Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Upon successful completion students should be able to:

Attain fluent musical language mastery in order to consciously observe musical form in the masterworks of the western world through listening, harmonic analysis and music composition in order to appreciate simultaneously the uniqueness of a work, its origins and precedent, its potential as an influence and inspiration on other works, and its relationship to a particular cultural moment.
Exhibit advanced musicianship (good tone production, stylistically proper phrasing, execution of dynamics and articulations) by applying components of music theory through musical expression.
Generalize listening experience to music that is not part of the western art music tradition so that he/she can understand and value the music of the peoples of the world in all-encompassing ways.
Acquire a personal musical language in the composition of original musical works.

The instructor should make the criteria for assigning a course grade and for evaluating student progress clear at the beginning of the term. The individual instructor will determine the methods of assessment. Assessment methods may include:

Qualitative examinations
Quantitative examinations
Homework assignments
Music presentations
Class participation
Composition projects
Small group work/problem solving
Concert reports

Basic Schenkerian Theory
… Pitch hierarchy
… Primary tones
… Secondary tones
… Embellishing tones
… Melodic reduction
Dominant Type Harmony
… Major-minor seventh chords
… Leading tone seventh chords
… Common practice period resolution and voicing guidelines
… Establishing tonality
Non Dominant Seventh Chords
… MM7, mm7
… Use of non dominants in common practice period music
Secondary Function (tonicization)
… Secondary dominant function
… Secondary leading tone chord function
… Tonicization vs. modulation
Modulation
… Diatonic pivot chord modulation
… Chromatic modulation
… Labeling practices
Dramatic Intensity and Shape
… Harmonic and tonal devices
… Textural devices
… Dynamic and articulation devices
… Rhythmic devices
… Inductive vs. deductive analysis
Large Scale Form
… Simple binary
… Rounded binary
… Ternary
… Common practice period harmonic plans
COMPETENCIES/SKILLS
The following skills are expected to be achieved to successfully meet the minimum requirement ("C" or "Pass") of the course.

• Create and read a basic melodic reduction according to Schenkerian Theory.
• Successfully build and resolve dominant seventh harmonies according to common practice period voice leading guidelines.
• Successfully identify voice-leading errors in use of dominant type harmonies according to common practice period voice leading guidelines.
• Successfully build, identify and label non-dominant seventh harmonies.
• Successfully build, resolve and identify secondary dominant type harmonies according to common practice period guidelines.
• Successfully identify tonicization within a basic composition.
• Create original examples of tonicization.
• Successfully identify and label diatonic pivot chord and chromatic modulations within a common practice period composition.
• Accurately diagram common formal structures including binary and ternary forms.
• Accurately identify the overall form of a basic common practice period composition.