UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
SEMINAR IN MUSIC HISTORY
"Gershwin, Copland, & Bernstein"
MUH 6935 (Spring 2019)

Weekly Class Assignments

16 APR 19

  1. Reminder # 1: Next week's meeting will be devoted to individual presentations. See the schedule on the instruction page for your time.
  2. Reminder # 2: Your major paper is due on 1 May 2019 before midnight. Because grades are due shortly after that deadline there will be no extensions. Late papers will be penalized.

9 APR 19

  1. For the last "discussion-based" meeting of the seminar (next Tuesday, 16 Apr 19) we will concentrate on the following topics:
  2. In support of the semester's remaining meeting, read as widely as youfeel appropriate, but look especially at some of the following:
  3. FRIENDLY REMINDER #1: Literacy Modules remain available, and must be completed by this coming Sunday, if you wish to earn credit for them.
  4. FRIENDLY REMINDER #2: Email me to request a particular time slot for your presentation on 23 April 19.

2 APR 19

  1. We will begin next week's meeting (9 Apr 19) with a quick look at Bernstein's Symphony No. 1, "Jeremiah." Know its background and its programmatic elements, and listen to any recording of your own choice. How does this work compare to Bernstein's other works, and to symphonies in general?
  2. We will next discuss Candide and its musical identity, i.e., what genre(s) is it and how does it relate to traditional Broadway in the Golden era (1940s-60s)? Make sure you have done the following:
  3. For complete performances of (chiefly later versions of) Candide see the following items in YouTube:
  4. The remainder of the evening will be spent in a discussion of West Side Story. Because no full-length video (or audio?) version of the musical is available online, you are encouraged to seek out recordings (both audio and video), using your own ingenuity.
  5. Dealing specifically with West Side Story (and again using resources of your own choice, plus the required and suggested items below), do the following:

    6. Continuing Assignments

  6. FRIENDLY REMINDER #1: Book choices for the final book review (Bernstein) are due in the near future.
  7. FRIENDLY REMINDER #2: Literacy Modules remain available.
  8. FRIENDLY REMINDER #3: Email me to request a particular time slot for your presentation on 23 April 19.

    9. Future Assignments

  9. For the last "discussion-based" meeting of the seminar we will concentrate on the following topics:
  10. In support of the semester's remaining meeting, read as widely as you feel appropriate, but look especially at some of the following:

26 MAR 19

  1. We will spend most of our time next week (2 Apr 19) looking at Bernstein's early theatrical (and one orchestral work). Focus your listening and reading on the works listed next.
  2. Bernstein's early style imay be best exemplified by the following works, which you should watch, as available on youTube and other sources:
  3. For these works, know the following:
  4. In particular, look at (and listen to) Bernstein's music for evidence of its primary influences. What is "American" about his music (or not)?

    5. Continuing Assignments

  5. FRIENDLY REMINDER #1: Book choices for the final book review (Bernstein) should be made in the near future.
  6. FRIENDLY REMINDER #2: Literacy Modules remain available.
  7. FRIENDLY REMINDER #3: Presentations of your individual projects will be determined in the near future.

    8. Future Assignments

  8. For the week following next (9 Apr 19), look espeically at the two following works:
  9. As with Bernstein's earlier works look for information on:

19 MAR 19

  1. Next week (26 Mar '19), we will begin looking at the life, career and music of Leonard Bernstein. In support of that new direction, do the following:
  2. For background on Bernstein's training and early attitudes toward American music, read Geoffrey Block, "Bernstein's Senior Thesis at Harvard: The Roots of a Lifelong Search to Discover an American Identity," College Music Symposium 48 (2008): 52-68. (Available in JSTOR)
  3. Analyze Bernstein's Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in terms of traditional forms, i.e., as a "classical" work. What is Bernstein's early style like?
  4. For additional examples of Bernstein's early style, as time allows, look for information and listen to any recordings that you can find of the following works by Bernstein:
  5. For [OPTIONAL] additional information on Bernstein's life and the critical reception of it, look for:

