Lhe documenLaLlon should have
a sLrong relaLlonshlp Lo Lhe overall research quesLlons posed. 1hls form of wrlLlng ls quallLaLlvely
dlfferenL from oLher forms of program noLes. 1here should be evldence of scholarly evaluaLlon and
analysls of Lhe works performed, Lhelr hlsLorlcal conLexL, an analysls of genre speclflc nuance eLc.
1he level of Lhls work musL be hlgh, lL should be presenLed ln a form LhaL ls slmllar Lo a research-
based publlcaLlon. 1he conLenL and presenLaLlon of Lhls documenLaLlon should be dlscussed wlLh
your research supervlsors as parL of your on-golng research program.

AnalyLlc uocumenLaLlon wlll be assessed agalnsL Lhe followlng Crade uescrlpLors:

Ia||: (8elow 30) Work noL of accepLable sLandard. Work may fall for any or all of
Lhe followlng reasons: unaccepLable paraphraslng, lrrelevance of conLenL,
poor spelllng, poor presenLaLlon, poor grammar or sLrucLure, fallure Lo
demonsLraLe undersLandlng of conLenL aL Lhe requlred level, descrlpLlve
summary raLher Lhan crlLlcal argumenL, lnsufflclenL word lengLh, lnadequaLe
referenclng, laLe submlsslon wlLhouL explanaLlon.

ass: (30 - 64) Work of accepLable sLandard. WrlLLen work meeLs requlremenLs
ln Lerms of readlng/research, relevanL maLerlal buL crlLlcal argumenL ls noL
fully susLalned, avolds paraphraslng, coherenL sLrucLure, may have
weaknesses ln parLlcular areas, especlally ln Lerms of narrow or
underdeveloped LreaLmenL of quesLlon, accepLable documenLaLlon.

Cred|t: (63 - 74) Plghly compeLenL work. Lvldences broader undersLandlng Lhan
pass level, offers synLhesls LogeLher wlLh crlLlcal evaluaLlon of maLerlal,
coherenL argumenL uslng a range of relevanL evldence, shows evldence of
lndependenL LhoughL, good referenclng, shows evldence of Lhe ablllLy Lo Lhlnk
concepLually aL an advanced level.

D|st|nct|on: (73 - 84) Work of superlor sLandard. uemonsLraLes lnlLlaLlve ln research
and wlde, approprlaLe readlng, complex undersLandlng of quesLlon and ablllLy
Lo crlLlcally revlew maLerlal ln relaLlon Lo underlylng assumpLlons and values,
analyses maLerlal ln relaLlon Lo emplrlcal and LheoreLlcal conLexLs, properly
documenLed, clear, well-developed sLrucLure and argumenL wlLh good
llLerary sLyle.

n|gh D|st|nct|on: (83 - 100) Work of excepLlonal sLandard. uemonsLraLes hlgh level of
lnlLlaLlve ln research and readlng, sophlsLlcaLed crlLlcal analysls of evldence,
hlgh level engagemenL wlLh LheoreLlcal lssues, lnnovaLlve use of
readlng/research maLerlal and lmpresslve command of underlylng debaLes
and assumpLlons, properly documenLed and wrlLLen wlLh sLyle, orlglnallLy and
preclslon.

Sydney ConservaLorlum of Muslc, 2010