Musical Analysis
Code: 100662Credits: 6
| Degree programme | Type | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Musicology | OB | 2 |
Contact lecturer
- Name :
- Rafael Caro Repetto
- Email :
- rafael.caro@uab.cat
Group languages
You can consult this information at the end of the document.
Prerequisites
In this course the competencies acquired in Musical Language I and II are put into practice. A competency in Catalan, Spanish and English is required for reading academic texts and engaging with audiovisual resources in these languages.
Objectives
The aim of this course is to provide students with basic tools that allow them to deconstruct musical compositions, dividing them into more or less independent parts, as well as finding the relationships between them, and thus understanding how musical compositions are built.
Learning outcomes
- Summarising acquired knowledge about the origin and transformations experienced in its several fields of study.
- Produce correct, precise and clear argumental and terminological writing of knowledge acquired, both in the area of musical specialisation and dissemination.
- Integrate knowledge acquired in the production of clear and concise appropriate to the academic and specialist communication.
- Use basic vocabularyand tools to describe and transmit knowledge acquired through effective oral presentations of musicological content adapted to the audience.
- Prepare oral presentations on an analytical question and adapt them to the level and expectations of the audience or group.
- Submitting works in accordance with both individual and small group demands and personal styles.
- Assimilate rudiments of msuical langauge (reading, harmony, counterpoint, msucial forms) in their current perspective.
- Recognise the main analytical models and their application in musical works.
- Understand the propedeutic use of musical analysis, especially in its semiological appraoch.
- Discern the objective of musical analysis.
- Identify the most pertinent methodologies to use according to the objectives to be demonstrated or found through musical analysis.
- Make correct use of the terminology of each analytical system.
- Relate the different analystical methods to their principal or secondary scientific and philosophical substrata.
- Make correct use of the methods of musical analysis.
- Draw conclusions for musical interpretation from the application of different analytical methods.
- Draw hermaneutic conclusions from the analysis of scores, applying different analytical methods.
- Establish links between musical analysis and other musicological disciplines, with the aim of understanding the complementary character of the auxiliary discipline.
Contents
The thematic blocks covered in the course are presented below. The sequencing of content by class session will be detailed in the course space on the Virtual Campus.
Introductory block
- Principles, objectives and functions of musical analysis
- Basic methods for musical analysis
Core block
- Melodic analysis
- Rhythmic analysis
- Harmonic analysis
- Structural analysis
Expansion block: Specific perspectives
- Analysis of atonal and electronic music
- Analysis of music and movement
- Analysis of musical performance
The contents will be adapted to the pace and interests of the students; therefore, the contents of the third block are subject to change.
Learning activities and methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-class activities and discussions | 22.5 | 0.9 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 |
| Study and reading of texts | 30 | 1.2 | 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17 |
| Analysis exercises | 10 | 0.4 | 7, 8, 11, 14, 15, 16 |
| Lectures | 21 | 0.84 | 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 |
| Project supervision tutorials | 5 | 0.2 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14 |
This course is based on the premise that analysis is learned by analyzing and reading analyses. For this reason, the course methodology is predominantly practical in nature, while also including theoretical aspects.
Theoretical content is introduced in lectures given by the lecturer, supported by recommended readings that students can work on at home.
The bulk of the course consists in the application of concepts learned in the theoretical sessions and readings, through the completion of practical activities. These activities include both the elaboration of analyses of pieces proposed by the lecturer, and the peer review of analyses produced by fellow students.
With the aim of providing tools for the analysis of any musical expression, while acknowledging the weight that the European classical tradition carries both in the discipline and in the degree program, the repertoire of pieces proposed for practical activities will include, for each task, examples from both the European classical repertoire and other traditions — traditional, popular and urban, historical and contemporary, orally and written transmitted.
Finally, in order to foster analytical autonomy and give space to the individual interests of students, a project is proposed consisting of an in-depth analysis of a piece chosen by each student, agreed upon in advance with the lecturer.
