Catalog HOME General Information College of Arts and Science Conservatory of Music   General Guidelines   Facilities   Instrument Collection   Degrees & Diploma   Requirements for Graduation   Academic Advising & Standing   Enrollment   Grading   Major & Minor Study   Transfer of Credit   Advanced Credit   Concerts & Recitals   Miscellaneous Information   Summer Programs Double-Degree Program Registrars Office Arts and Sciences Division of Contemporary Music Lewis Nielson, Director Composition Department Randolph Coleman, Professor of Composition and Music Theory Richard Hoffmann, Professor of Composition and Music Theory Jeffrey Mumford, Assistant Professor of Composition Lewis Nielsen, Professor of Composition; Chair Major Study: Composition Course Requirements Recommended Course Distribution Course Requirements Recommended Course Distribution Hrs.   Fresh Soph Junior Senior 12 COMP 102A & B, 103A & B, 202A & B, 203A & B1 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 130 or 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 15 14 Non-Course Requirements Private Study Committee Exams: First Major Committee - X - - - - - - Second Major Committee - - - X - - - - Composition 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: MUTH 370 (Music of the 20th Century) MUTH 374 (Trends in Contemporary Music) MUTH 477 (The Music of Schoenberg) 4 One upper-division counterpoint course is required, to be chosen from the following: MUTH 323 (Two-Part and Three-Part Renaissance Counterpoint) MUTH 325 (Counterpoint in Composition) MUTH 435 (Eighteenth-Century Counterpoint) 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. Please note that Composition majors are required to complete Aural Skills V (MUTH 301) as part of their theory sequence. Music Theory I-IV and Aural Skills I-IV must be taken concurrently, e.g., a student will register for Music Theory I (MUTH 130 or 131) 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 (Aural Skills V). 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 Eligibility: 1. The student must be in a Bachelor's Degree Program in the Conservatory. 2. The student must have the approval of the Composition Department. 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. Course Requirements Recommended Course Distribution Hrs.   Fresh Soph Junior Senior 12 COMP 102A & B, 103A & B, 202A & B, 203A & B1 3 3 3 3 - - - - 4 COMP 300, 301 (Orchestration)  - - - - 2 2 - - 12 MUTH 130 or 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 - 3 TECH 100 (Intro to Music Tech I)3 - - 3 - - - - - 38   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 and B, 103A and B, 202A and B, 203A and B). However, the department may determine that one or more semesters of COMP 102A and B, 103A and B or COMP 202A and B, 203A and B be waived. 2 To be chosen from: MUTH 370 (Music of the 20th Century) MUTH 374 (Trends in Contemporary Music) MUTH 477 (The Music of Schoenberg) 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.