Readings and Music

Notes on the Table

Citations in the Musical Works column include links to online public domain scores and suggested recordings.

  • Scores: the link on a work's title goes to the relevant page at the Internet Music Score Library Project (IMSLP).
  • Recordings: the small Amazon logo before the citation is a link to the recording at Amazon.com.
LEC # TOPICS READINGS MUSICAL WORKS (SCORES & RECORDINGS)
I: Introduction
1-4

What is musical analysis? Writing about music

Tovey, Sir Donald Francis. "Haydn, Pianoforte Sonata in E Flat, No. 1." In Essays in Musical Analysis: Chamber Music. Vol. VII. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1944, pp. 93-104.

Buy at Amazon Harris, Ellen. "Ground Bass Techniques." Chapter 8 in Henry Purcell's 'Dido and Aeneas'. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1988, pp. 107, and 116-119. ISBN: 9780193152533.

Buy at Amazon Epstein, David. "Rhythmic/Metric Structure: Examples." Chapter 3 in Shaping Time: Music, the Brain, and Performance. New York, NY: Schirmer Books, 1995. ISBN: 9780028733203.

Buy at Amazon Kerman, Joseph. "The Razumovsky Quartets." Chapter 5 in The Beethoven Quartets. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Co., 1979. ISBN: 9780393009095.

Haydn, Franz Joseph. Piano Sonata No. 52 in E flat, 1st movement.
Buy at Amazon Solo Piano Music: Haydn, Schumann, Handel, Brahms, Reger, Smetena. András Schiff, piano. Warner Classics, 2007.

Purcell, Henry. "Dido's Lament" ('When I am laid in earth', no. 37) from Dido and Aeneas.
Buy at Amazon Dido and Aeneas. Jessye Norman, soprano; English Chamber Orchestra, Raymond Leppard, conductor. Philips, 1990.

Haydn, Franz Joseph. Symphony No. 101 in D major, Movement III (Minuet).
Buy at Amazon The "London" Symphonies: nos. 100-104. New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein. Sony Classical, 1992.

Beethoven, Ludwig van. String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59, No. 2, 1st movement.
Buy at Amazon Beethoven: The Complete String Quartets, Vol. 2. Julliard String Quartet.

Analysis examples: see study materials.

II: Rhythm and phrase
5-8

Meter, rhythm, grouping, phrase. Musical form: Period, section, 'binary' and 'rounded binary' form

Buy at Amazon Cooper, Grosvenor, and Leonard B. Meyer. "Definitions and Principles," and "Rhythms on Lower Architectonic Levels." Chapters 1 and 2 in The Rhythmic Structure of Music. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1963. ISBN: 9780226115221.

Buy at Amazon Lerdahl, Fred, and Ray Jackendoff. "Introduction to Rhythmic Structure." Chapter 2 in A Generative Theory of Tonal Music. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1996. ISBN: 9780262621076.

Buy at Amazon Cone, Edward T. "The Picture and the Frame: The Nature of Musical Form." Chapter 1 in Musical Form and Musical Performance. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Co., 1968. ISBN: 9780393097672.

Schumann, Robert. Excerpts from Kinderszenen, Op. 15.
Buy at Amazon Schumann: Kinderszenen/Carnaval/Faschingsschwank aus Wien. Daniel Barenboim, piano. Deutsche Grammophon, 1991.

Haydn, Franz Joseph. Symphony No. 101 in D major, Movement III (Minuet).

Buy at Amazon The "London" Symphonies: nos. 100-104. New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein. Sony Classical, 1992.

Analysis examples: see study materials.

III: Melody and line
9-12

Melodic prolongation; contrapuntal, decorative tones versus structural tones; 'reduction'

Buy at Amazon Christ, William, et al. "Basic Melody," and "Melodic Elaboration." Chapters 7 and 8 in Materials and Structure of Music, vol. 1. 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1980. ISBN: 9780135604175.

Buy at Amazon Forte, Allen, and Steven E. Gilbert. "Melodic Diminutions." Chapter 1 in Introduction to Schenkerian Analysis. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Co., 1982. ISBN: 9780393951929.

Bellini, Vincenzo. Norma, Act I, scene 4, Scena e Cavatina, "Casta Diva."
Buy at Amazon Norma. Maria Callas, soprano; Orchestra e Corro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Tullio Serafin, conductor. Recorded September 5-12, 1960. EMI Classics, 1997.

