MUSC

311 Paper I

Due: October 10, 2017

Your assignment is two write two response essays on the topics given below.
What you will be responding to are themes and ideas and/or historical problems
encountered during our exploration of music history. In addressing these, you will
draw on the musical works studied and on source readings. The objective here is to
help you learn to interpret historical documents and to use them as evidence in
structuring a historical narrative but also to synthesize different kinds of knowledge
acquired in class. Please note that this is not a research paperyou cannot
consult sources outside of your course texts and class notes as you ponder
your topic. Consulting any additional sources will automatically result in 0 points
given on the paper (plus a referral to the Honor Council).

Topic 1: Intellectual thought about music in the Antiquity and Middle Ages

Consider the intellectual thought about the ethics and aesthetics of music in the
Antiquity; then trace the evolution of the ideas from the Antiquity through the
Middle Ages. What has changed? What has remained constant? Why?

This is a huge and multifaceted topic and how you pursue it (and, more specifically,
what you focus on) is up to you.

(Re)read Weiss and Taruskin, Documents nos. 1-5, 7-13, 16-18

Topic 2: Development of polyphony

Using your source readings, tell the story of the emergence, development, and
reception of polyphony from the ninth century through the thirteenth century.

(Re)read Weiss and Taruskin, Documents nos. 16-18.

Unlike Topic 1 (which could be explored without reference to specific musical
works), Topic 2 requires that you look closely not only at the historical documents
in the source readings but that you also weave into your discussion examples of
musical works.

Some guidelines:

Length: each essay should be two, double-spaced, typed pages, 12-point font, one-
inch margins. Simply put, you will be turning in four pages of prose (up to 5 pages
will be accepted; any less than 4 or more than 5 will not).

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I am interested to read your best thoughts, expressed in your best prose style.
Therefore, the response should be well-organized, presenting a thesis or basic set of
concepts, exploring these in the context of particular musical examples and writings.

Your response should cite specific passages of prose from the sources (or parts of
musical works) that most effectively support your views. When you cite passages
from our source readings or score anthology, you can use parenthetical notes (for
example: Documents, 29 or Anthology, 21); for musical works, it would also help if
you could make clear which section of a work you are thinking about.

I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the Writing Center as you work on
your responses.

When in doubt about anything, please get in touch with me.