    6. New Assignments

  6. As time allows, we will step outside our three chosen composers to look at the broader background of musical theater in New York City in the post WWII years in preparation for a later discussion of Bernstein's musical theater works, especially West Side Story. To that end read the following general items and prepare some background on your assigned show.
  7. In support of that new direction, read the following:
  8. Learn your following assigned musical in some detail. Note the following points (below) for specific instructions on how you are to master your assigned show. Be prepared to give a 5-7 minute synopsis of the show, and then to be able to contribute to a general discussion of Broadway in the 1940s-50s, drawing on your assigned show.
  9. Dealing specifically with your assigned show, use any resources of your own choice (in addition to those suggested below), to do the following:
  10. In studying your assigned show, note especially the varioius kinds of songs used to create the show, beginning with the general formal outlines (verse-chorus, AABA song forms, etc.). Theatre historian Lehman Engel (and others) have identified many different categories of songs and musical numbers used on the stage. The following is not an exhaustive list, but does suggest some of the many ways to consider the function of the musical elements in your assigned show:

    11. Future Assignments

  11. FRIENDLY REMINDER #1: Book choices for the final book review (Bernstein) should be made in the near future. A due date has been posted for this assignment.
  12. FRIENDLY REMINDER #2: Literacy Modules are now available.
  13. FRIENDLY REMINDER #3: Presentations of your individual projects will be determined in the near future. Do respond to my email inquiry about the possible dates.
  14. Begin learning several of Bernstein's stage works, as listed below.
  15. We will discuss (briefly) the three following early works by Bernstein:
  16. We will discuss these later two in more depth:

12 MAR 19 - No Seminar Meeting (mid-semester break)

5 MAR 19

  1. FRIENDLY REMINDER: No seminar meeting next week due to UCF Spring Break.
  2. For the week following the break (19 Mar 19), we will finish the discussion of music and motion pictures, especially as it relates to Copland and some of his contemporaries.
  3. Be prepared to present about 10-15 minutes (for two-person assignments, split the work and prepare about 7 mnutes each) on your chosen film examples. In particular, be able to:
  4. Chosen/Assigned Films (link to best sound quality here):
  5. Also for the next meeting (19 Mar 19), we will conclude our work on Aaron Copland and his music. For this summation of Copland and his music, prepare to discuss the following topics:
  6. Identify any major works by Copland (preferably not yet discussed in the seminar) that you believe merit attention as some of his "best" compositions. Investigate the work(s) briefly on your own, and be prepared to contribute to a discussion of Copland's ultimate reputation and his impact on both music in the US and Western "Classical" music.
  7. For general background on Copland's reputation, look for any of several "Special Copland" issues in music journals (search in JSTOR)

    8. New Assignments

  8. As time allows (19 Mar '19), we will begin looking at the life, career and music of Leonard Bernstein. In support of that new direction, do the following:
  9. For background on Bernstein's training and early attitudes toward American music, read Geoffrey Block, "Bernstein's Senior Thesis at Harvard: The Roots of a Lifelong Search to Discover an American Identity," College Music Symposium 48 (2008): 52-68. (Available in JSTOR)
  10. Analyze Bernstein's Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in terms of traditional forms, i.e., as a "classical" work. What is Bernstein's early style like?
  11. For additional examples of Bernstein's early style, as time allows, look for information and listen to any recordings that you can find of the following works by Bernstein:
  12. For [OPTIONAL] additional information on Bernstein's life and the critical reception of it, look for:

