Theory
1. Analysis Portfolio
The analysis portfolio consists of three written analyses. You will be given a choice of pieces from different repertoires (typically modal, tonal, post-tonal) from which you’re asked to select two. The third piece is entirely your own choice. This is an opportunity to tackle non-standard repertories, if you wish, especially those that you might want to specialize in for your dissertation work.
Each essay should be about 4,000 words long (not counting analytical graphs). Some of the pieces may have been analyzed before. We are not interested in a literature review; it is not necessary to consult existing analyses. We are most interested in your our own analytical insights. (That said, obviously you should reference any sources you consult.)
Your portfolio should show an engagement with at least two established theories in your analytical essays. These may be the well-known bodies of theory (pc-set, Schenker, neo-Riemannian, sonata theories, etc.) that make up the theorist’s toolkit. Or they may be an adaptation of a theorist’s special insight, maneuver, tool, or approach that you transfer to the music you are analyzing. In the latter case, you should explain carefully what the theoretical insight is (using references and footnotes as appropriate) and how you are applying it.
The list of pieces will be announced around the end of the Fall semester. That way you have the winter break, the spring semester, and even part of the summer of your generals, to work on your portfolio. We generally recommend writing at least a rough draft of the essays at the earliest time possible so that you get the work for this exam out of the way before it takes away time from other things that may become urgent later on. After the pieces are announced, you cannot discuss the individual pieces with faculty members, but you may consult them if you have general questions about analytical approaches or theoretical issues.
You should choose your third piece carefully. Make sure the piece is not too long and sustains analytical interest. If you are choosing a piece from a nonstandard repertory you may need to reserve some part of your argument for an introduction to some of the issues of the repertoire that the general reader may not be familiar with. Here, too, you are allowed to consult faculty about general questions, but the ultimate choice of a piece is yours.
2. Written Exams
There are three written exams. Ideally they will be spaced out so that there is no more than one exam per day during the exam period, but there may be situations in which two exams on the same day cannot be avoided. Each exam is three hours long. Typically you will be asked to choose two questions from a longer list. Be sure to allocate an appropriate amount of time to each question, bearing in mind that the selection process may also take some time. Prepare for this exam by writing timed essays in the weeks before the generals.
The three written exams will be as follows:
(1) Critical Issues in Music Theory
This exam will ask you to comment critically on a range of recent issues and debates in music theory. The topics will be covered in the bibliography of the recurring graduate seminar 221, Current Issues in Music Theory.
(2) History of Music Theory
This exam will focus on the works of a small range of central figures in the history of music theory (currently Boethius, Zarlino, Rameau, Helmholtz, Schoenberg). These figures may be changed and adapted from time to time. The recurring graduate seminar 220 History of Music Theory will help prepare you for this exam. You will be expected to be familiar with the work of two of these figures, their intellectual context, and the issues that arose from their work.
(3) Special Field
This is an opportunity to prepare a field that may lead to a dissertation topic. The specifics of the topic and the appropriate bibliography are determined by the end of the Spring semester at the latest in consultation with the faculty.
3. Syllabus or Media Project
Here you have a choice between two kinds of exams: either a syllabus of no more than 20pp. or a substantial creative or scholarly project using sound or digital media. The products of this exam will often become useful for application purposes later on in your career: either as a sample syllabus for a teaching portfolio, or as a demonstration of your experience in the digital humanities. You should pin down the specifics of your project by the start of the Spring semester.
(a) Syllabus The syllabus is no longer than 20pp and contains all the requisite parts. Explanatory text, at the beginning of the document, or in the week-to-week components, is particularly important here. It should cover a topic of analytical interest, broadly conceived. The course should be appropriate for upper-level undergraduates, with weekly meetings over the course of a semester of ca. 13 weeks. Each week should have specific materials listed, and a substantial part of the meetings should discuss a musical repertoire or repertoires, which should be identified in the syllabus. The topic and scope of the syllabus is determined in consultation with the faculty. The bibliography leading to the syllabus can be discussed with the faculty, but not the syllabus itself.
(b) Creative or scholarly media project For this exam you will produce a substantial media project of scholarly or creative merit commenting on music-theoretical questions (broadly conceived). This can take a number of forms or creative expressions, usually involving some form of recording technology and/or digital media. (Where appropriate, for instance in the case of a creative project of an artistic nature, you can supply additional written explanatory text, especially to explain its significance for music theory.) The nature and scope of this project are determined in consultation with the faculty. You can discuss bibliography and general questions with the faculty, but not the project itself. For technical and media-related questions you may consult the appropriate staff member.
4. Oral exam
About a week or so after the written exams you will be asked to take an oral exam that will focus on all the work that you have generated for your generals, as outlined above under points 1–3. This oral exam is typically 90 minutes long and will usually take the form of a conversation. It is an opportunity to revise, clarify, or refine your answers, if necessary, and to talk about any points that you didn’t have time to mention in the timed exams. It is also an opportunity to expand the conversation into future dissertations topics, especially as concerns the parts of the exam that allow you to specialize (third analysis, special field, etc.). Students often report that they found the oral exam to be much more enjoyable than they anticipated.