MUCP 1180/3080 — Beginning/Class Composition I: Additional Course Resources
This page contains a variety of additional materials that are relevant to the course, including supplemental readings and links to interesting websites.
Composition Student Community
Students interested in majoring in composition are encouraged to fully participate in the program. The following resources will allow students to become actively involved with the community of composers at UNT:
- Visit the UNT Composition Division website.
- Register for the UNT composers' listserv.
- Join the UNT Composers' Forum.
Supplemental Readings
Materials currently required for the course may be accessed on the course Readings page.
Miscellaneous Documents
An at-a-glance chart of major twentieth-century composers and important contemporary musical trends
This chart was compiled from Alfred Blatter's Instrumentation/Orchestration
A valuable resource for producing scores and parts, compiled by the Major Orchestra Librarians' Association
Helpful guidelines for setting text to music.
A useful set of guidelines provided by the American Academy of Teachers of Singing (published in the May/June 2007 NATS Journal of Singing).
Websites
American Mavericks (American Public Media) — iconoclastic, tradition-breaking composers who shaped the development of American music
The Avant-Garde Project — archive of rare and out-of-print contemporary music recordings
"Bela Bartok: Finding a Voice Through Folk Music" (NPR, 09/15/07)
David Cope's website — Experiments in Musical Intelligence
The OddMusic Gallery — a collection of unusual musical instruments
The "Warped Canon" Page — comparison of tuning systems using Pachelbel's Canon
Radio Lab (WNYC/NPR) — includes several interesting programs relating to music
"Music of the Spheres: Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007)" — Memorial tribute on Artforum, including articles by Morton Subotnick and Björk.
Videos
Documentary on David Lang and the Bang on a Can Festival.
Performance of Alban Berg's Wozzeck (Act III, Scenes 2-3) — Vienna State Opera production.
Tania León discusses her work Indígena.
Performance of György Ligeti's Poème symphonique for 100 metronomes.
Olivier Messiaen teaching a composition class at the Conservatoire de Paris; includes comments on Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande and Messiaen's own unique perspective on musical color.
Olivier Messiaen discusses the use of bird song in his music, demonstrated on the piano by his wife Yvonne Loriod.
Interview with Arvo Pärt, in an excerpt from the film "24 Preludes for a Fugue."
Documentary on Harry Partch (excerpt).
Joseph Schwantner in conversation with percussionist Evelyn Glennie.
Documentary on Dmitri Shostakovich, focusing on his turbulent relationship with the Soviet government (excerpt).
Karlheinz Stockhausen lecture on sounds (1972).
Documentary on Igor Stravinsky (excerpt).
Performance of Igor Stravinsky's Petrouchka (First Tableau, excerpt) — Paris Opera Ballet Company's reconstruction of original 1911 version of the ballet.
Performance of Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps (Part I, excerpt) — Joffrey Ballet's reconstruction of original 1913 choreography, costumes, and set designs.
Documentary on composer Toru Takemitsu and his approach to composing for films (excerpt).
Performance of Edgard Varèse's Ionisation — Pierre Boulez conducting the Ensemble Intercontemporain.
Performance of Frank Zappa's Yellow Shark Overture, with the composer conducting the Ensemble Modern.
German Documentary on Frank Zappa's Yellow Shark rehearsals (excerpt).
Excerpt from a documentary on improvisation, featuring John Zorn discussing his work Cobra.
Performance of John Zorn's Road Runner by accordianist Branko Dzinovic.
Composer Organizations