26 FEB 19

  1. Friendly Reminder # 1: the Bibliography for your project has been graded. Pick up your graded work and begin using it to write your major paper.
  2. Friendly Reminder # 2: Copland book reviews are due in less than two weeks (on Friday, 8 Mar 19). If you have not made your choice, do so as soon as possible and notify me of your choice.
  3. For next week (5 Mar 18), we will focus on music and motion pictures, especially as it relates to Copland and some of his contemporaries.
  4. SUGGESTED: If you are not especially familiar with motion pictures from the early sound era (c. 1929 - WWII) watch a few samples of commercial motion pictures produced by the Hollywood studio system of that era. You need not watch many such pictures or even complete items (unless you care to), but doing so will give you a bit of context for the world in which Copland and other film composers worked. [To find possible examples in the UCF Library, use the limitations of material type and date. Otherwise, search YouTube for any titles that you might identify.]
  5. In support of this topic, read the following items:
  6. Using these links to YouTube, watch the following documentary films, taking especial note of how music is used to support the narrative:
  7. Following the discussion of the documentaries, we will discuss Copland's first commercial film score. To that end, using YouTube (or any other source) watch the following commercial motion picture:
  8. Following the general discussion of the preceding materials, be prepared to present about 10-15 minutes (for two-person assignments, split the work and prepare about 7 mnutes each) on your chosen film examples. In particular, be able to:
  9. Chosen/Assigned Films (link to best sound quality here):

    10. Future Assignments

  10. FRIENDLY REMINDER: There will be no seminar meeting in the following week (12 March 2019), due to the mid-semester break. Next Seminar meeting will be on 19 March 2019.
  11. Also for the next meeting (19 Mar 19), we will (probably) conclude our work on Aaron Copland and his music. For this summation of Copland and his music, prepare to discuss the following topics:
  12. Identify any major works by Copland (preferably not yet discussed in the seminar) that you believe merit attention as some of his "best" compositions. Investigate the work(s) briefly on your own, and be prepared to contribute to a discussion of Copland's ultimate reputation and his impact on both music in the US and Western "Classical" music.
  13. For general background on Copland's reputation, look for any of several "Special Copland" issues in music journals (search in JSTOR)

19 FEB 19

  1. Friendly Reminder # 1: the Bibliography for your project is due over the coming weekend. NB. The deadline has been extended until Sunday, 24 Feb 19 @ 5:00 pm.
  2. Friendly Reminder # 2: Copland book reviews are due in less than three weeks (on Friday, 8 Mar 19). You are encouraged to make your review choices sooner rather than later (and remember to inform me of them).
  3. For next week (26 Feb 19), we will continue with a general discussion of Copland, looking especially at his shift in the early 1930s to a more "popular" sound.
  4. Make sure that you have made fairly thorough analyses of the following two works (watch for additional emails related to these items):
  5. In support of those two analyses, read the following items:
  6. Look for other examples of Copland's "popular" style from the mid-1930s forward in any resources you care to use (Classical Music Library, YouTube, etc.). What is consistent in this phase of Copland's career? Among the works you might examine are:

    7. Future Assignments

  7. SUGGESTED: Watch a few samples of commercial motion pictures produced by Hollywood at the beginning of the sound era, c. 1929-39. You need not watch many such pictures or even complete items (unless you care to), but doing so will give you a bit of context for the world in which Copland and other film composers worked. [To find possible examples in the UCF Library, use the limitations of material type and date. Otherwise, search YouTube for any titles that you might identify.]
  8. In support of this topic, read the following items:
  9. Using these links to YouTube, watch the following documentary films:
  10. Using YouTube (or any other source) watch the following commercial motion picture:
  11. Following the general discussion of the preceding materials, be prepared to present about 20 minutes (for two-person assignments, only 10-mnutes for solo presenters) on your chosen film examples. In particular, be able to:
  12. Presentations will be made on the following motion pictures. Chose (or be assigned) from this list (link to best sound quality here):

