MUS
3143: Orchestration, section 001
Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30-10:45, 3.01.30A ARTS
Dr.
Office Phone: 458-5321
email: david.heuser@utsa.edu
Office Hours: TBA or by appointment
Required Textbooks and Materials (always bring to class):
Course Description:
Orchestration is designed to provide
an introduction to scoring and arranging for the standard orchestral
instruments. Classroom time will be spent introducing new topics through
lecture and listening, with discussion encouraged. There will also be
demonstrations of many of the instruments discussed.
Goals of the Course
After successfully completing this course, the student should a knowledge of the standard orchestral instruments, and a understanding of how to arrange/orchestrate for them in various combinations.
Grading and course policies
Final grades will be determined on the following basis:
|
|
Homework |
25% |
|
|
Exams (4 @ 10% each) |
40% |
|
|
Scoring Projects (2 @ 10% each) |
20% |
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Finale Project |
15% |
Attendance will also factor into your final grade for the course as described below.
Attendance and punctuality are essential to this course. For each absence beyond two will lower your final grade by 1 point per absence. Arriving late or leaving early will count as half an absence; being late by more than 15 minutes will count as a full absence. If a student is absent more than eight times for any reason during the semester, I may, at my discretion, assign a final grade of F for the course.
ALL absences and tardies count except those caused by ensemble tours and the like. Due to my inability to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate excuses, I choose not to deal with them (excuses, that is). The two absences you are allowed (a week of classes) are expected to be legitimate (why would you not come to class if you were able?). The only exception to this policy would be a case of prolonged forced absence, such as would be caused by a serious injury requiring hospitalization, or the like. In these cases, documentation is required (of course); otherwise, I do not wish to be shown doctor's notes, letters from funeral directors or a mechanic's bill.
I reserve the right to count you as absent or tardy if you habitually (more than twice) come to class without the required materials (textbook, anthology, staff paper, etc.).
Make-up
Work: Students are expected to make up all work missed. If you are absent, it is your
responsibility to get the notes from a classmate and to come to my office to
pick up your homework. I am willing to meet with you and discuss the course
material only after you have taken appropriate steps to get caught up on your
own. Do not make my office your first stop when you are trying to find out
what you missed in class.
Homework will be accepted past the day it is due, but
not for a grade. Late homework may not always be returned to you in a timely
manner.
Exams:
Make up exams for scheduled exams will be allowed only if notice
is given prior to the scheduled time.
Class Deportment: Students are expected to assist in maintaining a classroom environment that is conducive to learning. To assure all students have the opportunity to gain from time spent in class, students are prohibited from engaging in any form of distraction. Inappropriate behavior in the classroom shall result, minimally, in a request to leave the class. Examples of inappropriate behavior include the use of cellular phones or beepers, eating in the classroom, prolonged chattering, excessive tardiness, sleeping, and overt inattentiveness.
Cheating: Cheating in any form will not be tolerated. All infractions will be reported to Student Judicial Affairs and prosecuted to the maximum extent allowed by the university. Any work you hand in is expected to be your work and your work only; claiming someone else’s work as your own is cheating.
Communication: If you need
to contact me, there are a number of ways to do it. I am usually in my office,
and will often be available to see students outside of posted office hours. If
my door is closed, please check the schedule next to my door before knocking to
make sure you are not interrupting a lesson or lunch. You can also reach me via
my office phone and email, which are listed above and on the web (http://music.utsa.edu/Faculty/heuser/index.html).
Emails should be courteous and formal, with proper spelling, capitalization,
etc., and with a subject line that clearly states the purpose of the message. Ambiguous
subject lines may result in an email being deleted as suspected spam. All Music
Department faculty also have mailboxes located in the
music office (3.01.58). If you would like to put something in my mailbox, give
it to the office staff and ask them to place it there. If you have a concern, problem, question,
issue or whatever, the best thing you can do is talk to me about it. Stay in
touch!
Orchestration Schedule (subject to change)
|
Week |
Topics |
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Week 1, January 16, 18 |
Cancelled due to icy weather |
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Week 2,
January 23 |
Introduction, Sections of the Orchestra, Notation Conventions |
|
January 25 |
String Family |
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Week 3, January 30 |
Strings continued |
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February 1 |
Strings continued |
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Week 4, February 6, 8 |
Strings continued, score preparation, string orchestra preparation |
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Week 5, February 13 |
Tuesday 2/13 Exam 1: Strings |
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February 15 |
Woodwinds: Overview, transposition & Flute/Piccolo |
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Week 6, February 20 |
Oboe/English horn |
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February 22 |
Woodwinds: Clarinets |
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Week 7, February 27 |
Woodwinds: Bassoon/Contrabassoon and Saxophones |
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March 1 |
Scoring for Woodwinds |
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Week 8, March 6 |
Scoring for Woodwinds |
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March 8 |
Thursday 3/8: Exam
2: Woodwinds |
|
|
Spring break - March
13-15 |
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Week 9, March 20 |
Brass: Overview, Horn |
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WED. March 21 1:30-2:45pm |
Chamber Orchestra Reading Session (Recital Hall) |
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March 22 |
Brass: Trumpet, Trombone & Tuba |
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FRIDAY March 23 |
Trip to Leave campus at 9:25am: Study Debussy La Mer & Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances, Op. 45; Falla: Suite
from The Three Cornered Hat; &
new work by Timothy Kramer Read the information from the links at the bottom of this web page: http://www.sasymphony.org/t_events0607.php?id=08&mo=3&yr=2007 |
|
Week 10, March 27, 29 |
Brass: Scoring for Brass |
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March 29 |
Thursday 3/29: Exam
3: Brass |
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Week 11, April 3 |
Percussion |
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April 5 |
Keyboard instruments |
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Week 12, April 10 |
Scoring for full orchestra |
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April 12 |
Scoring for full orchestra |
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Week 13, April 17 |
Scoring for full orchestra: Scoring Projects |
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April 19 |
Scoring for full orchestra |
|
FRIDAY April 20 2:00-3:30pm |
Wind Ensemble
Reading Session (Band Hall) |
|
Week 14, April 24 |
Proofreading, Rehearsal Preparation Final Project workshop session (drafts due) |
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April 26 |
Final Project workshop session Final Projects Due by Monday, April 30, 11am – Score & Parts |
|
Week 15, May 1 12:15-1:45pm |
Orchestra Reading
Session (Recital Hall) |
|
May 3 |
Exam 4: Percussion,
Harp, Keyboard |
No Final Exam
Useful web sites:
Don Freund, one of my former teachers, is developing an online instrumentation resource, Instrumentation Studies for Eyes and Ears. For now, it is beta (don’t try to do the guitar, it’s not up yet), and so it’s free. The web site is at:
http://www.music.indiana.edu/department/composition/isfee/
When prompted for a user name enter isfee (think "Instrumentation Studies for Eyes and Ears." The password is donfreund.
Some instrumentation sites:
http://www.dsokids.com/2001/instrumentchart.htm (Dallas Symphony Orchestra site for kids, but has audio of all the instruments alone and with the orchestra with pieces from the literature.)
http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/music/orchestra/default.htm
http://www.si.umich.edu/chico/instrument/ (includes some world music instruments)
http://www.music.umich.edu/research/stearns_collection/kiosk/index.lasso (mostly world music instruments)
A more philosophical site is:
http://www.musique.umontreal.ca/personnel/Belkin/bk.o/index.html