MCY 131 Understanding Music – Listening Journal 1

Your first listening journal assignment is to write a three to four page paper on a musical work chosen from the list below. Your paper should provide a musical analysis of your chosen piece using the established parameters designated in our course textbook and implemented in our class discussions. If you would like to write your paper on a work not listed below, please discuss your plan with your instructors.

You have considerable flexibility regarding how you chose to approach your topic, but please develop an organized analysis that interrogates the seven elements of music and the five questions that provide the organizational foundation of our discussions: What is it? How does it work? What does it mean? What is its history? Where do we go from here? Your paper should be written in standard academic English language style (double spaced/ 11 font). Please use appropriate citations if your chose to consult source materials (APA, MLA, or Chicago style sheets), and keep in mind that all papers will be electronically checked for plagiarism.

The paper is due on Wednesday, February 19th. Please turn it in during class as a hard copy and submit it electronically through Blackboard. Contact me if you have any questions regarding this assignment.

Here is the list of suggested works to study based on our recent investigations of Gateways from Part II in your textbook (Music From 1500 to 1900):

Renaissance Sacred Vocal Music: “Kyrie” from Pope Marcellus Mass by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Renaissance Secular Vocal Music: Now is the Month of Maying by Thomas Morley

Renaissance Dance Music: “Passamezzo and Galliard” by Pierre Francisque Caroubel from the collection entitled Terpsichore by Michael Praetorius

Renaissance Lute Music: “Flow My Tears” or “Come Again, Sweet Love Doth Now Invite” by John Dowland

North Indian Classical Music: investigate the possibilities and choose an appropriate piece (please inform your instructors)

Baroque Opera: “Dido’s Lament” (Act III) from the opera Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell

Baroque Orchestral Music: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major (First Movement Allegro) by Johann Sebastian Bach

Baroque Sacred Music: Cantata No. 140 Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Fourth Movement: Tenor Chorale) by Johann Sebastian Bach

Baroque Keyboard Music: Organ Fugue in G Minor (Little Fugue BWV 578) or Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (BWV 565) by Johann Sebastian Bach

Javanese Court Music: investigate the possibilities and choose an appropriate piece (please inform your instructors)