Chopin, Frederic. Etude in F minor, Op. 25, No. 2.
Buy at Amazon Steinway Legends: Martha Argerich. Deutsche Grammophon, 2006.

———. Prelude Op. 28, No. 6 in B minor.
Buy at Amazon Chopin: 24 Preludes; Polonaise-fantaisie. Loius Lortie. Chandos, 1998.

Bach, J. S. Two Part Invention, No. 13, BWV 784, in A Minor.
Buy at Amazon Inventionen & Sinfonien: The Two-Part and Three-Part Inventions. Kenneth Gilbert. Archiv/Polygram, 1990.

Analysis examples: see study materials.

IV: Harmony and voice leading
13-14

Harmonic prolongation 1 (local)

Buy at Amazon Schenker, Heinrich. "Scale-Steps and Harmony," and "Scale-Step and Counterpoint." Chapters 1 and 2 of Section II "Theory of Scale-Steps" in Harmony. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1980. ISBN: 9780226737348.

Bach, J. S. Motet "Jesu, meine Freude" (BWV 227)
Buy at Amazon Bach: Motets. Scholars Baroque Ensemble. Naxos, 1997.

———. Chorale Preludes I (Orgelbüchlein) "Jesu, meine Freude" (no. 12, BWV 610)
Buy at Amazon Bach: Orgelbuchlein. Wolfgang Zerer, organ. Haenssler Classics, 1999.

15-16

Harmonic prolongation 2 (large scale, modulation)

Buy at Amazon Salzer, Felix. "Structure and Prolongation I," and "Structure and Prolongation II." Chapters 5 and 6 in Structural Hearing. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 1962. ISBN: 9780486222752. (View this work in Google Books.)

Mozart, Wolfgang A. Piano Sonata in A major, K. 331.
Buy at Amazon Alicia de Larrocha II: Great Pianists of the 20th Century. Alicia de Larrocha, piano. Philips, 1999.

Schumann, Robert. "Wenn ich in deiner Augen seh," from Dichterliebe, Op. 48.
Buy at Amazon An die Musik. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Deutsche Grammophon, 2005.

Analysis examples: see study materials.

V: Motive and theme
17-18

Melodic/rhythmic/harmonic characteristics; motivic transformation; 'Basic shape' (Grundgestalt)

Buy at Amazon Reti, Rudolph. "The Thematic Plan of the Ninth Symphony," and "Schumann's Kinderszenen: A 'Theme with Variations.'" Chapters 1 and 2 in The Thematic Process In Music. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press Reprint, 1978. ISBN: 9780837198750. (Reprint of Faber & Faber 1961.)

Buy at Amazon Epstein, David. Beyond Orpheus: Studies in Musical Structure. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1979, chapters 2 and 3. ISBN: 9780262550543.

Brahms, Johannes. "Intermezzo No. 2 in A," from 6 Klavierstücke, Op. 118.
Buy at Amazon Brahms: Works for Solo Piano. Julius Katchen, piano. London/Decca, 1997.

Schumann, Robert. "Wenn ich in deiner Augen seh," from Dichterliebe, Op. 48.
Buy at Amazon An die Musik. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Deutsche Grammophon, 2005.

———. Excerpts from Kinderszenen, Op. 15.
Buy at Amazon Schumann: Kinderszenen/Carnaval/Faschingsschwank aus Wien. Daniel Barenboim, piano. Deutsche Grammophon, 1991.

Analysis examples: see study materials.

19-20

Oral presentations

VI: Sonata form
21-23

Sonata form

Buy at Amazon Berry, Wallace. "Sonata." Chapter 6 in Form in Music. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1985. ISBN: 9780133292855.

Buy at Amazon Rosen, Charles. "Theories of Form." Chapter 2 in The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven. Expanded ed. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Co, 1998. ISBN: 9780393317121.

Beethoven, Ludwig van. Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47 ("Kreutzer "), first movement.
Buy at Amazon Beethoven: Violin concerto, "Kreutzer" sonata. Vadim Repin, violin. Deutsche Grammophon, 2007.

VII: Program music
24-25 Program music Kivy, Peter, et al. "Symposium: On Kivy's Philosophy of Music." Journal of Aesthetic Education 27, no. 1 (Spring 1993): 1-29.

Strauss, Richard. Tod und Verklärung, Op. 24.
Buy at Amazon James Levine: a celebration in music. MET Orchestra. Deutsche Grammophon, 2003.

Analysis examples: see study materials.