Analysis/Tonal Writing:
Competence and fluency in traditional harmony, counterpoint, strict composition, and analysis (including analysis of 20th-century music), are prerequisites for taking the General Examination. Students found to have deficiencies in these skills will be required to take Music B, or other pertinent courses. Work must be undertaken in the first year of study.
Languages:
Reading knowledge must be proved before taking the general examination: Historical musicology--German and French or Italian. Ethnomusicology—a European research language and a second language to be determined in consultation with the Ethnomusicology advisor. Theory—German plus one other language (French, Italian, Latin). Composition—German, Italian or French unless an alternative language is approved in writing by the graduate advisor. Historical musicology students and ethnomusicology students must pass a third language appropriate to the field of specialization after completing the general examinations and within one year of the approval of a dissertation proposal. Requirements for languages not tested regularly within the department may be satisfied through special examination, or through presentation of other documentation at the discretion of the graduate advisor. Advising
Advising in the department during the pre-generals period is primarily handled by the appropriate graduate advisors and faculty members in the various programs, with the director of graduate studies available for further advice. After successful completion of the general examination, students consult with individual faculty members on their proposed fields of concentration, and when a dissertation proposal has been completed is presented to the faculty in that field of study. When the dissertation proposal has been approved by the faculty in the program, it is brought to the entire department for final approval, and a dissertation committee is set up for each student. The dissertation committee consists of an advisor and two readers. Any questions or concerns about advising in the department can be brought to the attention of the director of graduate studies or the chair.
Residency:
Two full years are required at full tuition and two at reduced tuition. See The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Handbook for specific information about residency requirements.
Review:
The progress of all graduate students is reviewed at the end of each year. In addition to adequate course work, there are special requirements for first- and second-year students. Every student must submit at least one paper written for a graduate course as part of the first-year review. In Musicology, every first- and second-year student must write at least one seminar paper per term.
General Examination:
The General Examination consists of two parts: written and oral. The orals are taken after passing the written portions. The exam dates differ by program but are usually between May and September of the student’s second year of study. Both the written and the oral parts can be repeated, but no more than once. The format, which is significantly different for each program, is as follows:
Historical Musicology
For historical musicologists, the general test will have three main parts--written, analysis and oral. The written exam consists of essays and short answer questions related to six of eight topics chosen by the student. The two prepared topics not selected for the written exam will be presented in the oral exam. The open-book analysis exam will be given in the summer, at a mutually agreeable time around mid-July. This will be a take-home exam, distributed on a Friday, and returned on Monday, mid-afternoon. It consists of two pieces of music (one before 1600 and one after 1600). Students will choose one topic on which they will make a ten-minute presentation in the oral examination. Students will choose a second topic on which they will prepare a syllabus for a 13-week graduate seminar on the subject. This syllabus will be presented in written form, and may be the subject of discussion in the oral examination.
Ethnomusicology
The written test for ethnomusicologists is divided into three sections: one on ethnomusicology theory and method, a second from two areas of world music, a third on interdisciplinary problems. The analysis test includes two examples, one from the student's major area (i.e. North Indian music, Swedish music, etc.) and a second from the Western art music tradition. The oral examination in ethnomusicology focuses on the special field or area chosen by the student, but may include questions about general ethnomusicology not necessarily related to topics covered in seminars. The remainder of the examination focuses on questions posed in the written examination.
Theory
The written examination consists of five parts: two essays on current systematic theories (3 hours), three short essays on the history of theoretical concepts (3 hours), two examinations in special fields relevant to dissertation research (3 hours each), and analyses of two musical compositions (4 days). A two-hour oral examination will allow discussion on the written work and may broaden to engage a variety of related issues in music theory.
Composition
For composers, four days are provided for completion of the written exam. The first part of the exam will be a piece or set of pieces that should be analyzed by the student in the allotted time period. Students are also required to write a short original composition to be submitted in late August. The oral examination is based on an in-depth discussion of three major works that are assigned in the late spring of the second year of graduate study, plus an analytical presentation of one of the student's own compositions to be selected in consultation with the graduate advisor.
