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MUC-319 S01: Advanced Orchestration
MUC-319 S01: Advanced Orchestration
Required Materials:
Blatter, Alfred. Instrumentation and Orchestration. 2nd ed. New York: Schirmer Books, 1997.
Online: Instrument Studies for Eyes and Ears (ISFEE)
Attendance/Participation (10%)
Attendance is required for all class sessions. If the course meets three days a week, you may miss up
to four classes without penalty. If the course meets two days a week, you may miss three classes
without penalty. Each additional absence will result in the lowering of your final grade. One absence
over the limit lowers your grade by 3% (a third of a letter grade), a second over the limit lowers it by
a full letter grade (9%), and a third over the limit results in failure of the course.
An absence is any time that you miss class, whether for sickness, performance obligation, or any
other
reason. All Absences are treated the same! There is no difference between an excused or
unexcused absence. You are responsible for learning all materials that you miss, and you are
required to make up all work missed as a result of absence by the beginning of the next class session.
You may also be marked absent for coming to class unprepared, for being inattentive (i.e.: sleeping,
texting, doing homework for other classes, for unreasonably long or numerous trips to the restroom)
during class, or for leaving before the end of the lesson.
Be prepared to attend concerts (on- and off-campus for variety!) and document moments of interest
in terms of orchestrational color. Specific details will be given when assignments are issued.
Symphony and Wind Ensemble are most relevant for observations, but large chamber groups are also
acceptable. No limitations on style, genre, etc. Chamber music concerts are not acceptable.
Final Project (50%)
The final project is a piece written for either Symphony Orchestra or Symphonic Band. Composers
enrolled in the course who are participating in the Spring Composers Forum will work on their
orchestra piece; all others will transcribe a piano, organ, or vocal piece to a large ensemble, to be
decided during Week 1. This is the largest part of the course grade! There is no midterm project,
per se; instead we will meet individually to discuss edits to your final project draft. You will be
required to submit sample parts (orch: ww, str, prc; swe: ww, br, prc) in addition to a printed and
bound score.
COURSE SCHEDULE
***Subject to change***
Week 1:
Introductions; Syllabus.
Score and Parts again!! It’s that important! (Your scores will be read by conductors who are not me!)
Common Threads/History of Orchestration: Brahms, Berlioz, Rimsky-Korsakoff
Week 2:
Common Threads/History of Orchestration: Mahler, Sibelius
Week 3:
Common Threads/History, continued: Britten, Prokofiev
Week 4:
Percussion: Orchestra and Wind Ensemble
Week 5:
Winds and Brass: Orchestra and Wind Ensemble
Week 6:
Orchestration as color: Stravinsky, Adams
Week 7:
Orchestration as color, continued: Druckman, Stucky
Week 8:
SCORE DRAFT #1 DUE
Week 9:
Orchestra as Experiment: Ligeti, Adès
Week 10:
Orchestra as Experiment, continued: Grisey, Haas
Week 11:
Wind Ensemble as Transcription: Dzubay, Husa, Whitacre, Mackey
SCORE DRAFT #2 DUE
Week 12:
Wind Ensemble as Classical Genre: Hindemith, Stravinsky
Week 13:
Wind Ensemble as Contemporary Genre: Maslanka, Schwantner, Thomas
FINAL SCORE DUE
Week 14:
Orchestra as Popular Medium: Film and Television Scores: Williams, Elfman, Brion, Newman, etc.
THANKSGIVING BREAK
Week 15:
Orchestra as Popular Medium: Film and Television Scores: Williams, Elfman, Brion, Newman, etc.
SAMPLE PARTS DUE
Orchestra Repertoire
Adams, John: Harmonielehre (III)
Adès, Thomas: Asyla (III)
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Brahms, Johannes: Symphony no. 2 in D Major, Symphony no. 3 in F Major
Britten, Benjamin: 4 Sea Interludes
Druckman, Jacob: Counterpoise, Windows
Grisey, Gerard: Partiels
Haas, Georg Friedrich: Violin Concerto
Mahler, Gustav: Symphony no. 6 in A Minor
Prokofiev, Serge: Romeo & Juliet (excerpts)
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade
Sibelius, Jean: Symphony no. 7 in C Major
Stravinsky, Igor: The Rite of Spring
Stucky, Steven: Concerto for Orchestra no. 2