Harmony is a practical subject in which the student should acquire fundamental knowledge of harmony and structure in Western art music. The student should develop an understanding of musical harmony for use as a tool in music performance such as interpretation and composition.
The work completed on this course provides a basis for further specialisation in Year 2. The subject is superseded by Harmony/counterpoint II (Sats11).
Learning objectives
On completion of this course, the student is expected to
- demonstrate insight into tonal harmonic structures
- be able to analyse and describe different types of harmony including for choir, piano and small ensembles
- be able to harmonise and arrange a functional-harmonic piece
Contents
The course centres around the subject of tonal harmony.
It also includes exercises in
- voice leading
- four-part harmony
- reductive analysis
- harmonic analysis
Structure
Tuition is given as lectures and in groups. Discussions and study groups may also be organised. The students will be able to submit and obtain feedback on practice exercises.
The student may request an assessment by the course tutor instead of an exam if they have met the attendance criteria, and have had all the course requirements approved (see Final assessment - option 2). Attendance will therefore be registered although the course does not have mandatory attendance as a course requirement.
For a summary of indicative workload and structure, please see the “Structure” section of the relevant programme of study.
The students are automatically registered for tuition/supervision and assessment in the subject in line with the progression set out in the education plan.
Course requirements
The course requirements only apply to assessment option 2.
The student must complete 12 assignments linked to the progression of the course. Submission deadlines are specified in the annual schedule for the course.
Deadline: All course requirements for the semester in question must have been approved by 30 April in the second semester of the course.
Final assessment
Exam (option 1) (standard option)
Assessment is based on learning objectives. Final assessment is given as a pass/fail mark and is determined on the basis of a written exam and a take-home exam. The assessment is carried out by two internal examiners. Both exams must be passed in order to pass the course.
Written exam
Assignment on harmonic analysis to be completed at the academy. Duration: 2 hours.
Take-home exam
Harmonisation assignment on tonal harmony. The student has 24 hours to submit the exam.
The submission must be returned digitally to the examinations office by the deadline set by the academy.
Assessment by course tutor (option 2)
The student may request an assessment by the course tutor instead of an exam if 1) they have met the attendance criteria (normally at least 80%) on 1 December in the first semester of the course and 30 April in the second semester of the course respectively, and 2) they have had all the course requirements approved.
The assessment is based on the learning objectives for the course. The course is assessed on a pass or fail basis.
The course tutor will make an individual evaluation of the student’s level of attainment. The course tutor determines whether there is sufficient basis for assessing the student using this assessment option.
New assessment
In the event of a fail, the same rules apply to reassessments as to ordinary assessments (option 1).