Teaching
Beginning in the third year, graduate students in good standing are eligible for teaching fellowships. Most teaching fellows devote two-fifths TIME to teaching.
Third Year Requirements
The third year is primarily devoted to developing a dissertation proposal and the beginning of work on the dissertation. All students will complete their required courses; in most cases, that will mean two half-courses; the faculty as a result of the General Examination may assign the topics. Musicology students will begin their third language (to be completed within one year of the approval of a dissertation proposal).
Dissertation
Within the academic year in which the General Examination is passed, the PhD candidate is expected to develop a proposal for a dissertation, which should be a major original contribution to the field. The proposal must be submitted for approval to the program, which is responsible for assigning the student a committee consisting of a dissertation advisor and two other faculty members. Normally, the complete dissertation must be submitted within five years after passing the General Examination, and satisfactory progress must be demonstrated every year in order that the student remains in good standing. If the dissertation is submitted thereafter the department is not obligated to accept it. The formal requirements for the dissertation are set forth in The Form of the PhD Dissertation, provided by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The department requires one bound copy for the Music Library, in addition to the two copies required for the Registrar.
Colloquium
Musicology and theory students, after the approval of their dissertation proposal, will participate in the doctoral colloquium until the dissertation is accepted. Exceptions are made for Traveling Scholars researching outside of Harvard.
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AM Program and Degree Requirements
The AM in Performance Practice is a two-year program in which students take departmental courses focused on this specialty and write and AM thesis. Students wishing to continue at Harvard for the PhD will apply in the normal manner, and their applications will be considered in the customary way. Students admitted to the PhD program will be granted credit for work done at Harvard or elsewhere according to departmental guidelines, which normally grant credit for two graduate courses taken before entering the PhD program.
Courses
The student’s program must be approved by the department at the time of registration. The AM degree will be awarded on completion with passing grad (B- or above) of at least eight and no more than twelve half-courses. Courses, selected with approval of the department, typically include Music 201, Music 182, Music 183, three graduate seminars, Music 300, and Music 299.Languages
Students will be expected to demonstrate a reading knowledge of French, German, or Italian by the beginning of the third term.
Residence
There is a minimum residence requirement of three terms. Two years will ordinarily be required to complete the degree.
Thesis
Students will submit an AM thesis, the subject and scope of which will be determined in consultation with the advisor.
Typical Program for AM in Performance Practice (2006-07 details)
Year 1 Fall Semester
Music 201 (Introduction to Musicology)
Music 18x (Performance Practice)
Music 2xx (Graduate Seminar)
Year 1 Spring Semester
Music 201 (Introduction to Musicology)
Music 300 (Reading and Research)
Music 2xx (Graduate Seminar)
Year 2 Fall Semester
Music 18x (Performance Practice)
Music 2xx (Graduate Seminar)
Music 299 (Thesis)
Year 2 Spring Semester
Music 299 (Thesis)
Music 299 (Thesis)
Admission and Financial Aid:
Students interested in pursuing the AM degree should submit the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Admissions Form. Ordinarily, the department expects to enroll one to two AM students a year. No auditions are required. A recording (cassette or compact disc) representing the level and breath of accomplishment should accompany the application form. Prospective students wishing an interview with an appropriate faculty members should contact the Music Department at (617) 495-2791. These meetings are normally scheduled between October and December.
Financial Aid for this program is very limited.
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Resources:
The Early Instrument Room (EIR) includes a number of instruments, including a German double harpsichord made by William Dowd and the historic Dolmetsch double harpsichord and clavichord. The room contains a piano built by Johann Streicher in 1869 from the private collection of Professor Robert Levin, which has been made available to students and faculty of the department. The EIR also contains two pianos ordered for the department by Professor Levin since his arrival: (1) a copy by Paul McNulty, Prague, Czech Republic, after Anton Walter & Sohn, ca. 1805 (5 octaves with moderator and true una corda, delivered in February 1988; (2) a copy by Rodney Regier, Freeport, Me, after Conrad Graf, ca. 1824, 6 octaves. Taking the harpsichord and three pianos as a whole, the EIR has instruments that take users straight through organologically from the high Baroque to the advent of the modern piano in the later 1880's. In addition, the department owns two Furth harpsichords, a number of renaissance and Baroque stringed instruments, and a small collection of historical instruments. Organs at Harvard include the four-manual C.B. Fisk instrument in the Memorial Church and the three-manual Flentrop in Adolphus Busch Hall.
