Courses Taught

Tutorial: Music & Society in Paris, 1880-1930
Tutorial: Venice, Past & Present
MUS 101-3 Collegium Musicum (ensemble)
MUS 120/220/221 Harpsichord
MUS 261 - Western Music to 1750
MUS 262 - Western Music From 1750 to the Present
MUS 201 – Baroque Improvisation
MUS 214 - Advanced Aural Skills
MUS 322 – The "Golden Age" of English Music, 1500-1700
MUS 322 - J.S. Bach and Family

Tutorial: Music and Society in Paris, 1880-1930
Credits: 4
Instructor: Jennifer Williams Brown

During the period 1880-1930, Paris was the center of modern and avant-garde developments in music, painting, poetry, and dance. These developments simultaneously reflected the social upheavals of the early 20th century, and shook "civilized" society to its roots. Musicians active during this period include the Francophone composers Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Gabriel Fauré, Erik Satie, Francis Poulenc, Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, Edgard Varèse, Olivier Messiaen, and Nadia Boulanger, as well as such famous émigrés as Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, George Antheil, Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson, and John Cage.
In this tutorial we will read contemporary concert reviews and the composers' own writings and study the interactions between musicians, other artists, and the public at large. We will focus in particular on the riot at the premiere of Stravinsky and Nijinsky's Rite of Spring (1913). The ability to read music is NOT required.

Tutorial: Venice, Past & Present
Credits: 4
Instructor: Jennifer Williams Brown

One of the most beautiful cities in the world, Venice is famous for its canals, gondolas, and architectural splendors. Entering this world of Renaissance palaces—far from the bustle of automobile traffic—is like traveling back in time. Yet Venice is also a modern city, with modern problems such as the flooding that threatens to swallow it whole. In this course we will explore both Venice's past glories and its present state. "Past" topics will include interactions between Eastern and Western cultures (Marco Polo), democracy and intellectual independence (Galileo), the Jewish ghetto (The Merchant of Venice), Venetian Carnival and the libertine ethos (Casanova), and the role of women in Venetian society. We will pay particular attention to Venice's role in the history of art (Carpaccio, Titian, Veronese, Canaletto) and music (Gabrieli, Monteverdi, Vivaldi). "Present" topics will include immigration, crime (Donna Leon), the environment ("aqua alta"), the pros and cons of tourism, and Venice's role in popular culture.

101-03: Collegium Musicum
Credits: 1
Instructor: Jennifer Williams Brown
Prerequisite: Ability to read music notation

The Collegium Musicum is dedicated to the performance of Early Music (the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, & Classical periods of Western European music history) using historically appropriate techniques and instruments. It provides a hands-on way of learning about music history, exploring the beautiful but less often heard music of earlier periods while developing aural skills such as sight-reading. The ensemble includes both singers and instrumentalists, divided into several groups according to repertoire and experience level. Each group meets for approximately one hour per week. Instrumentalists perform on the College's first-class collection of replica period instruments. Since many of these are ancestors of modern instruments, students can often transfer their knowledge of modern technique fairly easily. Both group and individual instruction is provided. Meetings are arranged to suit members' schedules, usually Weds aft/eve. Renaissance A Cappella Vocal Ensemble meets Weds, 6-7 pm; sectionals (every other week) 5-6 pm.
Auditions and orientation meeting: first Wednesday of each semester, 7 pm. Please bring your modern instrument and a short piece in any style that you have played/sung before.

MUS 201: Baroque Improvisation
Instructor: Jennifer Williams Brown
Credits: 4
Prerequisite: MUS 112, and facility on any instrument (including voice). Recommended: MUS 213, MUS 261, MUS 324, MUS 215, or MUS 216.

The art of improvisation—a vital aspect of music-making in many types of popular and non-Western music today (e.g. jazz, North Indian classical music)—has virtually died out of Western classical music. Yet in earlier periods, the ability to improvise was an essential skill learned by every Western musician; J.S. Bach was famously able to improvise counterpoint for hours on end. In this course we will study historical sources from the Baroque period (such as treatises and examples of written-out improvisation) plus the work of recent scholars and performers who have studied these sources. Students will then apply these ideas to their own performance medium. They will learn to ornament a melody in various Baroque styles, build variations over a standard harmonic pattern, realize a figured bass, and work towards improvising whole pieces.

MUS 322: The "Golden Age" of English Music, 1500-1730
Instructor: Jennifer Williams Brown
Credits: 4
Prerequisites: MUS 261 or permission of instructor.

The reigns of the Tudor and Stuart monarchs (especially Elizabeth I) saw a glorious flourishing of music of many types—sacred and secular, vocal and instrumental, serious and popular. During this time composers such as Tallis, Byrd, Dowland, Morley, Gibbons, Locke, and Purcell forged an idiomatic style that combined elements of French and Italian music with indigenous British traditions. Among their accomplishments are the great repertories of lute songs, madrigals, motets, anthems, and instrumental works for lute, virginal, viol consort, and violin band.

In this course we will consider 3 topics in particular detail:
1) the role of music in the tumultuous religious and political history of the time (including the English Reformation, the Civil War, and the Restoration)
2) the role of music in the vibrant tradition of English theatre (e.g. Shakespeare, Purcell)
3) the crossover between popular tunes and "art music" (from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book to The Beggar's Opera)
We will take a hands-on approach as far as possible, with workshops and class performances of selected works. Students will complete a major research paper on a topic of their choice.

MUS 322: J. S. Bach and Family
Instructor: Jennifer Williams Brown
Credits: 4
Prerequisite: MUS 261 or permission of instructor

Johann Sebastian Bach is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. His music--renowned for the beauty of its melodic lines, brilliance of its compositional technique, and profundity of its inspiration--has influenced composers from Beethoven to Bela Fleck, intrigued writers and thinkers from Goethe to Hofstadter, and inspired countless listeners through the ages.

In this course we will consider J.S. Bach within the context of the Bach dynasty--the musicians who trained him and whom he trained in turn, especially his famous sons Wilhelm Friedeman, Carl Philip Emmanuel, and Johann Christian. Special topics will include: 1) Biography: how do we construct a biography of a composer? how have myths arisen? 2) Editing: we will look at Bach's autograph manuscripts, try our hand at interpreting them, and evaluate editions made by other people; 3) Analysis: we will dig into selected pieces of music and discover how Bach worked his magic; and 4) Performance Practice: we will explore how music was performed during Bach's day, using Grinnell's rich collection of 18th-century instruments and treatises such as the one by C.P.E. Bach.