Score Reading
Code
711021057
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas
Department
Ciências Musicais
Credits
3
Teacher in charge
Jorge Matta, Svetlana Poliakova
Weekly hours
4
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
After completing the course successfully the student should be able to:
a) Approach and interpret music scores of different historical ages;
b) Develop elementary reading skills for excerpts of choral scores, piano reductions and orchestral scores, in modern editions, at first sight, singing and/or at the piano; c)) To approach the content of manuscript scores or early editions, and understand the way to follow for their interpretation and/or transcription.
Prerequisites
None
Subject matter
1. Terminology and musical notatios: tonalities, dynamics, time, articulation, expression, old clefs; notation in contemporary music: new symbologies.
2. Instruments and their families: general technical, acustical and timbrical characteristics; transposing instruments: organization of instruments and voices in the score: standard and special cases;
3. First sight reading and elementary analysis of excerpts of choral and instrumental scores;
4. Piano reductions;
5. Choral and orchestral piano and singing reading of different kinds of scores;
6. Reading of manuscripts or early editions: to decipher symbols and patterns, to create deciphering processes, to establish connections between early and modern writing, to discuss modern edition criteria;
7. Introduction to the history of orchestration.
Bibliography
Bennet, R. (1972). Score Reading. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Carse, A. (1964). The History of Orchestration. London: Dover.
Lindenberg, E. (1952). Comment Lire une Partition dOrchestre. Paris: Heugel.
Morris, R. & Ferguson, H. (1985). Preparatory Exercises in Score Reading. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Spitzer, J. & Zaslaw, N. (2004). The Birth of the Orchestra. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Partituras corais e orquestrais (excertos) de várias épocas e géneros.
Teaching method
Classes include theoretical-practical approaches (2 hours) and piano readind practice (2 hours) en two groups of students. The theoretical notions of this unit are, almost always, set at once in practical exercises, more easily understandable and of direct use. The student can understand easily their practical utility. Theory and practice are hardly separated, but we can (artificially) speak of 40% and 60%, respectively. Every class has ideally a theoretical-practical part, and a singing and piano part, allowing for the reading exercise of previously chosen excerpts of scores.
Evaluation method
The evaluation includes a theoretical-practical exam (34%); an elementary analysis exam (33%); AND a piano reading exam (33%).