Music Composition

by Dr. Lai Sheung Ping

8th October, 2009

Content

• I. Importance of Music Composition in Education

• II. Principles of Compositional Studies• III. Procedure of Compositional Training in

Classroom• IV. A Good Composition Teacher• V. Materials for Early Composition Lessons• VI. Assessment• VII. Musical References

I. Importance of Music Composition in Education

a. Composition as a U. S. National Content Standard for Music Education

b. Composition as a special type of intelligencesc. Composition as an intellectual investigation of

musical styles and languagesd. Composition as a problem-solving discipline

II. Principles of Compositional Studies

1. Motivation 2. Nature vs. nurture3. Idea and craftsmanship4. Style does not matter. Quality matters.5. Life-long learning discipline.

III. Procedure of Compositional Training in Classroom

1. Integration of listening, performing and creating in a music classroom since the primary level.

2. Basic compositional skills taught at the senior secondary level.

3. How much to teach depends upon the availability of time, the musical background of the students, and the learning process of the students.

5. Basic skills of traditional melodic writing, harmony, counterpoint, form, and writing for different media to be taught systematically.

6. 20th-century compositional styles and techniques are introduced at the later part of the training.

7. Time needs to be reserved for tutoring of individual compositions.

8. The writing process of each beginner’s composition should be closely monitored. When the student composer becomes more experienced, they could be more independent in their learning.

IV. A Good Composition Teacher

• A good composition teacher = a good composer and a good teacher in one.1. Be well-equipped: having a solid foundation of compositional

techniques. 2. Be caring and be able to communicate with the students.3. Be able to evaluate students’ works based on objective criteria and

to offer solutions to compositional problems.4. Be positive, encouraging and inspiring to students.5. Be open-minded with musical styles and students’ ideas. 6. Be flexible and creative with teaching method.7. Be patient with students’ progress.8. Be willing to spend extra time to tutor students’ compositions

individually.

V. Materials for Early Composition Lessons

• A. Melodic Writing

1. Melodic Characteristics2. Tonal and Harmonic Implication in the

Melodic Line3. Sequence

B. Melodic Form

1. Melodic Units2. Phrase relationship3. Phrases in Combinations

C. Harmonic Writing

• Four-part writing is the standard training of harmony, but it is limited to one musical style, the Bach chorale style. Harmonic writing in different styles should be included in the training as well.

• 20th century harmony is based on different types of scales (besides major and minor), different harmonic progression (other than cycle of 5ths) and different harmonic systems (other than tertian). It is a different area of study. Before getting into 20th

century harmony, students’ foundation on traditional harmony must first be solid.

D. Form and Style

• Students should be encouraged to practisewith different standard formal structures and styles, as well as to explore new forms and styles.

E. Instrumental Writing

1. Students should have a general of knowledge of the range and timbral characteristics of each instrument for which they choose to write. It would be ideal for composers to work closely with performers and write music for them to play.

2. Standard chamber ensemble: duet of any two instruments, piano trio, string quartet, woodwind quintet, brass quintet, percussion ensemble

3. School ensemble: Recorder or handbell ensemble 4. Other ensembles can be explored

Writing for Piano Trio(violin, cello and piano)

• Possible combinations of instrumentation within a piano trio: 1. Piano solo2. Violin solo3. Cello solo4. Violin and piano duet5. Cello and piano duet6. Violin and cello duet7. Violin, cello and piano trio

• Any of the three instruments can play the roles of foreground (melody) as well as background (harmonic and rhythmic support). Sometimes, middle ground (countermelody) occurs as well. An interesting sounding trio should involve constant changing of roles and relationships among the instruments.

F. Vocal Writing

1. The same principle of instrumental writing applies to vocal writing. In addition,

2. Composer must pay attention to text setting: basically, setting the melody according to the pitch inflection and rhythmic characteristic of the text. Also,

3. There is a limit to the level of complexity in vocal writing which is possible in instrumental writing.

Module 3 (Creating I)

• Compose 2 or more compositions of different genres and styles (5-15 minutes)

• Arrange one music piece (3-5 minutes)• Reflective report (500 words)

Draft Level Descriptors Level 5• Creates and develops music ideas and materials

innovatively with an assured direction and purpose; • demonstrates coherent music structure and styles; • exploits potentials of the performing media

thoroughly; • explains and reflects on the compositional process

critically; • conveys musical thoughts with accomplished

notation.

Draft Level Descriptors Level 4

• Creates and develops music ideas and materials competently with a focused direction and purpose;

• demonstrates well-informed music structure and styles;

• exploits potentials of the performing media distinctively;

• explains and reflects on the compositional process explicitly;

• conveys musical thoughts with detailed notation.

