www.martiandances.com--Matthew Saunders, composer

Reading

www.martiandances.com

These are original essays I have created for certain of the courses I teach with the intent of giving students a broad overview of the subject at hand. The relevant courses are listed with each link. Since these are intended as a supplement to the textbook in each case, I have not included citations as a rule. Very few of the ideas are original to me, and many of them could be found in many basic texts.

Introduction to Figured Bass—For Music Theory I. This is a supplementary discussion of a the basics for figured bass notation intended to be introduced simultaneously with Chapter 4 of Tonal Harmony by Kotska & Payne. Based heavily on the teachings of Gregory Proctor.

Introduction to Counterpoint—For Music Theory I. This is a supplementary discussion of a form of counterpoint loosely based on 16th-century models intended to be introduced simultaneously with Chapter 5 of Tonal Harmony by Kotska & Payne.

Functional Harmony—For Music Theory II. This is a supplementary discussion of a form of a model of functional harmony intended to be introduced with Chapter 8 of Tonal Harmony by Kotska & Payne. Based heavily on the teachings of Gregory Proctor.

Essentials of Electroacoustic Music—For Instrumentation. This is a supplementary discussion of the basic principles of electroacoustic music, a topic shamefully omitted from Adler’s The Study of Orchestration.

Basics of Text-Setting—For Music Theory III, Arranging, Counterpoint and Composition. A no-nonsense approach to the setting of Modern English texts to music. Based on my compositional experience.

Back to Read