Final projects

The due date for your final project will be Tuesday, December 18, midnight. This hopefully gives you enough time to finish them, and it gives me enough time to grade them before grades are due. As we discussed in class on Wednesday, you have three options:

1. A traditional analysis paper, based either on your presentation or another topic pre-approved by me. The word count will be 1500-2500 words, plus music examples. Please include the music examples "inline," as part of the paper, not as an appendix at the end. You'll need footnotes, references, etc.
2. The "awesome YouTube video" project, which some of you are already starting on - I think this could potentially be a really neat project; it's looking like iMovie or equivalent software may be the easiest way to make these.
3. An original sonata-allegro movement, either for piano solo or piano and instrument.

No matter which option you choose, please make sure to discuss it with me so I know what you're doing! The sonata project, if you are not a pianist, could prove to be extremely difficult to do well.

Fall Break Assignment

I decided that Richard Cohn's article on the second movement of the Ninth Symphony is tough enough that I will introduce it to you today, and ask you to read it closely over the break. It provides a useful contrast to the Schenker: it has a definite thesis it seeks to prove, it is (relatively) short, and it avoids some of the hyperbole that Schenker indulges in (but which also kind of makes him fun to read).

Please go to the library website, under "find books and articles," and search for the keywords Richard Cohn, Beethoven Scherzo Ninth Symphony. You'll find one hit in RILM and tons of hits in JSTOR; use the "Discover Full Text" option to download the article (this is good research practice, too).

Finally, a week from Monday, I would like us to be ready to discuss the form of the third movement: no reading required for this one, just try to figure it out - don't forget to number all of your bars! Then Wednesday and Friday we will tackle the gigantic finale.

Assignment for Wednesday, Nov 14

Here is Schenker's analysis of the development and recapitulation; it's not as long as the exposition analysis, since it's developing material that Beethoven has already introduced. Please read this for Wednesday, and listen carefully to the development and recapitulation; if possible, have the Schenker and the Beethoven score with you while you're listening. You don't need to write in Roman numerals on the development and recap, but I would like you to complete your analysis of the exposition if you haven't already.

Assignment for Monday, Nov 12

Well, it's time to get started on Beethoven Symphony No. 9, the final piece we're studying together this semester. Our main guide will be the great theorist Heinrich Schenker (1868-1935). I haven't required much reading this semester beyond a couple chapter from Caplin, since I figured our main texts are the scores. But the Ninth Symphony is such a landmark, with so much written about it, that we really need to dig a little deeper.

I'm planning to have us read Schenker on the first and last movements, and a fascinating article by Richard Cohn on hypermeter in the second movement. The third movement we may try "on our own;" I'll see how we do on the first two movements.

Here is Schenker's analysis of the first movement's exposition. He organizes his book into three rubrics: first, his own analysis of form, motive, rhythm and harmony; second, some thoughts on performance; and third, a discussion of what others have written about the piece. I haven't included all of these second and third parts, since we're focusing on form and analysis. But in some ways the literature review is the most entertaining, since in his opinion everyone else is an idiot, especially Richard Wagner, who he insults over and over again throughout. But he insults other commentators as well: "Can such activity be of use in any way to the layman, performer, student, or conductor?!" and: "What a limited view, and how wrong everything is besides!"

Besides reading about the exposition, please do your best to analyze it with Roman numerals; study the clarinets, horns and trumpets carefully, to make sure you know what concert pitches they're playing. I'll look over your scores on Monday to make sure you're doing it - good luck!

Assignment for Friday, Nov 9

Remember, there is no class this Wednesday. For Friday, let's do our part to add to the Beethoven corpus analysis project - this will help us all with our Roman numeral skills, and it will also help a "big data" music theory project for my friend Dmitri Tymoczko at Princeton. I'm assigning sections of sonatas in pairs, so two of you will work on the same part of a piece. If you have a chance, please compare your analyses before Friday, so you can check each other's work.

