In
This Department
Major:
Composition
Minor:
Composition
Division
of Contemporary Music
Composition Department
Major
Study: Composition
Requirements
and Recommended Distribution
Hrs
Course
Requirements
Sem
1
Sem
2
Sem
3
Sem
4
Sem
5
Sem
6
Sem
7
Sem
8
12
COMP
102, 103, 202, 203 (Composition Class I-IV)
3
3
3
3
-
-
-
-
16
Principal
Private Study (Composition)
-
-
-
-
4
4
4
4
4
Secondary
Private Study (Piano)
2
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
Ensemble
electives
-
-
-
-
1
1
1
1
12
MUTH
131, 132, 231, 232 (Music Theory)
3
3
3
3
-
-
-
-
5
MUTH
101, 102, 201, 202, 301 (Aural Skills)
1
1
1
1
-
1
-
-
6
COMP
210 (Composition Seminar)
-
-
3
3
-
-
-
-
4
COMP
300, 301 (Orchestration)
-
-
-
-
2
2
-
-
3
CNTP
310 (New Music Workshop)
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
3
TECH
100 (Intro to Music Tech I)
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
3
TECH
150 (Studio Skills for Composers)2
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
9
Upper-Division
Music Theory electives3,4
-
-
-
-
3
3
3
-
4
MHST
101 (Intro to the History and Literature of Music)5
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3
MHST
275 (Music in the 20th Century)
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
3
Music
History elective
-
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
24
Liberal
Arts electives
3
3
3
-
3
3
3
6
9
Free
electives
-
3
-
-
3
-
-
3
124
16
15
16
16
16
17
14
14
Non-Course Requirements
Private
Study Committee Exams:
First
Major Committee
-
X
-
-
-
-
-
-
Second
Major Committee
-
-
-
X
-
-
-
-
Performance
Requirement:
Sophomore/Junior
Requirement
-
-
-
-
(X)
(X)
-
-
Senior
Requirement6
-
-
-
-
-
-
(X)
(X)
1 Composition
students must register for two modules in each semester of study
for the first two years of the program. For example, first-year
students should register for both 102A and 102B in the first semester
of their freshman year, and 103A and 103B in the second semester
of their freshman year.
2 Or any other studio course in the TIMARA Department.
3 Two courses are required, to include one chosen from
among the following:
4 One upper-division counterpoint course is required,
to be chosen from the following:
If a student has already taken the counterpoint module as part of
the Composition Class sequence, either MUTH 325 or MUTH 435 must
be chosen instead of MUTH 323.
5 May be waived by placement examination when the student
enters Oberlin.
6 The Extended Piece requirement and the Senior Thesis
may be completed during the first or second semester.
Aims. One of the aims of the major in composition is to provide
aspiring young composers with the means to extend their musical
imagination by studying with an experienced composer, by close examination
of masterpieces of all eras, and by a thorough knowledge of contemporary
musical expression.
Another aim, closely interwoven with the first, is to provide the
means for the effective transmission of musical ideas to performers
and audiences by the crafts of composition, i.e., notation, orchestration,
and the balance of musical form and content.
Since most majors who finish their degrees at Oberlin choose to
continue their education, yet another aim is to prepare the student
for the graduate school environment and to facilitate placement
in the institution of the student's choice.
Private Study Committee Exams. At the end of a student's first
and second year in the Composition Program the work and progress
of each Composition major is evaluated by the faculty.
This review comprises an evaluation of progress in the following
areas:
1. composition classes (the quality and the quantity of the work);
performing/coaching/ conducting of music in class; participation
in the critiquing process; general level of participation.
2. course work and applied study in the Conservatory, especially
in music theory and musicology classes.
3. course work in the College.
4. other creative projects, e.g. dance, theatre, etc.
5. overall progress.
Our interest in this process is to advise you as to your status
in your Major (or Minor). The faculty will offer a determination
as to whether you are performing at a satisfactory level, a better
than satisfactory level or a substandard level.
Students who are deemed to be performing at a substandard level
at the end of either year may be refused continuence in the Program.
It may also be recommended that a composer redefine his/her relationship
to composition and become a composition minor or perhaps a college
music major with an emphasis in composition.
