PITCH STRUCTURES 1 (MUS 629)| FALL 2021

TR, 2:30–4:00 IN BAIRD 111

FROM
Syllabus
BRIAN MOSELEY, PH.D., BRIANMOS@BUFFALO.EDU

BAIRD 410 | OFFICE HOURS: TBA

COURSE SUMMARY

“Pitch Structures 1” explores the analysis of “post-tonal” music written in the twentieth- and twenty- rst
centuries, with some investigation into the more general structural properties of music. I have four goals for
each student:

First, students will gain uency with concepts and terms associated with “post-tonal” theory and analysis.
Much of this has been developed in the last 50 years under the moniker of “pitch-class set theory” or “trans-
formation theory,” both of which are generally interested in notions of equivalence, pitch collections, and
musical relationships.

Second, students will gain familiarity with recent secondary literature and important compositions by a di-
verse group of individuals.

Third, students will learn analytical techniques that enable them to approach a broad range of music. Post-
tonal music is extremely diverse, and there is no “theory” for this music that approximates the more encom-
passing theories that have been developed for tonal music. Our approach to analyzing the music will build on
our growing understanding of pitch-class set theory, but also ideas from recent secondary literature. Despite
the lack of a coherent theory, my goal is that students develop the con dence to approach analytically works
of new music that they might encounter in the future.

Fourth, students will work on their ability to make good analytical arguments in writing.

An ideal outcome for students in this course is certainly to master the skills above. But we will also be inter-
ested in developing more immediately obviously practical tools that will help you in your particular path: to be
able to use them to write a conference presentation or article, prepare a lecture recital, or talk compelling
about your own music.

COURSE ORGANIZATION

Our course meets Tuesdays and Thursdays. Most days I will spend some portion of the class introducing
some ideas in the theory and analysis of post-tonal music. In addition:

Prior to most classes, students will read an article or analysis a piece of music. By 6:00 p.m. on the evening
before class, students should post their analytical ideas or thoughts about the reading (no more than 750
words) to the class folder on Dropbox. In addition, each of you will be placed into a group and everyone in the
group is responsible for reading and responding to the others (no more than 250 words).

These essays are meant to be informal and often open-ended. But, nonetheless, they should show a consid-
ered e ort to deal with the music or thoughts communicated in the reading.

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 FINAL PROJECT

By the end of this semester, students will complete an analytical project oriented around a piece of music
written since 1900. Students have two options: (1) an analytical paper, 10–15 pages long, and an in-class pre-
sentation; or (2) an analytical paper, 5–10 pages long, and a short, in-class lecture recital.

A draft of the nal paper is due by November 29. The nal paper is due by the end of the day on December
17.

Projects will be graded on four criteria: (1) the quality of your analysis, which should explore the piece with
focus and depth; (2) thoroughness of research into secondary sources related to your project; (3) the e ec-
tiveness of your writing in elucidating your analysis, and the quality of the writing itself; (4) the success of
your presentation in elucidating the project’s main points.

We will begin working on these projects immediately. Students should arrange to meet with me at least four
times before presenting their project in the last week of the class:

First, to evaluate the viability of the piece that the student has chosen (sometime before September
17);

Second, to discuss the analytical work the student has done (sometime before October 8);

Third, to evaluate the research that the student has completed and check on progress with the analy-
sis (sometime before October 29);

Finally, to discuss a draft of the students’s nal paper (sometime before December 3).

REQUIRED MATERIALS

There are no required texts for the course. I will distribute my own “notes” to you throughout the semester.

If students are interested in purchasing a text that might serve as a reference (and I think that’s a great idea), I
recommend Joseph Straus’s Introduction to Post-tonal Theory. You can nd a used copy of the third edition for
as little as $5 at most online book retailers. The third isn’t the most recent, but it’s perfectly ne.

You should bring sta paper and a pencil to every class, and on days that we discuss an article or piece of mu-
sic, you must print the materials and bring them with you.

CLASS ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION

Any more than 2 unexcused absences will lower your grade by one letter. If you are run-
ning late, please come to class anyway, but be courteous and do not make it a habit. Showing up late on a regu-
lar basis will result in a lower grade. Num

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DEVICES IN THE CLASSROOM

Recent research has shown that humans are not good multitaskers. In fact, we don’t really multitask at all;
rather, we are task switchers, and switching tasks repeatedly—as we do when we move from our phones to an
assignment or lecture—reduces our performance on all accounts.

Research has also shown that we take better notes when we write longhand than we do on a laptop. Typing
encourages verbatim transcription while writing longhand notes forces bene cial processing to be more selec-
tive, simply because you can’t write as fast as you can type.

Therefore, phones, tablets, and laptops are not allowed in the classroom. If you believe
you need a laptop or some other device in class, you should discuss this with me during the rst week.

DISABILITIES

If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, or if you suspect that you might have a disability,
please let me know. You should also contact UB’s Accessibility Resources O ce, which will help you and me
determine the appropriate accommodations.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Academic misconduct is not tolerated. Ignorance of the policies governing academic integrity at UB does not
constitute a legitimate excuse for violating its tenets. Each student is urged to read the information regarding
Academic Integrity at UB available at: http://undergrad-catalog.bu alo.edu/policies/course/integrity.shtml.

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