Studying at York
Improvisation: From rap to raga - MUS00176H
- Department: Music
- Module co-ordinator: Miss Nina Kumin
- Credit value: 10 credits
- Credit level: H
- Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
Module summary
What do Hindustani and Karnatak raga, Miles Davies, Mozart’s cadenzas, Bluegrass, Javanese gamelan, West African percussion ensembles, Latin salsa piano and freestyle rap battles have in common? They all feature improvisation! Considering cultures of musical improvisation, this module questions our assumptions about musicking and allows the option of practical experimentation with improvised performance in different styles.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Summer Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
This module takes students through case studies in the practice of improvisation in Western classical, folk, jazz, popular and world musics, questioning its place, value and significance to each practice. These case studies will be used as a springboard to further philosophical issues around music as a whole, calling into question the nature of a music work, aesthetics of perfection, the nature of art vs entertainment and what it means to make music in different cultures. How we listen, what we listen for and why will also be discussed, demonstrating how these philosophical concepts influence our research, practice, experience and understanding of music. Seminars will be split into 2 sections. The first half will recap content in the set tasks and expand upon this with the aim of facilitating discussion. The second half will act as a practical workshop to test out the ideas discussed in the first half. For those choosing the performance pathway this will facilitate practical experimentation with different kinds of improvisation exercises and for those choosing the essay pathway, a chance to see the results of improvisation in action and to link these experiences to the broader themes and questions of the module. Each week will be centred around a different case study from various genres to examine the broader philosophical issues of the module.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the taught part of the project all students should be able to:
-
Think critically about and gain knowledge of the nature of improvisatory music making across genres, history and global cultures.
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Question embedded Western and Romantic-period approaches to analysing music belonging to other traditions or time periods.
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Evaluate how philosophical standpoints on music, art and aesthetics shape our perception, practice, research, experience and valuation of notated and improvised musicking.
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Create and/or listen to improvisations in different styles and evaluate these through broader philosophical questions about musicking.
On completion of the module, in their independent work, students should demonstrate Learning Outcomes C1–9, 11 and 12.
Indicative assessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework Essay |
N/A | 100 | A |
| Essay/coursework Performance plus short commentary |
N/A | 100 | B |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
Option 1:
An essay of c. 2500 words on a philosophical issue discussed in seminar sessions linked to a new case study of the student's choice (100%).
Option 2:
A short improvised performance lasting around 15 minutes in a style of the student's choice, supported by a short commentary of c. 500 words.
Indicative reassessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework Essay |
N/A | 100 | A |
| Essay/coursework Performance plus short commentary |
N/A | 100 | B |
Module feedback
Mark and report within University designated turnaround time.
Indicative reading
Reading
Alkaei, Zaher, and Mats B. Küssner. ‘Taqsim as a creative musical process in Arabic music.’ Frontiers in Psychology 12 (2021).
Alperson, P. ‘On Musical Improvisation.’ Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 43, no. 1 (1984–5): 17–30.
Bailey, D. Improvisation: its Nature and Practice in Music. New York: Hachette Books, 1992.
Behague, Gerard. ‘Improvisation in latin american musics.’ Music Educators Journal 66, no. 5 (1980): 118-125.
Berliner, P.F. Thinking in Jazz: the Infinite Art of Improvisation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994.
Chan, S.Y. Improvisation in a Ritual Context: the Music of Cantonese Opera. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 1991.
Elkholy, S. The Tradition of Improvisation in Arab Music. Giza, Egypt: Imprimerie Rizk, 1978.
G. Solis, and B. Nettl, ed. Musical Improvisation: Art,Education, and Society. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2009.
Goehr, Lydia. The Imaginary Museum of Musical Works: An Essay in the Philosophy of Music: An Essay in the Philosophy of Music. Clarendon Press, 1992.
Hamilton, Andy. ‘The Aesthetics of Imperfection Reconceived: Improvisations, Compositions, and Mistakes: Hamilton: The Aesthetics of Imperfection Reconceived.’ The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 78, no. 3 (2020): 289-302.
Hamilton, Andy. ‘The aesthetics of imperfection.’ Philosophy 65, no. 253 (1990): 323-340.
Hamilton, Andy. ‘The art of recording and the aesthetics of perfection.’ The British Journal of Aesthetics 43, no. 4 (2003): 345-362.
Hisama, Ellie M., George E. Lewis, and Benjamin Piekut. ‘Improvisation in Freestyle Rap.’ In The Oxford Handbook of Critical Improvisation Studies, Volume 2, 250. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.
Hogan, Brian. ‘Locating The Chopi Xylophone Ensembles of Southern Mozambique.’ Pac. Rev. Ethnomusicol 11 (2006).
Hood, M. ‘Improvisation as a Discipline in Javanese Music.’ Music Educators Journal 50, no. 4
(1963–4): 34–8.
Hood, M. ‘Improvisation in the Stratified Ensembles of Southern Asia.’ Selected Reports in Ethnomusicology 2, no. 2 (1975): 25–33.
Jablokov, Vladimir & Anton. ‘Whatever happened to improvisation in classical music.’ The Strad.
March 14, 2017. Accessed November 1, 2021. https://www.thestrad.com/whatever-happened-to-improvisation-in-classical-music/6560.article.
Jenkins, T.S. Free Improvisation: an Encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004.
Johansson, Mats. ‘Paraphrase this: a note on improvisation.’ Ethnomusicology Forum 26, no. 1 (2017): 26-45.
Josephson, N.S. ‘Bach meets Liszt: traditional formal structures and performance practices in progressive rock.’ The Musical Quarterly 76, no. 1 (1992): 67-92.
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Shankarabharana.’ YTM 19 (1987), 45–64.
Kivy, Peter. ‘Is Music an Art?’ The Journal of Philosophy 88, no.10 (1991): 544-554.
Locke, David. ‘Improvisation in west African musics.’ Music Educators Journal 66, no. 5 (1980): 125-133.
MacDonald, Raymond, Graeme Wilson, and Dorothy Miell. ‘Improvisation as a creative process within contemporary music.’ In Musical imaginations: Multidisciplinary perspectives on creativity, performance and perception, 242-255. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.
Malvinni, David. Grateful Dead and the Art of Rock Improvisation. Plymouth: Scarecrow Press, 2013.
Manuel, P. ‘Improvisation in Latin Dance Music: History and Style.’ In The Course of Performance: Studies in the World of Music Improvisation, edited by Bruno Nettl, 127-48. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998.
Monson, I. Musical Interaction in Modern Jazz: an Ethnomusicological Perspective. PhD Dissertation. New York University, 1991.
Mortensen, John J. The Pianist's Guide to Historic Improvisation. Oxford University Press, USA, 2020.
Nettl, B. ‘Thoughts on Improvisation: a Comparative Approach.’ MQ 60, no. 1 (1974): 1–19.
Nettl, B. In the Course of Performance: Studies in the World of Musical Improvisation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998.
Nettl, Bruno et al. ‘Improvisation.’ Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 1 Nov. 2021. https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000013738.
Neumann, F. Ornamentation and Improvisation in Mozart. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1986.
Nooshin, L. ‘Improvisation as “Other”: Creativity, Knowledge and Power.’ JRMA 128, no. 2 (2003): 24–96.
Pressing, J. ‘Cognitive Processes in Improvisation.’ In Cognitive Processes in the Perception of Art, edited by W.R. Crozier and A.J. Chapman, 345-63. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1984.
Pressing, J. ‘Improvisation: Methods and Models.’ In Generative Processes in Music: the Psychology of Performance, Improvisation, and Composition, edited by J.A. Sloboda, 129-78. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1988.
Sertan, S., and Parag Chordia. ‘Modelling melodic improvisation in Turkish folk music using variable-length Markov models.’ In 12th International Society for Music Information Retrieval Conference, 269-274. Online: International Society for Music Information Retrieval, 2011.
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Solis, G. The Thelonious Monk Quartet. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Spitzer, John, and Neal Zaslaw. ‘Improvised Ornamentation in Eighteenth-Century Orchestras.’ Journal of the American Musicological Society 39, no. 3 (1986): 524-577.
Swift, Gordon Nichols. ‘The violin as cross cultural vehicle: Ornamentation in South Indian
violin and its influence on a style of Western violin improvisation.’ PhD Dissertation. Wesleyan University, 1989.
Tirro, F. ‘Constructive Elements in Jazz Improvisation.’ JAMS 27, no. 2 (1974): 285–305.
Touma, H.H. ‘Maqam Phenomenon: an Improvisation Technique in the Music of the Middle East.’ EthM 15, no.1 (1971): 38–48.
Treitler, L. ‘Medieval Improvisation.’ World of Music 33, no. 3 (1991): 66–91.
Listening:
To listen to a small selection of improvisations in various styles see: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZhN1gnil6gAsoNAF4T31bIEdD5UZBwVf