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2010/1 Module Catalogue
 Module Code: MCS1003 Module Title: ELECTRONIC MUSIC 1: THEORY AND PRACTICE
Module Provider: Music and Sound Recording Short Name: MU1.ELECMUS
Level: HE1 Module Co-ordinator: SANSOM M Dr (Music Record)
Number of credits: 20 Number of ECTS credits: 10
 
Module Availability

Spring Semester
Assessment Pattern

Unit(s) of Assessment
Weighting Towards Module Mark (%)
Coursework
50%
Examination
50%
Qualifying Condition(s)
 
Coursework (50% of total assessment)
  • A composition related to aspects of aesthetics, technique and repertoire covered (30%)
  • An oral presentation discussing the composition’s relation to the selected aesthetic, technical and stylistic aspects (10 min), abstract and transcript (20%)
Examination (50% of total assessment)
  • 2 hour exam, including aural analysis and a choice of questions relating to the theory and practice of the repertoire studied

Module Overview
Prerequisites/Co-requisites

None
Module Aims

To develop a theoretical understanding of contemporary electronic music through a consideration of the context and content of repertoire and its practice
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, you should be able to:
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the historical and conceptual basis of contemporary electronic music repertoire
  • Identify key genres within the repertoire
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the formal and aesthetic characteristics of the repertoire
Module Content
  •  Lectures covering: theory and aesthetics (e.g. Cage, Futurism, Experimental Music); techniques (e.g. Generative, Plunderphonics, Glitch); and genres, artists & repertoire (e.g. Ambient, Soundscape, Noise, Turntablism, Eno, Merzbow, Chris Watson, Oswald, etc.)
Methods of Teaching/Learning

8 two-hour lectures and discussions; 4 hours of student presentations; tutorials
Selected Texts/Journals
Required reading:
 
Cox, C. & Warner, D. eds., (2004) Audio Culture: readings in modern music (Continuum)
 
Holmes, T., 2002: Electronic and Experimental Music (Routledge)
 
 
Suggested reading:
 
Emmerson, S., ed., 2002: Music, Electronic Media and Culture(Ashgate)
 
Kettlewell, B, 2002: Electronic Music Pioneers (Pro Music Press)
 
Toop, David, 2004: Haunted Weather: Resonant Spaces, Silence and Memory (Serpent's Tail)
 
Young, R., ed., 2002: Undercurrents: the hidden wiring of modern music (New York: Continuum)
 
Optional reading:
 
Prendergast, M., 2000: The Ambient Century: from Mahler to Trance - the evolution of sound in the electronic age (Bloomsbury)
 
Taylor, T., 2001: Strange Sounds: Music, Technology and Culture (Routledge)
 
Toop, David, 1995: Ocean of Sound: aether talk, ambient sound and imaginary worlds (Serpent's Tail)
Last Updated

23.11.06