Composition
Errata
| Item | Errata | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1. |
The following unit is now available in Semester 1: CMPN4620 Independent Arts Professional |
25/2/2019 |
| 2. |
The folowing unit is no longer available in 2019: CMPN1310 Percussion Composition Workshop |
25/2/2019 |
Composition Studies
CMPN1000 Composition Through Improvisation 1
Credit points: 3 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Kevin Hunt Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1hr workshop/wk Assessment: Weekly assignments (70%), final recorded composition (30%). Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit aims, through performance, to help students develop vital aural and improvisational skills which will significantly enhance their compositional process.
CMPN1003 Composition Through Improvisation 2
Credit points: 3 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Kevin Hunt Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1hr workshop/wk Prerequisites: CMPN1000 Assessment: Weekly assignments (70%), final recorded composition (30%). Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit continues to develop through performance and investigation into experimental modes of presentation, to help students develop vital aural and improvisational skills which will significantly enhance their compositional process.
CMPN1010 Vocal Composition Workshop
Credit points: 3 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Paul Stanhope Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1 x 2 hr seminar per week; All day workshop of composition ideas in Special Projects Week; Extra rehearsal time outside class in preparation for performance of student works; composition time (2 hours per week); score study and listening (1 hour per week). Prerequisites: CMPN1331 or CMPN1601 Assumed knowledge: Sight singing; basic choral skills required; familiarity with music notation and music notation software. Assessment: Composition for vocal ensemble (50%); Performance and rehearsal, professional participation (15%); Two short compositions (35%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: if prerequisite not met, you may request special permission
Music for the voice is found across a range of styles from the ancient sounds of plainsong through to the music of Icelandic pop star, Bjork. Creative Vocal Ensemble provides the opportunity to workshop new compositions for groups of voices. Students analyse compositions from an eclectic range of styles that are covered in lecture/seminars in order to inform the creation of new works. Students taking this course will comprise a 'resident ensemble' in which the studied works may lead to the creation of new musical languages in student compositions.
CMPN1310 Percussion Composition Workshop
Credit points: 3 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Damien Ricketson Session: Semester 1 Classes: 2hr seminar/week Prerequisites: CMPN1331 OR CMPN1601 Assessment: Series of composition exercises for solo and ensemble percussion (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: if prerequisite not met, you may apply for special permission
Percussion Composer Workshop is designed to develop compositional practice via hands-on performance-oriented curricula. This Unit of Study is will provide composition students with insights into playing and composing for percussion instruments. A basic and tactile understanding of percussion sounds and playing techniques, together with ensemble experience is an essential foundation for successful composition in this creative medium. After successfully completing this unit of study, students will be able to: demonstrate rudimentary percussion playing techniques; increase their understanding and ability to accurately conceptualise and perform complex rhythms; have performed in a percussion ensemble on a variety of percussion instruments; have composed works exploring the colour and rhythmic potential of the percussion medium.
CMPN1331 Concepts of Music Through Composition 1
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Paul Stanhope Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1 x 2hr lecture/fortnight, 1 x 2hr tutorial/fortnight, 1 x 1hr arrangement lecture / Assessment: 4 x composition assignments to the equivalent of 4000wds (60%), 2 x arrangement assignments to the equivalent of 2000wds (30%) Participation/application (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
The rationale behind this unit of study is to explore fundamental concepts of music as related to build upon Concepts of Music through Composition 1 where fundamental concepts of music are explored via the medium of a portfolio of compositions. Musical compositions may be completed via various means: musical notation, improvisation, recorded audio and their combinations. It also allows for students to curate an individual creative project and be supported via a scaffolded process. This unit is the first pathway for students interested in exploring such issues in the Creative Music program as part of the Bachelor of Music.
