Welcome!

Welcome to MUS6: History of Electronic Music!

About the Instructor:

Joe Mariglio (pronounced mah REE lee oh)

Email: Joe.Mariglio@gmail.com

Office Hours: T/TH 3-4pm

Office Location: WLH 2123

Scope of the class:

In this class, we'll be looking at various traditions of music-making which involve electronics. In particular, we will focus on musical practices whose very existence depends on freshly emergent technology. This is to differentiate our field of study from music which merely enjoys the benefits of electronics-- which would include the majority of the music all of us encounter on a daily basis. I bet you could count the number of times you heard bona-fide live, unamplified, acoustic music today on one hand, and possibly one finger.

Initially, we will focus our efforts on early works, in search of the vanguard memes (and their creators) responsible for the current state of technologically-inspired music today. Many of these memes were first developed in settings that seem sheltered from popular music traditions, due to the field's prohibitive cost of entry. However, as objects such as transistors, op-amps, and eventually computers became cheaper, these tools found themselves in increasingly varied company. Perhaps now more than ever, the line in the sand between so-called "high" and "low" art has blurred into a murky gradient. Some results of this cross-pollination have deeply affected both sides of the skirmish. To place a piece of music accurately within this continuum, one should consider issues like institutional support, (sub)cultural background, and public reception. In light of these factors and innumerable others, it becomes clear that simple dichotomies between super- and sub- cultural intelligentsias are hopelessly insufficient.

Unlike previous versions of this course, I will not be progressing chronologically through the material. Instead, I'll use thematic elements to navigate though the music. I am less interested in you recalling names and dates than I am in you gaining an appreciation for the concepts attached to them. History is just a story, after all.

A few thoughts on classroom dynamics:

Not all experiments succeed. Some of this music will strike you as earth-shattering. Some of it will seem ear-shattering. You are not expected to enjoy all of it. Rather, you are expected to engage with all of it: the majority of your grades for this class involve listening to this music with an open mind, thinking critically about the related ideas, and participating in an ongoing collective dialog about all of it. Aesthetic assessments are perfectly valid so long as they are constructed with a sensitivity for the context of the work, and demonstrate a level of engagement beyond initial appearances. I am less interested in whether or not you liked a piece, than the many reasons why or why not.

In this class, you will be introduced to a variety of perspectives. Each of these perspectives, including my own, comes with an agenda. I will do my best to locate my perspective and make my agenda clear. Your job is not to agree with and regurgitate this agenda, but to engage with it. You are invited to –respectfully, of course-- disagree with me on any statements I make in class, as well as those presented in readings. You may even disagree with each other, but please be respectful.

Although I don't mind if you use your laptops to take notes while I talk, I will not permit the use of laptops when anyone else is talking. This means that when we listen to pieces of music, or when the floor has been opened for discussion, I expect you to close your laptops.

Class format:

This is subject to change. I will (attempt to) lecture for the first half of class, and provide musical examples which fit into the flow of the lecture. My lectures will probably ramble a bit and there will be many times I'll open the floor up for discussion.

You're expected to jot down your reactions and other notes w/r/t each listening example and post them on your blog after class. More on this below.

There will be a break in the middle of the barbarically long class period. At this time, I'd humbly like to propose a policy of collective snacking (outside the classroom). I'll start it off for the first day, but it would be amazing if other people stepped up and brought food / beverages to share.

I'd like to reserve the second half of class for more listening examples and less of me talking. I will bookend examples with commentary and we'll talk about them. We'll likely encounter longer pieces at this time.

Office Hours:

I will have office hours on class days from 3-4pm. My office is located in Warren Lecture Hall, room 2123. I will explain how to get there in person. I am also typically available via email.

Assessment:

Your final grade breaks down as follows:

Attendance: 15%

Blog Posts: 20%

Midterm: 15%

Final: 25%

Final Project: 25%

(5% prospectus, 20% project)

Attendance:

You are expected to show up on time to class every day it is held, and stick around for the duration of the class. If something comes up, tell me about it. If you know something will come up, tell me about it in advance.

Blog Posts:

You'll need to allocate to this course either a category of your current blog (should it exist) or an entirely new blog (should it not).

As mentioned above, I expect you to write down some notes while we listen to selections in class. I'm not expecting Shakespeare, just some first impressions. Please post these on your blog by midnight after the class in which we did the listenings.

You are expected to read, listen to, and watch the various pieces of digital media I assign to you. I recommend taking notes on this assigned media. All course materials will be made available through the internet. Please write these readings and listenings up on your blog. For the readings, try to summarize the main ideas. Be succinct and clear. The homework blog entries will be due by the beginning of the next class period.

Midterm and Final:

There will be a midterm on Thursday, July 18^th and a final on the last day of class, Thursday, August 1^st. These may involve listening to musical examples and writing about them in a short-answer format. There may also be a few prompts to get the ideas flowing.

Final Project:

You are expected to complete a final project of some kind, due on Thursday, August 1^st. This project can be either a paper or a creative work. Papers must be 5 pages double-spaced (no formatting trickery, please!) and written in an academically viable tone. You must use appropriately formatted citations to back up your work. Potentially anything from exposition to research is permitted, provided you check with me about your idea first.

You may also do a creative project. To qualify, the project must relate directly to the content of the course and a 3 page explanation of this relationship must accompany it. Again, please include citations. Potentially anything in any medium is permitted, provided you check with me about your idea first. You are expected to share your project with the class after the final on Thursday, August 1^st.

A final project prospectus will be due in class on Thursday, July 18^th. This is a brief description of your final project, which may change so long as you contact me about it. In addition to contributing to my own book keeping, this proposal will contribute 5 percentage points to your final grade.

For starters, check out this brief essay by Brian Eno, and this brief essay by Nathan Brewer. These are intended as a gentle introduction to the topic. No need to write these up.