Assessment
Continuous assessment activities
| Title | Weight | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written test on theoretical content | 25% | 1.5 | 0.06 | 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17 |
| Musical analysis project | 35% | 30 | 1.2 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 |
| Peer assessment | 15% | 15 | 0.6 | 2, 4, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 |
| Analytical practice activities | 25% | 15 | 0.6 | 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14 |
Continuous assessment
Assessment activities
- Practical musical analysis activities at home and in class, accounting for 25% of the final grade
- Independent musical analysis project, accounting for 35% of the final grade
- Peer assessment of classmates' work, accounting for 15% of the final grade
- Written test on theoretical content, accounting for 25% of the final grade
The dates and details of these assessment activities will be published in the course space on the Virtual Campus.
Completion of both the written test and the musical analysis project are mandatory requirements to pass the course.
Students will obtain a not assessed/not submitted course grade unless they have submitted more than 30 % of the assessment items.
Grade review
On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students through the course space on the Virtual Campus of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.
Resit
To be eligible for the resit, students must have completed the written test and the musical analysis project, as well as one third of the practical activities. Only the written test and the musical analysis project are eligible for resit.
Single assessment
Assessment activities
- Submission of the independent musical analysis project, accounting for 35% of the final grade
- Written test on theoretical content, accounting for 25% of the final grade
- Practical musical analysis activities, accounting for 25% of the final grade
- Critical commentary on musical analyses produced by classmates, accounting for 15% of the final grade
The dates and details of these assessment activities will be published in the course space on the Virtual Campus.
Completion of both the written test and the musical analysis project are mandatory requirements to pass the course.
Students will obtain a not assessed/not submitted course grade unless they have submitted more than 30 % of the assessment items.
Grade review
On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students through the course space on the Virtual Campus of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.
Resit
To be eligible for the resit, students must have completed all planned assessment activities. Only the written test and the musical analysis project are eligible for resit.
Irregularities (plagiarism/fraud)
In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
This subject allows the use of AI technologies as an integral part of the submitted work, provided that the final result reflects a significant contribution from the student in terms of analysis and personal reflection.The student must clearly (i) identify which parts have been generated using AI technology; (ii) specify the tools used; and (iii) include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and final outcome of the activity.
Lack of transparency regarding the use of AI in the assessed activity will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade may be lowered, or the work may even be awarded a zero. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.
Exchange students
Erasmus and exchange students who request to advance an exam must present a document from their home university justifying their request.
Bibliography
Agawu, Kofi. 2004. "How We Got Out of Analysis, and How to Get Back In Again." Music Analysis 23: 267–286.
Agawu, Kofi. 2016. The African Imagination in Music. New York: Oxford University Press.
Aldwell, Edward, Carl Schachter, and Allen Cadwallader. 2019. Harmony and Voice Leading. 5th ed. Boston: Cengage.
Apel, Willi. 1958. Gregorian Chant. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Aydemir, Murat. 2010. Turkish Music Makam Guide. 3rd ed. Istanbul: Pan Yayıncılık.
Benjamin, Thomas. 2003. The Craft of Tonal Counterpoint. New York: Routledge.
Bent, Ian. 1980. "Analysis." In The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie. London: Macmillan.
Bor, Joep, Suvarnalata Rao, Wim van der Meer, and Jane Harvey. 1999. The Raga Guide: A Survey of 74 Hindustani Ragas. Monmouth: Nimbus Records with Rotterdam Conservatory of Music. 4 CDs + book.
Burkhart, Charles, and William Rothstein. 2012. Anthology for Musical Analysis. 7th ed. Boston: Schirmer/Cengage.
Cadwallader, Allen, David Gagné, and Frank Samarotto. 2019. Analysis of Tonal Music: A Schenkerian Approach. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press.
Caplin, William E. 1998. Classical Form: A Theory of Formal Functions for the Instrumental Music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. New York: Oxford University Press.
Caplin, William E. 2013. Analyzing Classical Form: An Approach for the Classroom. New York: Oxford University Press.
Carter, Alexandra, and Janet O'Shea, eds. 2010. The Routledge Dance Studies Reader. 2nd ed. London: Routledge.
Chion, Michel. 2019. Audio-Vision: Sound on Screen. 2nd ed. Edited and translated by Claudia Gorbman. New York: Columbia University Press. Originally published in 1990 as L'audio-vision: son et image au cinéma (Paris: Éditions Nathan).