• Armaan Yazdani & Kelsey Stanker: Op. 2 no. 2, A Major, mvt. 1 exposition (through the first ending, m117)
• Hyeyeon Jung & Sihyun Chun: Op. 2 no. 2, A Major,  mvt. 1 development (2nd ending through m225)
• Jacque Piccolino & Janie Duffy: Op. 2 no. 2, A Major, mvt. 1 recapitulation (m225-end)
• Mike Jensen & Young Kim: Op. 2 no. 2, A Major, mvt. 2
• Yi-Hsuan Lin & Sunjoo Lee: Op. 2 no. 2, A Major, mvt. 3
• Sunyeong Pak & Cassie Jackson: Op. 2 no. 2, A Major, mvt. 4, beginning through 1st ending (m66)
• Alice Beberman & Alex Rolfs: Op. 2 no. 2, A Major, mvt. 4, 2nd ending - m134
• So Jung Kwak & Erin Brooker: Op. 2 no. 2, A Major, mvt. 4, m135 - end
• April Lane & Steve Taylor: Op. 2 no. 3, C Major, mvt. 1, exposition (through the first ending, m90)

Here are instructions. Dmitri originally wrote these for analyzing Mozart sonatas, so a few of the details are different; but overall it's an interesting, detailed approach to analyzing music. There are broader implications, such as what level should we focus on - the chord-to-chord approach that we're doing here, or going for more of the big picture. For this kind of computer analysis, we are focusing on the trees, not the forest; the idea is that the computer will be able to find large-scale patterns in all of Beethoven that would be difficult for humans to find.

Finally, here is Dmitri's analysis of Op. 28, first movement, which we studied in class yesterday; you can use this to help guide you in your own analyses. Good luck and have fun!