12 FEB 19

  1. Friendly Reminder # 1: the Bibliography for your project is due in ten days.
  2. Friendly Reminder # 2: Acquire an item for the second book review of the semester (on Copland), choosing from the bold-faced items on the "Course Reading" web page (as you did in choosing your Gershwin item). Remember to notify me when you have made your choice.
  3. We will begin next week (19 Feb 19) with the final two Porgy and Bess scene presentations:
  4. Following the description of P&B, we will conclude with a brief general discussion of Gershwin, his achievements, his reputation and his impact as a composer of "American" music.
  5. After Gershwin, we will begin looking at the life and music of Aaron Copland, which will occupy the next several weeks. Begin to familiarize yourself with the resources for this composer, includig:
  6. Be prepared to discuss Copland's early years, from birth up to about 1930 or so. Focus on the following:
  7. Look for examples of Copland's music up to about 1930/32 (do not reach El salón México) in any resources you care to use (Classical Music Library, YouTube, etc.). What is Copland's early music like, and what styles and influences do you hear?
  8. In particular, listen to and study as many of the following works as possible. All are curently available in YouTube :
  9. Note, also that you have been assigned a specific work in the list immediately above. For that work, make sure that you know and can explain the basic background of the work (when and why composed, the premiere, and early reception). In addition, pay close attention to the work's primary characteristics. You need not do a formal analysis, but do know the basic formal plan, melodic and harmonic techniques used, and any other noteworthy traits.
  10. For reading, look at the following:

    11. Future Assignments

  11. For two weeks into the future (26 Feb 19) make fairly thorough analyses of the following two works:
  12. In support of those two analyses, read the following items:
  13. Look for other examples of Copland's "popular" style from the mid-1930s forward in any resources you care to use (Classical Music Library, YouTube, etc.). What is consistent in this phase of Copland's career? Among the works you might examine are:
  14. For supplemental reading, (not required) look at the following:

5 FEB 19

  1. Next Tuesday's entire evening (12 Feb 19) will be devoted to a discussion of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, with the following activities roughly in the announced order.
  2. Be prepared to begin with a general (everyone for him/herself) discussion of this work and its orgins. In particular:
  3. For basic reading on Porgy & Bess, look at as many of the following as possible (and any other sources of your own choice):
  4. Following the general opening discussion, we will work through the three acts of Porgy & Bess, in order, with each seminar member responsible for presenting on a specific act and its main dramatic and musical content:
  5. NB. The presentation is not simply a plot summary. Rather, you are to do the following:
  6. This portion of the course will conclude with a general discussion of Porgy & Bess and its "genre." In support of that topic, read about the recent NYC Broadway production of the work, begininng with the following items:
  7. Friendly Reminder # 1: Instructions for the Major Paper are posted on the course web site. Your bibliographies are due in the near future.

    8. Future Assignments

  8. Beginning in two weeks (19 Feb 19), we will start to look at the life and music of Aaron Copland, which will occupy the next several weeks. Begin to familiarize yourself with the resources for this composer, including:
  9. For 19 Feb 19, be prepared to discuss Copland's early years, from birth up to about 1930 or so. Focus on the following:
  10. Look for examples of Copland's music up to about 1930/32 (do not reach El salón México) in any resources you care to use (Classical Music Library, YouTube, etc.). What is Copland's early music like, and what styles and influences do you hear?

29 JAN 19

  1. Friendly Reminder # 1: Make sure that you are aware of all deadlines for any outstanding work and are aware of the penalties for late submissions. (I am currently awaiting a number of overdue items!)
  2. We will begin next Tuesday's meeting (5 Feb 19) with a brief continued discussion of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, focusing on the music's formal elements.
  3. Follow the discussion of the Rhapsody, we will be discussing two large orchestral works and their relationship(s) to traditional "textbook" forms. to that end, do the following:
  4. We will first look at Gershwin's Concerto in F (for Piano). We will look primarily at the first movement's opening section (exposition), so restrict your analysis to that section, although you are encouraged to listen to the entire work. In addition, do the following:
  5. For background on the Concerto in F, the two following articles may be of interest (acquire through JSTOR):
  6. We will next turn to a discussion of Gershwin's An American in Paris. For that discussion, repeat the tasks you did for the Concerto, especially:

    7. Future Assignments

  7. For the following week (12 February 2019) continue learning the history of Porgy and Bess, and the opera itself. Use any sources of your own choosing. Do the following:
  8. Begin reading the following articles, all of which will be useful in understanding the history of Porgy and Bess and the questions about its genre:

22 JAN 19

  1. Friendly Reminder # 1: You are to inform me of your book review choices. Please do so as soon as possible
  2. Friendly Reminder # 2: Major paper proposals are due later this weekend.
  3. We will begin next Tuesday's meeting with a quick summary of the American Popular song, which I began last week. Please have your own examples of pre-Gershwin sheet music and songs in order to contribute to the discussion.
  4. Next will be a discussion of George Gershwin's life and career in general terms. Make sure you have read on this topic and also are familiar with some of the individuals important his life and career (see previous assignments for details).
  5. Third item on next week's agenda will be the discussion of Gershwin's songs. Make sure you have analyzed your two chosen songs and are ready to contribute to a discussion of how Gershwin's music might differ (or simply reflect) the music of his predecessors.
  6. The main activity of next Tuesday should be a discussion of Rhapsody in Blue. To that end, make sure you have done the following:
  7. Complete a fairly extensive analysis of the Rhapsody in Blue. In particular:
  8. Look for an email sent in the past 24-48 hours with some readings related to the Rhapsody.

    9. Future Assignments

  9. For discussion in the following weeks (29-Jan-5 Feb 19) and beyond, begin to learn Gershwin's An American in Paris, his Piano Concerto, and any other orchestral works you can find.
  10. Also, looking two weeks in advance (5 Feb 19), begin to learn whatever you can about Porgy and Bess.

15 JAN 19

  1. Complete any tasks remaining from the 8 Jan 19 list below.
  2. Friendly Reminder # 1: You are to inform me of your book review choices.
  3. Friendly Reminder # 2: Major paper proposals are due in about ten days.
  4. We will begin next Tuesday's meeting (22 Jan 19) with the five remaining individual presentations (do try to adhere to a 10-15 minute maximum time):
  5. Next, we will discuss George Gershwin's life and career in general terms.
  6. Before proceeding to George Gershwin's music, we will have a roundtable discussion of American Popular Song in the era just before Gershwin (c. 1890s to 1910s). Prepare by doing the following:
  7. Next will be a discussion of Gershwin as a song composer. While you will not be asked to make a formal presentation on your chosen songs (emailed to you), do be able to contribute information based on your own study of those songs (in a fashion similar to the prepartion for the earlier songs).
  8. [OPTIONAL READING] None of these is required in any way for this seminar, but these may be of interest to help you understand the place of serious music in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries:

    9. Future Assignments

  9. In about two weeks (29 Jan 19), we should discuss Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. To that end, begin doing the following:
  10. Begin a fairly extensive analysis of the Rhapsody in Blue. In particular:

8 JAN 19

  1. Locate the course web site at http://faculty.cah.ucf.edu/swarfiel/MUH6935/6935home.html and bookmark this site for future reference.
  2. Read the course syllabus (link on the course home page) carefully to make sure that you understand the course objectives, my expectations and your responsibilites.
  3. Before Sunday, 13 January 2019 at 9:00 pm, send me an EMAIL (to: scott.warfield@ucf.edu) from your "Knightsmail" account (as per university policy), and in that message indicate that you have READ and UNDERSTAND the course syllabus. (NB. Failure to follow this instruction in any way, i.e., content, email protocols, missed deadline, etc., will result in you being marked absent for the next and all subsequent classes until you complete this assignment.)
  4. For the next seminar meeting, start to become familiar with the broad background for this course. Specifically, you should begin to read (either in hard copy [REF section of UCF Library] or via the online database "Oxford Music Online" (UCF Library):
  5. Prepare your own brief presentation of your chosen "American Music" topic for next week's seminar meeting (see following point for details):
  6. Note the following for your presentations:
  7. Instructions for the "Book Review" Assignments are now posted on the course web site. Read and follow these carefully, noting the following:
  8. Instructions for the Major Project are now posted on the course web site. Read these carefully, and begin to formulate a topic for submission later this month.

    9. Future Assignments

  9. (possibly next week [15 Jan 19]) Before proceeding to George Gershwin's music, we will have a roundtable discussion of American Popular Song in the era just before Gershwin (c. 1890s to 1910s). Prepare by doing the following:
  10. For a discussion of George Gershwin's life and career (in general terms):