CMPN1332 Concepts of Music Through Composition 2
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Paul Stanhope Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1 x 2hr lecture/fortnight, 1 x 2hr tutorial/fortnight, 1 x 1hr creative project seminar / week Prerequisites: CMPN1331 Assessment: 4 x composition assignments to the equivalent of 4000wds (60%), 1 x creative project to the equivalent of 2000wds (30%) participation/application Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The rationale behind this unit of study is to build upon Concepts of Music through Composition 1 where fundamental concepts of music are explored via the medium of a portfolio of compositions. the practice of musical composition. Musical compositions may be completed via various means: musical notation, improvisation, recorded audio and their combinations. It also allows for students to curate an individual creative project and be supported via a scaffolded process.
CMPN1611 Instrumentation and Orchestration
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Carl Vine Session: Semester 1 Classes: 2 hour seminar/wk Assessment: short orchestration exercises (45%), score analysis presentation (20%), large ensemble arrangement (35%). Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Instrumentation and Orchestration, enhances students' knowledge of the modern orchestra while reinforcing core musicianship skills. Instrumentation study investigates the technical limitations and expressive potential of individual instruments. Orchestration examines a range of instrumental combinations in diverse styles and ensemble contexts, and requires that students learn best typographic practice and current conventions of notation and score layout. In examining instrumental characteristics the unit will also cover the fundamentals of acoustics and timbre perception, and will demand a thorough grasp of the harmonic series and its broader musical implications. Throughout the course students will be required to present their own arrangements and transcriptions.
CMPN1612 New Music, New Thinking
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Damien Ricketson Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1 x 1hr lecture/week, 1 x 1hr tutorial/week Assessment: Three assessment items: (1) essay (50%); weekly engagement in discussion and creative exercises (30%) and; (3) portfolio of three small creative works (20%). Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
New Music, New Thinking is designed to challenge the way in which students understand the music of our time. Through analyses of recent music and artistic themes, discussion and creative tasks, students will be exposed to a variety of compositional techniques, concepts and aesthetics. The content and assessment of this subject will enable students to further develop critical thinking concerning their future contribution to the world of new music be it in composition, performance, musicology or education.
CMPN2320 Music Notation and Publishing
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr James Humberstone Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1 x 2hr seminar in computer lab/week Assessment: 1 x portfolio of series of exercises (60%), 1 x score presentation (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Music Notation and Publishing builds student capacity to notate music at a professional industry standard. Through study of published scores and text books on music notation, students learn what the standards of music notation are, and how to approach complex or difficult notation problems. Students gain experience in all of the main professional notation software titles with experts in their use, with the aim to develop workflows that will save thousands of hours over their careers. A series of short challenges develops skills in key areas of music publishing, such as the preparation of scores and parts, piano reductions, film score standards, and much more. The final assessment project allows the class to work as a professional music preparation service, engraving a first edition of an important Australian work as a team.
Textbooks
Behind Bars by Elaine Gould.
CMPN2510 Scoring and Arranging for the Screen
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Damien Ricketon Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1 x 2hr lecture/week, 1 x 1hr lab/week Assessment: weekly lab tasks (20%), 1 x spotting, conceptualising and sketching assignment (20%), 1 x score reduction assignment (20%), 1 x full score (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
An application of various musical skills and disciplines pertinent to today's music industry, this unit of study explores fundamental aspects of composing, arranging and orchestrating for the screen. Theoretical principles are drawn from dramaturgy and cinematography, and applied to concerns of form, aesthetics, orchestration and technology to inform the various practical processes of preparing a music score from its inception to the delivery of parts for a recording session. Scoring and Arranging for the Screen offers a pragmatic approach to negotiating the pressing demands faced by screen composers in today's film and television industry.
CMPN2613 Comp Techniques: Number and Process
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Prof Michael Smetanin Session: Semester 1 Classes: 2 hour seminar/week Prerequisites: CMPN1612 Assessment: Two analytical essays of set works, combined with short compositional tasks: 3,000 words each (2x50%). Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Strong music theory and notation skills are essential in this unit of study
This unit of study looks at classic techniques and processes in composition which emerged during the middle to the later part of the twentieth century. The focus is on key works of this period by composers such as Stockhausen, Xenakis and Ligeti and others. The material covered will enable the student to strengthen their own repertoire of compositional techniques and allow them to understand their own work in a clear historical context.