Clayton, Martin. 2000. Time in Indian Music: Rhythm, Metre, and Form in North Indian Rāg Performance. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Cook, Nicholas. 1987. A Guide to Musical Analysis. London: J. M. Dent.
Cook, Nicholas. 2013. Beyond the Score: Music as Performance. New York: Oxford University Press.
Cooper, Grosvenor W., and Leonard B. Meyer. 1960. The Rhythmic Structure of Music. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Dunsby, Jonathan, and Arnold Whittall. 1988. Music Analysis in Theory and Practice. London: Faber Music.
Farraj, Johnny, and Sami Abu Shumays. 2019. Inside Arabic Music: Arabic Maqam Performance and Theory in the 20th Century. New York: Oxford University Press.
Forte, Allen. 1973. The Structure of Atonal Music. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Gauldin, Robert. 1995. A Practical Approach to Eighteenth-Century Counterpoint. Prospect Heights: Waveland Press.
Giersdorf, Jens Richard, and Yutian Wong, eds. 2018. The Routledge Dance Studies Reader. 3rd ed. London: Routledge.
Hasty, Christopher. 1997. Meter as Rhythm. New York: Oxford University Press.
Jiménez de Cisneros Puig, Bernat. 2015. Ritmo y compás: Análisis musical del flamenco. Atril Flamenco. Accessed June 2025. https://atrilflamenco.com.
Kerman, Joseph. 1980. "How We Got into Analysis, and How to Get out." Critical Inquiry 7 (2): 311–331.
Kostka, Stefan, Dorothy Payne, and Byron Almén. 2024. Tonal Harmony. 9th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
LaRue, Jan. 1992. Guidelines for Style Analysis. 2nd ed. Warren: Harmonie Park Press.
Lerdahl, Fred, and Ray Jackendoff. 1983. A Generative Theory of Tonal Music. Cambridge: MIT Press.
London, Justin. 2004. Hearing in Time: Psychological Aspects of Musical Meter. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Manuel, Peter, and Michael Largey. 2016. Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Meyer, Leonard B. 1956. Emotion and Meaning in Music. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Moore, Allan F. 2012. Song Means: Analysing and Interpreting Recorded Popular Song. Farnham: Ashgate.
Nettl, Bruno. 1973. Folk and Traditional Music of the Western Continents. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.
Riemann, Hugo. 1895. Harmony Simplified, or the Theory of the Tonal Functions of Chords. London: Augener.
Schubert, Peter. 2008. Modal Counterpoint, Renaissance Style. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press.
Straus, Joseph N. 2016. Introduction to Post-Tonal Theory. 4th ed. New York: W. W. Norton.
Tagg, Philip. 2014. Everyday Tonality II: Towards a Tonal Theory of What Most People Hear. New York and Montréal: The Mass Media Music Scholars' Press.
Tenzer, Michael. 2000. Gamelan Gong Kebyar: The Art of Twentieth-Century Balinese Music. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Tenzer, Michael, ed. 2006. Analytical Studies in World Music. New York: Oxford University Press.
Tenzer, Michael, and John Roeder, eds. 2011. Analytical and Cross-Cultural Studies in World Music. New York: Oxford University Press.
Treitler, Leo. 1974. "Homer and Gregory: The Transmission of Epic Poetry and Plainchant." The Musical Quarterly 60 (3): 333–372.
Van der Meer, Wim. 1980. Hindustani Music in the 20th Century. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.
Online Resources
AUTRIM: Automated Transcription for Indian Music. National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai. Accessed June 2025. https://autrimncpa.wordpress.com.
BachChoraleHarmony.com. Accessed June 2025. https://bachchoraleharmony.com.
MaqamWorld. Accessed June 2025. https://www.maqamworld.com.
musictheory.net. Accessed June 2025. https://www.musictheory.net.
Open Music Theory v2. Accessed June 2025. https://viva.pressbooks.pub/openmusictheory/.
SchenkerGUIDE. Accessed June 2025. https://www.schenkerguide.com.
Software
No specific software is required for this course. Optionally, the following tools are recommended: MuseScore (https://musescore.org/) for score editing and Sonic Visualiser (https://www.sonicvisualiser.org/) for audio file analysis.
Course groups and languages
The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE
| Type of teaching | Group | Language | Semester | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |