Preface & Acknowledgements
In writing this text, I wanted to help the student who is interested in the techniques of composers from the Common Practice through the Modern Era understand their methods through writing brief model pieces. Each form and style is approached in a plain and uncomplicated fashion to invite the student to try their hand at composing in a manner that they might not have previously attempted. As such, this text is by no means exhaustive – the chapters are designed to give students a taste of what is out there in the world of composition and provide more tools with which to explore their expressive abilities. Through the examination of original compositions as models, the student will learn step by step how to write their own pieces using each technique while learning the appropriate theoretical aspects involved. The steps trace the construction of each piece from initial concept through the final composition. The two main sections of the text (Common Practice Musical Forms and 20th Century and Modern Techniques) are integrated with one another as much as possible to allow the student to apply ideas learned in one in the other.
Accompanied by sound files to aid in instruction, the manual will cover the subjects from both a theoretical and historical perspective, with the ultimate goal being to present the student with opportunities to apply his/her own creative impulse to established modes of writing. In this manner, instructors will be able to use this resource either as supplemental material or as the primary text for their composition and/or theory curriculum wherein concepts will be integrated directly with making music rather than only in the abstract.
In the appendix, assignments for the student are made available for classroom or individual use. These assignments are geared towards promoting the greatest creative freedom possible within the scope of each form. Also, a listening list is provided for the student to hear these forms and styles in the hands of representative composers. In addition, a section of the text is devoted to a summary of Common Practice theory as a reference while an additional section involves techniques of orchestration.
It is the wish of the author that students are first exposed to the masterworks from the literature of each form and technique to be studied (a representative list is included at the end of each chapter) before embarking on this step-by-step approach.
Dr. Rubin would like to thank Maestro Paul DeSilva for his interpretation of all the musical examples using virtual instruments from the Vienna Symphonic Library. He would also like to thank Micah Gjeltema, the Open Education & Affordable Content Librarian at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities for his invaluable work in the layout and digital implementation of this project. Finally, he would like to thank the Libraries at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and Duluth campuses for their vision in establishing the Partnership for Affordable Learning Materials (PALM), and whose support made this book possible.