CMPN2614 Comp Techniques: Tonality and Process
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Prof Michael Smetanin Session: Semester 2 Classes: 2 hour seminar/week Prerequisites: CMPN2613 or CMPN2011 Assessment: Two analytical essays of set work combined with short compositional tasks: 3,000 words each (2x50%). Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Strong music theory and notation skills are essential in this unit of study
This unit of study looks at techniques and processes in tonal and minimalist composition which emerged during the later part of the twentieth century. The focus is on key works of this period by composers such as Andriessen, Reich, Adams and others. The material covered will enable the student to strengthen their own repertoire of compositional technique and allow them to understand their work in a clear historical context.
CMPN3620 Advanced Instrumentation and Orchestrat
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Assoc. Prof Michael Smetanin Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1 hr seminar and 1 hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: CMPN1611 Assumed knowledge: Students should be competent in score writing and fundamental knowledge of instruments and orchestration while also having composition experience. Assessment: 2 Short instrument tasks 25% each, 1 major orchestration assignment 50% Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The study of advanced orchestration and instrumentation techniques of the 20th and 21stcenturies and application of these to orchestration Task and a major orchestration assignment.
MUSC2614 Composition Workshop
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Prof Anne Boyd Session: Semester 1 Classes: 3 hr workshop/wk Prerequisites: 18 Junior credit points Assessment: Contribution in classes and concerts (20%), composition portfolio and process diary (70%), aural and/or written presentations (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
An opportunity to create a new composition in a supported environment. Students will hear their works rehearsed and performed, usually by other participating students. The outcome is a performance in a public concert at the end of the semester. The workshops may be themed around particular genres and musical techniques such as music theatre, drone-based composition, song-writing, sound and rhythm, creating a sound space and media composition.
Composer Performer Workshop
CMPN3000 Composer Performer Workshop 1
Credit points: 3 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Prof Michael Smetanin Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 2hr workshop/wk Assessment: For composers: Professional approach in workshops (60%) and CPW concert attendance, submission of program notes and 2 copies of each score to be played, concert management duties such as stage managing and preparation of programs and publicity (40%). For performers: Professional approach in workshops (50%), Performance at the CPW concerts (30%), Classroom presentation of instrumental techniques (20%). Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The Composer Performer Workshop provides both composers and performers with the opportunity to work together in the performance of new and experimental works.
CMPN3001 Composer Performer Workshop 2
Credit points: 3 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Prof Michael Smetanin Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 2hr workshop/wk Prerequisites: CMPN3000 Assessment: For composers: Professional approach in workshops (60%) and CPW concert attendance, submission of program notes and 2 copies of each score to be played, concert management duties such as stage managing and preparation of programs and publicity (40%). For performers: Professional approach in workshops (50%), Performance at the CPW concerts (30%), Classroom presentation of instrumental techniques (20%). Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The Composer Performer Workshop provides both composers and performers with the opportunity to work together in the performance of new and experimental works.
CMPN4000 Composer Performer Workshop 3
Credit points: 3 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Prof Michael Smetanin Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 2hr workshop/wk Prerequisites: CMPN3001 Assessment: For composers: Professional approach in workshops (60%) and CPW concert attendance, submission of program notes and 2 copies of each score to be played, concert management duties such as stage managing and preparation of programs and publicity (40%). For performers: Professional approach in workshops (50%), Performance at the CPW concerts (30%), Classroom presentation of instrumental techniques (20%). Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The Composer Performer Workshop provides both composers and performers with the opportunity to work together in the performance of new and experimental works.
CMPN4001 Composer Performer Workshop 4
Credit points: 3 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Prof Michael Smetanin Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 2hr workshop/wk Prerequisites: CMPN4000 Assessment: For composers: Professional approach in workshops (60%) and CPW concert attendance, submission of program notes and 2 copies of each score to be played, concert management duties such as stage managing and preparation of programs and publicity (40%). For performers: Professional approach in workshops (50%), Performance at the CPW concerts (30%), Classroom presentation of instrumental techniques (20%). Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The Composer Performer Workshop provides both composers and performers with the opportunity to work together in the performance of new and experimental works.