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Approaching the Contemporary: Western Art Music since 1980 - MUS00191C

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  • Department: Music
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Mark Hutchinson
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: C
  • Academic year of delivery: 2023-24

Module summary

This project will provide an introduction to a number of central issues in the study of recent (mainly post-1980s) Western art music.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 1 2023-24

Module aims

This project will provide an introduction to a number of central issues in the study of recent (mainly post-1980s) Western art music. Some of the pieces we will look at are landmarks of their period, much-discussed and in some cases quite controversial; others have barely been discussed in the academic literature to date, and thus fertile ground for fresh interpretations. You will be encouraged to approach this music creatively and thoughtfully, making sense of it for yourself through a combination of careful listening and an awareness of the broader streams of thought which inform this repertoire. We’ll use a number of case study pieces and composers as a lens to explore issues which recur frequently within this period – issues such as complexity and simplicity, the nature of sound, the status of the past, and the role of new music (and new art in general) within society.

The project will be taught through a combination of lectures, group discussions and practical exercises. The emphasis throughout will be on active participation. You will have the opportunity to engage with analysis, issues of philosophy and aesthetics, composition and performance. Weekly seminar teaching will be supported by a number of GTA-led sessions in the last weeks of the project that help you develop the research skills you will need to write your essay.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the taught part of the project you should be able to:

  • recognise a variety of post-1980s experimental classical repertoire

  • understand and contribute to some of the core academic debates surrounding this music

  • reflect more deeply on the role played by ‘new music’ within society

  • engage critically and creatively with specific pieces from this period in group discussion and in your own work.

In this module you will also demonstrate the following learning outcomes for independent work:

  • Analyse music or demonstrate understanding of appropriate analytical techniques – LO A9;

  • Demonstrate techniques of detailed critical listening such as transcription and/or ‘close readings’ of aural sources – LO A12.

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Critical sourcework exercise		 N/A 30
Essay/coursework
Essay		 N/A 70

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

This assessment has two components:

1) Critical sourcework exercise (30%):

A piece of writing (c.1000 words) comparing and contrasting viewpoints on a controversial topic, with appropriate referencing and academic tone. Students will be given suggested topics and a starter list of sources to draw on, and will be expected to supplement this with further reading.


2) Essay (70%):

A discussion of a specific piece of post-1980s music agreed in tutorial. You should ensure that you have a clear and relevant research question to ask relating to this piece, and that you answer it using some of the techniques and sources introduced during the project. (c. 2500-3000 words)

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Critical sourcework exercise		 N/A 30
Essay/coursework
Essay		 N/A 70

Module feedback

You will receive written feedback in line with standard University turnaround times.

Indicative reading

Suggested reading/listening:

Indicative list of pieces to be studied:

  • John Luther Adams: The Light that Fills the World

  • Thomas Adès: Arcadiana

  • Ana-Maria Avram: Orbit of Eternal Grace

  • Richard Ayres: No. 37b

  • Brian Ferneyhough: La chute d’Icare

  • György Kurtág: Officium breve, Játékok

  • Anna Meredith: Nautilus

  • Tristan Murail: Treize couleurs du soleil couchant

  • Steve Reich: Different Trains

  • Kaija Saariaho: Lichtbogen, Oltra Mar

  • Rebecca Saunders: Into the Blue

  • Caroline Shaw: Partita

  • Howard Skempton: Lento

  • Anna Thorvaldsdottir: In the Light of Air

  • Julia Wolfe: Lick

Some useful preparatory background reading:

Griffiths, Paul. (2010) Modern Music and After, 3rd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Rutherford-Johnson, Tim. (2017) Music after the Fall: Modern Composition and Culture since 1989. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Ross, Alex. (2009) The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century. London: Harper Perennial.

Beyer, Anders. (2000) The Voice of Music: Conversations with Composers of Our Time. Aldershot: Ashgate.

Ford, Andrew. (1993) Composer to Composer: Conversations about Contemporary Music. London: Quartet.

Service, Tom. (2012) Thomas Adès: Full of Noises. Conversations with Tom Service. London: Faber.

Further suggested reading will be distributed before the project.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.