Detailed comments on individual work will not be offered in this
process. Individual critique is provided within the class structure
and the advising system.
Composition Requirements. The Sophomore/Junior Composition requirement
consists of the composition of a minimum of three original pieces.
The performance of these must be approved by the department and
presented on departmental recitals, unless the composition will
be performed in a reading or in a public performance by one of the
following ensembles: Contemporary Music Ensemble, Oberlin Wind Ensemble,
Oberlin College Choir, Oberlin Orchestra. This requirement cannot
be replaced by a Junior, Senior, or studio class recital. Pieces
composed during the freshman year may not be included.
The Senior Composition requirement is to complete two separate works:
1. The Senior Thesis must be a composition for a large ensemble
such as orchestra or wind ensemble. The duration is not defined.
2. An extended piece having a minimum duration of ten minutes or
more is also required. The ensemble is not defined.
Major Status. Freshman Major Status is attained upon being accepted
in the Conservatory as a composition major.
Sophomore Major Status is attained upon completion of COMP 103A
& B and the First Major Committee Examination.
Junior Major Status is attained upon completion of COMP 203A &
B and the Second Major Committee Examination.
Senior Major Status is attained upon completion of PVST VI (Principal
Composition Study) and the Sophomore/Junior Composition requirement.
Music Theory and Aural Skills Requirement. Students are expected
to register for Music Theory and Aural Skills courses each semester
until they have completed the requirements. Part or all of these
requirements may be waived by placement examination when the student
enters Oberlin. If the minimum passing scores are not achieved for
placement in Music Theory I (MUTH 131) and Aural Skills I (MUTH
101), a student must first take Introduction to Music Theory (MUTH
120) and/or Introduction to Aural Skills (MUTH 100). If a student
exempts Aural Skills I, II, III, or IV, then Aural Skills V (MUTH
301) becomes the terminal course in the sequence.
Music Theory I-IV and Aural Skills I-IV must be taken concurrently,
e.g., a student will register for Music Theory I and Aural Skills
I in the same semester. Under certain circumstances, with the permission
of the appropriate division director and the Music Theory division
director, students will be allowed to take Aural Skills IV and Music
Theory IV separately. A student's aural skills requirement must
be completed before the senior recital can be scheduled. Double-degree
students will resolve any conflicts with these expectations in consultation
with their advisors.
Electives. A student should select electives based on the following:
a minimum of 76 hours of Conservatory course work is required; a
minimum of 24 hours of liberal arts is required.
Expository Writing Proficiency. Students with an SAT verbal
score below 580 or an ACT score below 24, or a TOEFL score below
600 must complete one course chosen from the RHET 111-119 series.
Minor
Study: Composition
If the applicant is accepted he or she will be placed either into
one of the composition classes or directly into Secondary Private
Composition study.
Requirements
and Recommended Distribution
Hrs
Course
Requirements
Sem
1
Sem
2
Sem
3
Sem
4
Sem
5
Sem
6
Sem
7
Sem
8
12
COMP
102A & B, 103A & B, 202A & B, 203A & B1
3
3
3
3
-
-
-
-
4
COMP
300, 301 (Orchestration)
-
-
-
-
2
2
-
-
12
MUTH
131, 132, 231, 232 (Music Theory)
3
3
3
3
-
-
-
-
4
MUTH
101, 102, 201, 202 (Aural Skills)
1
1
1
1
-
-
-
-
3
Upper-Division
Music Theory electives2
-
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
5
TECH
100 (Intro to Music Tech I)3
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
38
Totals
7
7
10
7
2
2
3
-
1 At the time of acceptance into the minor, a student
would normally follow the sequence of composition classes (COMP
102A & B, 103A & B, 202A & B, 203A & B). However,
the department may determine that one or more semesters of COMP
102A & B, 103A & B or COMP 202A & B, 203A & B
be waived.
2 To be chosen from:
3 Any studio course in the TIMARA program may be substituted.
Committee Examination. There are two Committee Examinations.
The First Minor Committee will consist of a review by the department
of a student's work in composition at the completion of the second
semester of composition study. The Second Minor Committee is taken
at the completion of the fourth semester of composition study. See
"Private Study Committee Exams" above for more detail.