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Course Information In general, for all students, 100-level courses should be taken as supplemental to the graduate program, and should not be the major portion of the student's coursework. The students should discuss their intentions with the graduate advisor. Students are encouraged to pursue course offerings in performance. Graduate credit will automatically be given to composition students for any of the following 100-level courses: Music 157x and y, 160, 165r, 167r. In order to receive graduate credit, permission to take any additional half-courses at the 100-level must be petitioned to the department before taking the course. For theory students, the following courses will count as "in their secondary area"; in composition, 166r, 167r, up to a total of two terms in all, 261r, 262r, 264, 270, and 272; in musicology, courses numbered from 201 through 219 or any 100-level course which has been specifically designated as satisfying this requirement in a given semester by both the graduate advisor in musicology and the graduate advisor in theory. Theory students intending to count graduate credit (toward the 16 half-course credits) for any 100-level course should obtain written authorization to do so from the graduate theory advisor prior to taking the course. Final Steps in the Dissertation Process
- The procedure for completing the dissertation is as follows:
- 1. The full text must be submitted to the members of the Dissertation Committee for suggestions, corrections, changes, etc. Candidates are encouraged to discuss drafts of individual chapters with all members of the Dissertation Committee.
2. The candidate should check with the department administrator to be sure that all degree requirements have been met.
3. The application for the degree must be submitted to the Registrar by the date published in The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Handbook for the November, March or June degrees.
4. After the committee has approved the dissertation in its final form, an unbound copy must be submitted to the department at least four weeks before the Registrar's deadline. During this 45 day period the members of the department are free to examine the completed thesis.
5. For musicology students, a public colloquium on the dissertation is required shortly before or after it has been approved.
6. Copies: one copy bound and one copy boxed and unbound for the Registrar; one copy bound for the Music Library. The library copy must be submitted to the department office before the Thesis Acceptance Certificate can be signed. The department administrator will obtain signatures from the committee. At this time, the University Microfilms and RILM forms must be completed. The Registrar's office requires the thesis certificate (one original, one copy), the University Microfilms form, and its copies of the thesis.
Satisfactory Progress
- A student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences must be making satisfactory progress in order to be eligible for any type of financial aid. The following nine items provide a general definition of satisfactory progress that has been adopted for this purpose by the Music Department. It is hoped that this requirement will have a healthy effect on students' academic progress, and that it will enable us to preserve resources for those most deserving of financial assistance.
- 1. During the first two years of graduate study any student who is permitted to register is considered to be making satisfactory progress.
2. A prospective third-year student must have achieved the minimum grade-point average required by this faculty (B).
3. A prospective third-year student must have passed general examinations.
4. A prospective fourth-year student must have obtained approval of a dissertation prospectus.
5. A prospective sixth-year, or more advanced, student must have produced at least one acceptable chapter of the dissertation or its equivalent for each year beginning with the fifth.
6. Requirements 2 - 5 shall be cumulative.
7. A student who fails to meet a requirement may, upon the department's recommendation, be considered to be an "exception"--and remain eligible for financial assistance--for a grace period of up to one year. At the close of the grace period, in order to be considered to be making satisfactory progress, the student must have met both the requirement missed earlier and the requirement that would normally be imposed at that time.
8. No student may have more than one such year of grace during his or her study.
9. In addition, the requirements of this calendar may be deferred by a department during one year of departmental approved Leave. A department may, if it wishes, defer requirements for a more extended period of approved leave in order to facilitate a student's obtaining a professional degree
NOTE
Some aspects of the graduate programs in music may be under review and in process of revision. Therefore, this text may not in every respect represent accurately the structure of the programs. Applicants are advised to write to the department for information and encouraged to discuss the details of the programs with the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Music, Music Building, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138. email: musicdpt@fas.harvard.edu (address DGS in subject line)
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