The Social Life of Scores (Level 3)
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| MUSI3074 | Music | 3 | 20 | Spring UK |
- Code
- MUSI3074
- School
- Music
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
This module looks at musical scores as material (or virtual) objects, from the earliest medieval songbooks to IMSLP and the PDF, via five centuries of music printing. With attention to objects in the Nottingham library collections, as well as famous items online and in facsimile, we will be asking: what do scores tell us about their makers, their owners and their users? Classes will think about matters including literacy, musical interpretation and cultural memory, as well as intersections between music books and race, gender, power and social class.
Target Students
Available to all Year 3 students including Liberal Arts, exchange and subsidiary students. Students are unable to enrol on this module if they have previously taken MUSI2049 The Social Life of Scores Level 2.
Classes
- One 1-hour workshop each week for 5 weeks
- One 1-hour seminar each week for 6 weeks
- One 2-hour lecture each week for 11 weeks
A least one visit to Library Special Collections, as part of Workshop (as above)
Assessment
- 70% Coursework 1: Written essay
- 30% Coursework 2: Written essay
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
To introduce students to the histories of music writing, printing and codification. To educate them about the social and cultural contexts in which music has been inscribed and disseminated in the Western Classical tradition, and thus to help them analyse, interpret and think critically about music books as material objects. To heighten awareness of musical literacy and its social consequences. To encourage them and educate students in the use of bibliographic resources on campus.Learning Outcomes
Ability to classify, describe and interpret a music book.
Familiarity with the histories of manuscript and print culture, including knowledge of relevant databases and finding aids.
A theoretical grounding in the history of the book, critical bibliography and the sociology of music.
Intimate familiarity with the limitations and possibilities of music writing and musical literacy in the Western Classical tradition.