MUS 715 Analysis Audrey MillerWilliam Wieland
Print 2 full scores. One for your rough draft and one for your final draft.
  1. Big Picture — Diagram the form of movement I. Please note the principle sections and keys. Include measure numbers. Submit this diagram in the D2L Dropbox "Analysis Big Picture".

    The diagram should easily fit on a single sheet of paper. I will accept a timeline, an arch map, a bullet list, an outline, or another illustration if you have something else in mind. This diagram should reflect your understanding of the overall structure. This is the first stage of your analysis.

    Beethoven uses a common form for the first movement of this symphony. It is not in song form, but if it was, I would expect you to show me the A A B A form with a nice graphic including principle keys, major themes, and measure numbers. (For principle keys, refer to the Name that key assignment from week 3.)

    After everyone has submitted a diagram, I will make sure your description of the movement is accurate—without lowering your grade.

  2. Selection — Choose a piece to analyze from the following list:
    1. Analyze Anton Bruckner's Ave Maria. Recordings are widely available online.
    2. Analyze Gustav Holst's Second Suite for Military Band in F major (Condensed Score). Recordings and a handwritten score can be found at imslp.
    3. Analyze Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals with a focus on one or more of the movements. Again, you can find numerous online recordings.
    4. Create 5 days of lesson plans that guide students through an anaylsis of some portion of Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals. You choose the grade level of your target class. As an example, Mallory Scott created Nutcracker Lesson Plans for elementary music students.
    5. Band Composition — Holst First Suite for Military Band in E flat major, movement 1 (condensed score) from the BandMusic PDF Library.
    6. Orchestral Composition — Schubert “Unfinished” Symphony, movement 1 (condensed score)
    7. Elgar “Nimrod” from the Enigma Variations (Piano Solo by Elgar) — Strings, Winds, and Timpani
    8. Grainger “The Lost Lady Found” from Lincolnshire Posy (Compressed Full Score, pages 35–41) — Winds and Percussion
    9. Mozart Ave verum corpus (vocal score) — Choir and either a Keyboard or Strings

    It must use at least 3 staves and be at least 5 minutes long. In 2 weeks you will need to send me a score and recording. I encourage you to choose an all-state, contest, concert or recital piece you plan to conduct or perform. Submit the following information to William.Wieland@northern.edu.
    • Title
    • Composer
    • Instrumentation
    • Duration

  3. First Draft — Listen to the music repeatedly. You will undoubtedly hear things you will not see. Your ear knows. Submit the following items in the D2L Dropbox "Analysis 1st Draft":
    • one more elucidative graphic that chronicles Beethoven's gradual transformation of the opening motive — You might use staff paper. — Note that the second theme is closely related to the opening and the development fragments that theme.
    • 3–5 pages of analysis — Interpret what you have described. Tell how or why this piece of music works and, by extension, how it might have been composed or how it might be performed, heard, or taught. This Music Analysis Writing Guide might prove helpful.

  4. Second Draft — Listen to the music again. Submit all revised items in the D2L Dropbox "Analysis 2nd Draft". Please act upon my recommendations for the first draft and read Writing a Readable Analysis Paper and Examples of Really Good Analysis Writing from the San Francisco Conservatory Department of Musicianship and Music Theory for more ideas. Finally, the Internet offers much excellent writing advice, e.g. Of Time and the Pig. You might search "essay writing".

  5. Final Draft — Listen once more. Before making final edits, read your paper aloud. Awkward passages are more apparent when spoken. (This advice is from a graduate school professor.) Submit your polished analysis in the D2L Dropbox "Analysis Final Draft". Please act upon my recommendations for the second draft. Though content is most important, I expect succinct writing, proper grammar, and correct spelling. Place this document in your MME Capstone Portfolio as well.