Time signature: 3/4

Pedal: D m1 m20
m1 D: I
m2 V7/IV
m3 IV
Note: could read b3 chords as anticipations; voice leading in mm5-6 is then a little funky
m4 b3 ii
m5 viio
m6 V7
m7 I
m9 V b3 V7
m10 I
m11-20 = m1-10
Note: pedal moves to tenor
m21 I6
m22 b2 ii6/5 b3 V4/3/IV
m23 IV6
Note: deceptive resolution of V/IV to ii
m24 b3 V4/3/IV
m25 ii6/5 b3 V6/5/V
m26 V b3 V7
m27 I
m29 I6
Note: fauxbourdon ROTO replaces V4/3/iv
m30 b2 ii6/5 b3 I6/4
m31 IV6
m32 b3 I6/4
m33 ii6/5 b3 V6/5/V
m34 V b3 V7
m35 I
m36 b3 I6
m37-39 = m25-27
Note: key is uncertain in the following; could read the next measures in A; the repeat makes things even more subtle, psychologically (in the repeat, I hear the analogue of m40 more strongly in A.)
m40 D: vi6/5
m41 V6
m42 V4/3/V
m43 V
m44 A: vi6/5
m45 V6
m46 V4/3/V
m47 V
m48-55 = m40-47
m56-57 = m54-55
m58-59 = m54-55
Note: second theme area is deliciously ambiguous between f# and A
m63 f#: V7
m64 i
m65 V7
m66 i
m67 V9[b9]/iv
m68 iv A: ii
m69 I6/4 b3 V7
m70 I
m71 f#: V
m72 i6/4
m73 V
m74 i6/4
m75 iv6
m76 It6
m77 V
m78 b3 It6
m79 V b3 It6
m80 = m79
m81 V
Note: "common tone minor seventh chord" here, neighbor to what is enharmonically viio7 in A.  Part of the "common tone group" (see Mozart C major sonata for the 'common tone dominant seventh').  Closely followed by the "common tone half diminished" chord.  (And then a regular cto7, etc.)
m82 b3 A: #i7
m83 viio6/5 b3 #i7
m84 = m83
m85 viio6/5
m87 V4/3 b3 #i/o7
m88 = m87
m89 V4/3
m91 I b3 V4/3
m92 I b3 f#: V4/3
m93 i
m94 i b3 V4/3
m95 = m94
m96 i b3 D: V4/3
m97 I
m98 I b3 V4/3
m99 = m98
m100 I b3 A: V4/3
m101 I6 b3 V6
m102 I b3 IV6
m103 I6
m105 viio6/V
m107 I6/4
m108 V7
m109 I6
m110 I6 b3 #iio7
m111 I6 b3 IV
m112 I6 b3 V4/3
m113 I
m114 I b3 V+6
m115 I b3 V4/3
m116 I b3 V4/3/vi
m117 vi
m118 vi b3 V6/vi
m119 vi b3 V6/vi
m120 vi b3 V2/ii
m121 ii6 b3 V6/ii
m122 ii b3 V2/V
m123 V6 b3 V6/V
m124 v b3 V2
m125 I6
m127 V4/3/V
m129 I6/4
m134 b3 V7
m135 I
m136 I
m137 I6
m138 V7
m139 I
m140 V6/5/IV
m141 IV
m142 V7
m143 I
m144-151 = m136-143
m152 V6/5/IV
m153 IV
m154 V7
m155 I
m156 V7
m157 I
m158 V7
m159 I
m160 D: V7
Form: development
Note: like many classical development sections, this one begins with an ascending-fifth sequence.  Here the sequence is a bit digressive, but it's still pretty clear
m163 G: V6
m165 V6/5
m167 I
m168-176 = m2-10
Pedal: G m177 m182
m177 vi6
m178 C: V7
m179 i6/4
m180 b3 g: iio
m181 viio6
m182 V7
m183 i
m185 V b3 V7
m186 i
m187 d: V6
m188 i6
m189 V b3 V7
m190 i
m191 V/iv
m192 iv
m193 V6/iv b3 V6/5/iv
m194 iv
m195 V
m196 i
m197 V6/5
m198 i
m199 V b3 V7
m200 i
m201-202 = m197-198
m203 a: V b3 V6/5
m204 i
m205 V6/5
m206 i
m207-208 = m203-204
m209 e: viio6/5
m210 i6 b3 i
m211 V6 b3 V7
m212 i
m213 b: viio6/5
m214-216 = m211-213
m217 Ger6/5
Note: dominant expansion that is long even by Beethoven's standards!
m219 V
m220 i6/4
m221 V7
m222 i6/4
m223-226 = m219-222
m227 V
m228 V6/4
m230 V6
m231 V
m232 V6
m233 V6/4
m234 V6
m235-238 = m231-234
m239 V
m249 V6/4
m250 V6
m251 V
m257 B: I
m258 I6
m259 V7
m260 I
m262 b: i
m263 i6
m264 V7
m265 i
m267 D: V7
m269-278 = m1-10
m279 V7/IV
m281-288 = m3-10
m289-307 = m21-39
m308 I b3 I6
m309 ii6/5 b3 V6/5/V
m310 V b3 V7
m311 I
m312 vi6/5
m313 V6
m314 V4/3/V
m315 V
m316 ii6/5
m317 I6
m318 V4/3
m319 I
m320-327 = m312-319
m328 V4/3/V
m329 V
m330-331 = m328-329
m332-333 = m328-329
m337 b: V7
m338-341 = m64-67
m342 iv D: ii
m343 I6/4 b3 V7
m344 I
m345 b: V
m346-355 = m72-81
m356 V b3 D: #i7
m357-365 = m83-91
m366 I b3 b: V4/3
m367-369 = m93-95
m370 i b3 G: V4/3
m371 I
m372 I b3 V4/3
m373 = m372
m374 I b3 D: V4/3
m375-400 = m101-126
Note: viio6/V substitutes for V4/3 in exposition
m401 viio6/V
Note: extra bar of I6/4
m403 I6/4
m410 b3 V7
m411-434 = m135-158
Pedal: D m438 m458
m438-447 = m1-10
m448-449 = m446-447
m450-453 = m446-449
m454-455 = m446-447
m456 I
m459 V7
m460 I