Music Course Descriptions

MUS - 110. Choir (1-2)

Credit earned by singing in one of the choral ensembles on campus. Sections available: USF University Choir, Gospel Choir, USF Voices. Graded pass/fail only.

MUS - 112. Guitar Lessons (2)

Credit earned by taking guitar lessons with one of the approved instructors. Graded pass/fail only.

MUS - 114. Piano Lessons (2)

Credit earned by taking piano lessons with one of the approved instructors. Graded pass/fail only.

MUS - 116. Voice Lessons (2)

Credit earned by taking voice lessons with one of the approved instructors. Graded pass/fail only.

MUS - 118. Violin and Viola Lessons (2)

Credit earned by taking violin or viola lessons with one of the approved instructors. Graded pass/fail only.

MUS - 120. Flute and Piccolo Lessons (2)

Credit earned by taking flute or piccolo lessons with one of the approved instructors. Graded pass/fail only.

MUS - 124. USF Orchestra (1-2)

Credit earned by playing in the USF Orchestra.

MUS - 130. Jazz Ensemble (1-2)

A performing group experience for instrumentalists and vocalists in which high professional standards of small group performance are explained and achieved. The focus of this course is the study of performance practice and literature of Jazz. Performances include music from the Jazz repertoire and literature that includes works by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Sammy Nestico, but also Miles Davis and Charlie Parker and Herbie Hancock, Thelonius Monk and Dave Brubeck, Gil Evans, George Russell and Thad Jones.

MUS - 195. Opera in San Francisco (4)

Freshman Seminar. Opera is a singular genre, one involving all arts (from literature to acting, from music to costumes, from ballet to stage design). This freshman seminar introduces students to the history and development of the operatic genre and to college life. Class meetings will include discussions of staging and directing, reception and social aspects. Attending at least three operas is a required part of the course. We shall do that as a group. No prerequisite except intellectual curiosity and propensity to enjoying learning something new.

MUS - 201. Musicianship and Principles of Tonal Theory (4)

An intensive course on musicianship and theory. Its goal is to develop a foundation in the theory and practice of music. It covers notation, ear-training, scales and modes, intervals, triads, seventh chords, chord progressions, melody, rhythm, and form. It also includes basic principles of counterpoint and analysis. Written exercises are required weekly.

MUS - 210. Music of the Americas (4)

Topics include: music and its evolution, music and society, music and culture. Focus is on Latin American music, including music of the colonial period, and North American music from the Pilgrims to the twentieth century. Included are genres such as tango, samba, Chilean protest songs, Cuban and Mexican music, Andean music; the blues, jazz, swing; music of the Native Americans.

MUS - 214. Asian Musical Cultures (4)

This course explores musics of various Asian cultures and musics of Asian Americans. Students will attend concerts, develop listening skills, and investigate these musics' aesthetics, meanings, and sociological contexts.

Cross Listed With: ANST - 214

MUS - 216. History and Evolution of Popular Music (4)

The study of popular music as part of popular American culture.

MUS - 218. Survey of African Music (4)

A multi-media course (lectures, listening, slides and documentary films, live events) designed to provide students with an overview of the phenomenal richness of Africa's musical and rhythmic landscape. We also examine the impact of a rapidly changing technological world and its influence on the traditional musics of Africa, as well as the socio-cultural implications of such changes.

MUS - 220. Women's Music Through the Ages (4)

Presents the music composed by women from the middle ages to the present time. Students will listen to and analyze music by composers from Hildegard of Bingen to Elisabeth Claude Jacquet de la Guerre; from Clara Wieck-Schumann to Ruth Crawford Seeger; from Maria Agata Szymanowska to Amy Beach; from Pulitzer Prize winner Ellen Taafe Zwilich to Bessie Smith and Ella Fitzgerald, and many others.

