Music 133, Music Appreciation Final Paper Guidelines
Write a 3 to 5 page paper on a musical related topic ( a double spaced page is about 250 words) . Any quotes or words that are not your own must be cited. Please use proper Modern Language Association (MLA) form for citations with a works cited list at the end of the paper. In other words tell me where you got the information.
Some topic suggestions may be but are not limited to the following. Remember these are just some suggestions to get you started. You do not have to include every thing in each topic suggestion. For example if you choose to write about Beethoven and the paper is a Biography then title it so. If it turns out you wrote about his symphonies the title it The Symphonies of Beethoven.
If you title your paper for example ” Biography of Ludwig van Beethoven” the first sentence better not be ” I have chosen to write my paper on the great Ludvig van Beethoven” I ALREADY KNOW THIS FROM THE TITLE.
1) Write a brief biography of a composer. Include references to his or her most famous works and how his life experience, education, employment, etc. may have influenced those works. You may want to include when the works were published, if the original manuscripts still exist and if so, where they are.
2) Compare or contrast two works by the same composer. Some ideas might be to pick one from his or her early years and one from his or her later years. The pieces should be in the same or similar genre such as, symphony, piano sonata, chamber music, etc. Discuss when and where they were written, where and when were they premiered. How has he/she developed? What techniques do you or other scholars notice that are similar or different, such as form, instrumentation, length, and number of movements?
3) Pick one or two of your favorite classical pieces of music and discuss as much as you can discover about the piece. Information should include, but not be limited to: composer, date of composition, where it was composed, how long the composer took to create it, how many revisions it has undergone, whether or not it was commissioned, when it was first performed, when it was published, whether or not the original manuscript still exists, what critics have said about the piece, a brief analysis of the form, and a brief review of recordings.
4) Select an instrument (or family of instruments)and trace its history and development. You may also include any instrument makers, composers, and famous players that have helped in its development.
5) Write a biography of a popular artist, jazz musician, song writer, conductor, or film composer. You should include what his or her major influences were, how the artists style has or has not changed through the years, and whether or not they have had an influence on music or any other artists. You should include a discography, or filmography. (If you choose a prolific song writer or artist that has a discography of 2 or more pages just list the important, or most recent entries.)
6) Watch a movie with an original score (soundtracks made only of pop or rap songs dont often work well, but animated movies often work very well for this example) Tell as much as you can about the music in the film, who wrote the score, who orchestrated the score, musicians credited, who directed the movie, and whether or not any existing songs or pieces were used. Did the composer use any leitmotifs (themes) in the film to represent a person, place, emotion, etc.? In analyzing the score, examine if there is a theme, or themes that are used throughout the film. Were they transformed to fit various scenes and situations? Listen to see if the notes of the theme have been lengthened (augmented), or shortened (diminished). Has it been fragmented (using little sections of the longer theme)? Does the composer change the way the theme sounds, happy, heroic, tragic, melancholy, or nostalgic to fit what is happening or about to happen on the screen? If so, how does the composer do it? (different instruments, tempo, pitch, use of major or minor, etc.)
-OR Compare the scores of two movies that have the same composer. What similarities, and or differences are there? Use some of the guidelines from the previous example.
If you have other ideas for a topic please see me first.
Grades are based on content and organization, length, and sources. Dont repeat similar statements and facts. I only grade down grammar mistakes if I cant understand the paragraph.
