Welcome to the Beginning/Class Composition I website. Please select a destination from the contents list on the right.

Prospective students should be aware of the fact that my courses are challenging and require a lot of time and effort on the part of the students. Because prospective composition majors are required to take both MUCP 1180 and 1190, students in this degree program are expected to be up to the challenge of these courses in order to remain in the program. Those who do not have the drive, discipline, nor the dedication to learn all they can about contemporary music composition are advised to pursue another major.

Course Objective: To explore a variety of compositional techniques, repertoire, concepts, and aesthetics from the recent past, and to provide students interested in composition with the basic tools needed to compose effectively in contemporary idioms. Because music history and theory curricula focus primarily on music from the “common practice” era (c.1600-c.1900), this course supplements that material by focusing on music composed since 1900. Thus, it serves as an important foundation for the study of composition at the undergraduate level. The course is required for all undergraduate composition majors (MUCP 1180) as well as theory and jazz studies majors (MUCP 3080), but is also open to qualified undergraduate and graduate students in all areas of music.

Course Pre-requisites: All students enrolled in this course must fulfill the following pre-requisite requirements:

• Admission to the College of Music;
• Successful completion of the Theory Placement Examination;
• Enrollment in or completion of Theory I (MUTH 1400) and Aural Skills I (MUTH 1410).

Students who do not meet all of the above requirements will be dropped from the course.
Students enrolled in MUCP 1180 who have passed Theory I-IV and Aural Skills I-IV may wish to enroll in MUCP 3080 instead of 1180. The courses meet concurrently, but with the following differences:

• MUCP 3080 is 3 credit hours; MUCP 1180 is 2 credit hours;
• As a 3000-level course, MUCP 3080 may be applied toward advanced elective credits (e.g., for the Bachelor of Arts degree), whereas MUCP 1180 may not.

Class Structure: There are three class meetings each week, divided as follows:

• Lectures: This component is taught by the primary instructor (Dr. Klein) and includes intensive explorations of repertoire, techniques, concepts, and aesthetics presented in the listening, score study, and reading assignments. These topics set the context for the guided composition projects assigned throughout the semester.
• Laboratories: This component is taught by the teaching fellow(s), and focuses primarily on the technical aspects of the composition projects and general compositional issues. Projects are read (performed) and discussed during the lab sessions and topics from the listening, score study, and reading assignments may be further explored through group discussions.
• Departmentals (Music Now): These weekly meetings are attended by all of the composition students from entering freshmen to doctoral candidates. These presentations are intended to expose students to current musical practices and issues, thus supplementing the more historical material covered in the lecture portion of the course.

The regular meeting schedule is departmental (Music Now) on Mondays, lecture on Wednesdays, and laboratory on Fridays; however, this schedule may change in order to accommodate guest artists featured on Music Now (see course schedule for details).

Text books: The following books are used in this course (click image or title to order):

		David Cope: Techniques of the Contemporary Composer.  This overview of compositional techniques and approaches from the past century will help to clarify the concepts covered in the course, and is a handy reference for future compositional studies.
		Kurt Stone: Music Notation in the Twentieth Century.  This is a book that all composition majors — undergraduate and graduate alike — should own, as it will prove to be a useful resource throughout your entire compositional career.  While not required for MUCP 1180/3080, it is strongly recommended for any student who is seriously considering becoming a composition major.

Course History: Since 1999, over 300 students have enrolled in this course, approximately 10% of whom have graduated with Bachelor of Music degrees in composition. Other students have gone on to complete degrees in a number of other majors, both within and outside the field of music, including the Bachelor of Arts degree in Music.