MUS - 221. Mozart's Greatest Operas (4)

A study of Mozart's four greatest operas (Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, Cosi fan tutte and The Magic Flute) within the context of a discussion of Italian and German opera as genres. Students will read about opera, about its social role and implications, and about the representation of society in opera. We will also consider issues of gender as presented in these Viennese works from the 1780's. The plots of these four works will be studied in detail, and we will consider how music changes, adds, and shifts our understanding of the text, and how the sung text differs from the spoken. The course includes a screening of each of the works.

MUS - 222. Romantic Piano Music (4)

An exploration of the romantic literature for the piano through dozens of short pieces by Chopin, Liszt, Brahms and Clara Schumann, Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn and others. We will also discuss the romantic movement in general and issues such as the role of the artist in society and of women composers and performers.

MUS - 223. History of Jazz (4)

A study of jazz in its historical and social context. We will trace the evolution of jazz from the early twentieth century to the present day, focusing on important artists and seminal recordings. In addition to familiarizing students with the vast body of music that comprises this genre, this course will introduce basic musical concepts and terminology and include exercises designed to strengthen listening and analytical skills.

MUS - 224. Introduction to Opera (4)

Opera is a singular genre, one involving all arts (from literature to acting, from music to costumes, from ballet to stage design). This seminar introduces students fo the history and development of the operatic genre. Class meetings will include discussions of staging and directing, reception and social aspects. Attending at least three operas is a required part of the course. No prerequisite except intellectual curiosity and propensity to enjoy learning something new.

MUS - 225. Music Appreciation (4)

A general introduction to the history and genres of music as these developed in Europe and America from the Middle Ages through the 20th Century.

MUS - 226. Jazz, Culture and Social Justice (4)

This course chronologically surveys the musical and social evolution of this uniquely American art form called Jazz through the examination of the social justice issues that permeate our daily discussions of what we consider fair, democratic, desirable and what ought to be the basis of social and public policy in our multicultural nation. We will examine how Jazz music and its progenitors evolved as it was simultaneously shaped by the social context of education, poverty, religion, health and how public policies have influenced our concept of national identity and allegiance in a multicultural society. No pre-requisites except for intellectual curiosity

MUS - 240. Digital Audio Synthesis for Multimedia Applications (4)

In this course students learn about sound and the computer, investigating established principles of computer audio such as synthesis techniques, sound sampling, digital signal processing, file formats and audio processing. Applications of digital audio for video will also be included.

MUS - 250. Diatonic Harmony and Composition (4)

Prerequisite: MUSIC - 201. An intensive course in diatonic harmony, including ear training, four-part writing, and analysis of phrase, melody, and simple forms. Excerpts for analysis are taken from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic literature.

MUS - 301. History of Western Art Music I: Origins to 1750 (4)

Prerequisite: MUSIC - 201 or permission of instructor. An in-depth study of European Art Music with emphasis placed on analysis of representative pieces of all eras and genres. Secular and sacred, vocal and instrumental music from the origins of notation in the 9th century to the end of the Baroque era.

MUS - 302. History of Western Art Music II: 1750 to the Present (4)

Prerequisite: MUSIC - 201 or permission of instructor. An in-depth study of European Art Music with emphasis placed on analysis of representative pieces of all eras and genres. Second of two semesters (may be taken in any order). Secular and sacred, vocal and instrumental music from the pre-classical period to the 20th century. The music is studied within its historic, social, political, and economic context. Music by women composers as well as music of the U.S. will be given special consideration.

MUS - 310. Music for Performance (4)

A course for Performing Arts and Social Justice Majors that explores three areas: incidental music for plays, music for dance, and music, dance, theatre, and literature united in one art-form--opera. Students produce their own acts with music.

MUS - 350. Chromatic Harmony (4)

An intensive course in chromatic harmony, covering analysis, ear training, four-part writing (figured bass and harmonization), modulation and larger forms (rondo, sonata, and fugue). Music for analysis is chosen primarily from the Classical, Romantic, and Modern literature.