Beginning Composition

This course is based on the principles of harmony studied in the Beginning and Advanced harmony course. We will study examples of great music, see how they’re made, and try to make pieces “sort of” li

ke them. For instance, we’ll study Bach Chorales, Inventions, and Preludes and Fugues, and write music like that. We’ll look at the sonata principle, and try to put that to use. The more complex harmony used by Wagner, Wolf, Mahler, and early Schoenberg and Alban Berg will be brought into the mix. From there we can make a giant leap to contemporary practices, or work more gradually through the 20th Century. By this time you’ll be composing on your own, with the background you’ve gained to this point.