Draft Level Descriptors Level 3

• Creates and develops music ideas and materials innovatively with a recognized direction and purpose;

• demonstrates apparent music structure and styles; • exploits potentials of the performing media

reasonably; • explains and reflects on the compositional process

clearly; • conveys musical thoughts with comprehensible

notation.

Draft Level Descriptors Level 2

• Creates and develops music ideas and materials innovatively with partial awareness of direction and purpose;

• demonstrates noticeable music structure and styles; • partially applies the characteristics of the

performing media; • explains and reflects on the compositional process

briefly; • displays musical thoughts with discernable

notation.

Draft Level Descriptors Level 1

• Creates and develops music ideas and materials innovatively with some sense of direction and purpose;

• demonstrates barely discernable music structure and styles;

• shows some understanding of the characteristics of the performing media;

• describes the compositional process and display musical thoughts with notations in a brief manner.

Assessment Criteria: Creating

• Ideas and Development• Structure• Use of Medium and Notation

5 Levels: • Excellent (5), Good (4), Average (3),

Fair (2), Elementary (1)

Ideas & Development

Excellent: • Exhibits originality and innovation in the

presentation of ideas and materials, with a strong sense of purpose.

• Uses outstanding developmental processes to extend and connect ideas, and shows a strong grasp across a wide range of techniques.

Ideas & Development

Good: • Exhibits good musical ideas and

materials with a strong sense of purpose.

• Uses effective developmental processes to extend and connect ideas, and shows a good grasp of intended results.

Ideas & Development

Average: • Exhibits reasonable musical ideas and

materials with some sense of purpose.• Uses some standard developmental

techniques to extend and connect ideas without much imagination and inventiveness.

Ideas & Development

Fair: • Exhibits fundamental ideas and

materials with inaccurate presentation.• Shows some attempts in the treatment

of various ideas, but the techniques are limited in scope and range.

Ideas & Development

Elementary:• Exhibits elementary ideas, lacking focus

and meaning.• Shows little or no distinct evidence of an

understanding of developmental processes.

Structure

Excellent:• Demonstrates inventiveness and

originality in the treatment of musical materials to achieve convincing formal coherence

Structure

Good:• Demonstrates good connections and

contrasts among different musical materials with a focused direction and structure.

Structure

Average:• Demonstrates apparent relationships

among different materials, but in a straight-forward and unimaginative manner.

Structure

Fair:• Demonstrates structural evidence, but

with obvious imbalance in proportion with limited continuity and contrast.

Structure

Elementary:• Demonstrates little evidence of structure

and coherency, lacking relationship and contrast.

Use of Medium & Notation

Excellent:• Displays excellent idiomatic writing;

having the characteristics and potentials of the performing medium thoroughly explored, with accomplished scoring to represent the intended music effectively.

Use of Medium & Notation

Good:• Displays knowledge and understanding

of the characteristics and potentials of the performing medium and scoring conventions, but with minimal errors or ambiguities.

Use of Medium & Notation

Average:• Displays reasonable understanding of

the characteristics and potentials of the performing medium, with comprehensible scoring but minor errors, omissions and ambiguities.

Use of Medium & Notation

Fair:• Displays some understanding of the

characteristics of the performing medium, with adequate notation but major errors, omissions and ambiguities.

Use of Medium & Notation

Elementary:• Displays little understanding of the

characteristics of the performing medium, with incomplete notation and serious errors, omissions and ambiguities.

Unsatisfactory:

Displays no distinct musical ideas and basic techniques, with no sense of structure, unsuitable choice of performing medium, and poor presentation.

Music Composition References

• Cope, David: New Directions in Music, 5th edition, Wm. C. Brown Publishers, 1989.

• Forte, Allen. The Structure of Atonal Music, Yale University Press, 1973.• Kostka, Stefan: Materials and Techniques of 20th Century Music, Prentice-

Hall Inc., 2004. • Morgan, Robert: Anthology of Twentieth-Century Music, W.W. Norton &

Company, Inc., 1992.• Morgan, Robert: Twentieth-Century Music, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.,

1992.• Persichetti, Vincent: Twentieth-Century Harmony, Faber, 1961.• Schwartz, Elliott and Godfrey, Daniel: Music since 1945: Issues, Materials

and Literature, Schirmer Books, 1993.• Stone, Kurt: Music Notation in the Twentieth Century, W. W. Norton &

Company, Inc. 1980• Turek, Ralph: The Elements of Music, 2nd, McGraw-Hill, 1996.