Fourth Assignment

Due: December 11, 1997

Name:___________________________

You have been asked to write a review of one of the works presented on the +526 concert. Your role is to inform about the concert and present an objective view. It should be between 2 and 3 pages long and it should include the following:

1. Facts about the composer (as many items you can cover in a paragraph or two)
   • Who is he ?
   • Education
   • Career, honors
   • Life and times...
   • etc.

   10 points

2. Analysis of the work (discuss as many items as appropriate):
   • composition techniques employed
   • methods of sound production
   • improvisation ? to what extent ? what are the rules ?
   • form/textures; proportions
   • instrumentation; fixed or variable ? extended techniques ?
   • notation; what does the score look like ?
   • anything else you find out

   60 points

3. Aesthetics: what were the composer's intentions/beliefs ? (Do not discuss the validity of his aesthetics or of his views - just state them).

   10 points

4. Performance of the work:
   • how accurate was it ?
   • how different from available recordings
   • what would you have done differently ?

   20 points

JUSTIFY ALL YOUR DECISIONS.

You will have to be resourceful in finding sources of information about the work you analyze. Search the School of Music Library; the WWW; talk to the composer and/or talk to one or more performers; ask to see the score; find out if there are any recordings available of the same piece.

Use the guidelines for analyzing electroacoustic music provided in class; they offer many suggestions that go beyond a particular media.

This will be a time consuming assignment if done right

Attach your TYPED review to this front page.