MUS 240 Introduction to the Music of Duke Ellington (Not offered 2006-2007; to be offered 2007-2008)
This course will survey the career and compositional style of Edward Kennedy
(Duke) Ellington (1899-1974). Students will learn to listen to and analyze music
from throughout Ellington's five-decade career as a bandleader, composer,
arranger, and writer. Particular emphasis will be placed on development of aural
analysis skills, in terms of form, style, orchestration, and the ability to identify
the individual sounds of key Ellingtonian soloists. Ellington's importance as a
key figure in American cultural history, and the relationships between his music
and parallel stylistic developments and influences from both within and outside
of the jazz tradition will also be discussed.
Requirements: weekly listening and reading assignments, one biographical
paper examining the career of an Ellingtonian, as well as participation in a group
presentation to the class of one of Ellington's extended works; midterm and final
exams will also be given.
Enrollment limit: 19.