Global Arc

This course will examine a variety of manifestations of folk music in different cultures of the world, with a specific emphasis on examples from France and the U.S., and will study key moments of folk music revival from the nineteenth century to the present. With a particular focus on singing and the voice, we will explore the practices of folk music-making and their relation to concepts of identity, nationalism, protest, preservation, and innovation. By studying revival movements, we will seek to understand how these musical practices have influenced thinking on history, authenticity, and belonging in contemporary society.

Explores the significance of music in the work of Shakespeare. The approach is threefold: (1) weekly readings of scenes that are informed by contemporary currents of musical thought, and/or involve songs played on stage, and which depend for their interpretation of our understanding of those currents; (2) analysis of fundamental musical concepts as they are treated across Shakespeare's output, which might otherwise seem irrelevant or counter-intuitive to modern audiences; (3) the reading of an entire play in which music contributes to character delineation and dramatic development.

This course examines the role of sound and listening in the constitution of culture. Classes will be evenly split between historical and theoretical analysis, on the one hand, and practice-based explorations of sound, on the other. Topics of exploration include: audio technology, sound and space, psychoacoustics, and acoustemology. We will engage these topics through close readings of theoretical texts and through a range of sound-based practices such as field recording, sound walks, spectral analysis, sonic art, and "tutorial diversions.

This class is centered on the exploration of rhythmic practices and organizational principles in a wide variety of musical contexts: West African Drumming, European Classical Music, Caribbean Traditional Music, American Pop Music, Jazz and Contemporary Experimental Music. The course will toggle between two major components: 1 - "Hands-On" performance practice 2 - Analysis and comparison of organizational principles of rhythm in a variety of musical traditions.

The Princeton Laptop Orchestra (PLOrk) is a newly established ensemble of computer-based musical meta-instruments. The students in this course act as performers, researchers, composers, and software developers. The challenges are many: What kinds of sounds can we create? How can we physically ¿control¿ these sounds? How do we compose with these sounds? How do we organize 15 players in this context¿with a conductor or a wireless network? The aim of this course is to develop the basic skill to tackle these problems and to explore their musical possibilities. The ensemble will perform works by students and guest artists at Richardson Aud

Topics chosen from, but not limited to: a group of works by a single composer (Leonin's organa, Monteverdi's madrigals, Brahms's symphonies); a certain genre (19th-century choral works, Hindustani Khayal, contemporary rock, late 16th-century madrigal); a specific theoretical or historical problem (atonal theory, composers' sketches and musical analysis, the origins of opera). One three-hour seminar.

Topics chosen from, but not limited to: a group of works by a single composer (Leonin's organa, Monteverdi madrigals, Brahms's symphonies); a certain genre (19th-century choral works, Hindustani Khayal, contemporary rock, late 16th-century madrigal); a specific theoretical or historical problem (atonal theory, composers' sketches and musical analysis, the origins of opera). One three-hour seminar.

In the liturgical and courtly culture of the Middle Ages, music and the visual arts were inseparable. To examine art and music together is the aim of this course, integrating these two fields of study as they were integrated in their historical context. Working through case studies from the ninth through the fifteenth centuries--including the mystic plays of Hildegard of Bingen, the scurrilous satire of the Roman de Fauvel, and Jan van Eyck's Ghent altarpiece--we focus on rich sites of intersection between art and music. Final and midterm projects creative and collaborative in nature.

This seminar exposes participants to both canonical and cutting-edge work in ethnomusicology. By the end of the semester, students will have a thorough knowledge of key question animating the discipline. Topics covered include: music, race, and nation; the politics of representation; gender, media, and performance; the production of space through sound. Classes will be run in a seminar-style format emphasizing critical discussion and listening.

This seminar explores a host of questions surrounding music's capacity to convey and shape narratives. Students will engage critically with literature from psychology, musicology, music theory, and media studies to make sense of narrative perceptions of music--when they arise, why, and what it means for broader theories of communication. The class will consider narrative perceptions in a host of different contexts, including instrumental music, song, film music, and video game music.