Piano Composition Assignment
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MUS 111
William Wieland
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This composition would be excellent for your e-portfolio or grad school application. I can also place it on my website if you wish. See the right hand column of Free Piano Music.
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Requirements:
- original music created by you this semester
- at least 16 measures
- You must be able to play it.
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Timeline:
- Before Easter — Rough Draft DUE (in the D2L dropbox)
- I give you comments and you make revisions.
- Before the last week of class — Final Draft DUE (in the D2L dropbox)
- I perform them anonymously as walk-in music.
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Suggestions:
- a beautiful melody in the right hand on the upper staff
- wonderful harmony outlined by the left hand on the lower staff (You might refer to the Tree of Harmony.)
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Much piano writing is one note at a time in the right hand and one note at a time in the left hand. Remember the guidelines of last semester's 2-Part Counterpoint Assignment. That is how I composed Contented Pacing 1 and Contented Pacing 2.
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Dance by Kabalevsky — block chords in the left hand
Andantino by Kohler — triad arpeggios in the left hand
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Mozart's famous Sonata in C major uses excellent voice leading in both the alberti bass and scalar passages. Remember the tendency tone worksheet—first half.
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Chopin wrote almost exclusively for piano. We can learn much from his compositions.
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If you are having trouble getting started, you might
- first write a beautiful melody, then harmonize it. Bach frequently did this. This is like harmonizing an unmarked melody for the keyboard competency except that you are composing the melody.
- first write a wonderful harmonic progression, then compose a melody above it. Jazz and blues musicians do this. We did it last semester when we melodized a harmony.
- invent an ostinato at the piano and then add a second part.
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GRADING RUBRIC — You begin with 95 points.
I deduct 95 points if I receive nothing.
I deduct 30 points if I receive a rough draft, but no final draft.
I deduct 15 points if I receive a final draft, but no rough draft.
10 point deductions
- The rough draft is late.
- The composition is late.
- The work is fewer than 16 measures long.
- I am unable to perform the piece.
3 point deductions
- No tempo markings
- No dynamic markings
- No articulations
- No interpretive markings
At the instructor's artistic discretion, your grade may be raised as many as 10 points or lowered as many as 5 points.
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