Harvard University Department of Music
A Handbook for Graduate Students 2007-2008
Welcome!
This handbook was conceived of by graduate students in the Harvard Music Department for those students who will be entering in the upcoming year. The information contained within is far from exhaustive, but we hope that it will give you some idea of what to expect when you get here and that it will make your first days in the Department easier. We have arranged the book somewhat chronologically (especially sections III-V) to help prepare you for what you might encounter at any given stage of the curriculum. Any further questions, comments, or suggestions for this handbook are welcome! Write musicdpt@fas.harvard.edu
Incoming Students 2007-2008:
William Cheng |
Historical Musicology |
Stanford University |
Christopher Chowrimootoo |
Historical Musicology |
Merton College, University of Oxford |
Elizabeth Titrington |
Historical Musicology |
University of Maryland |
Gabrielle Giron |
Ethnomusicology |
Florida State University |
| Wenqi (Selina) Tang | Ethnomusicology | Central Conservatory |
Bryan Parkhurst |
Theory |
Rice University |
Edgar Barroso |
Composition |
University of Guanajuato |
David Kim |
Performance Practice |
Cornell University |
The Music Department
Biographies:
Faculty, Student, and Staff
Emeriti Professors, Other Appointments
Resources:
Ethno Lab
Computer Music Studio
Music Library
Photocopying,
Fax, Computers,
Keys and ID's
E-mail
Performance and Colloquium Opportunities
Dudley House
Course Requirements: Composition, Musicology, and Theory
What to Expect in the First Week:
Before School Starts
GSAS Orientation
The First Week Proper:
Initial Meeting
Diagnostic Theory Exam
Shopping Period
Language Exams
International Students
What to Expect in the First Year:
Music 'B'
Music 201
Grad Seminars
Reading Period
Grad Student Colloquium Series
Financial Aid Form
What to Expect as a Continuing Student:
Teaching Assignments
Transferring Credit
Fellowships
Performance Opportunities
Generals: Composition, Theory, Historical Musicology, Ethnomusicology
Employment Opportunities:
Research Assistant
Single Events
Security Guard/Hall Manager
Tutorships/Proctorships/Resident Advisors
Exam Proctors
Department Events and Programs:
Blodgett Artist-in-Residence Concert Series
Fromm Contemporary Music Series
Harvard Group for New Music
Thelma E. Goldberg Concert
Biographies: Faculty (note: more complete information is available on the department's website: www.music.fas.harvard.edu)
Senior Faculty
Carolyn Abbate, Radcliffe Alumnae Professor at Radcliffe, Institute for Advanced Study; Fanny Peabody Professor of Music (Historical Musicology) ranks among the world's foremost authorities on opera. Abbate's work crosses disciplinary boundaries from music into literature and philosophy. Her most recent writings have advanced the argument that analysis of musical works in the abstract, common in traditional scholarship, bypasses music in its ephemeral, phenomenal form as a performance. Her interest in philosophies of presence reflects her practical experience as a pianist and in live theater. Abbate is author of In Search of Opera (2001) and Unsung Voices (1991), and co-author of the forthcoming The Penguin History of Opera. She is also a skilled translator of French scholarly works, most recently rendering Vladimir Jankélévitch's La Musique et L'Ineffable (1960) as Music and the Ineffable, published in 2003. Received her undergraduate degree from Yale University in 1977 and, after attending the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich in 1979 and 1980, her PhD from Princeton in 1984. Received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1995 and National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships for Independent Study and Research in 1986 and 1994, and was awarded the Dent Medal of the Royal Music Association in 1993.
Christopher Hasty Walter W. Naumburg Professor of Music (Theory). Came to Harvard from U Penn in the fall of 2002. Received his B.M. in bassoon from Stetson University, studied composition with Johannes Zuther, M.M. in Composition from Yale School of Music and PhD in Music Theory from Yale. Also taught at SUNY Buffalo and Stony Brook, Yale, and Rutgers. Published Meter as Rhythm (Oxford) in 1997.
Thomas Forrest Kelly Harvard College Professor, Morton B. Knafel Professor of Music (Historical Musicology). Received his B.A. from Chapel Hill; spent two years on a Fulbright in France studying musicology, chant, and organ. PhD from Harvard (1973) with a dissertation on office tropes. He has taught at Wellesley, Smith, Amherst, and most recently at Oberlin, where he directed the Historical Performance Program and served as acting Dean of the Conservatory. Main fields of interest are chant and performance practice. Published First Nights and First Nights at the Opera (both Yale University Press), and edits quarterly columns for Early Music America.
Robert D. Levin Dwight P. Robinson, Jr. Professor of Music (Performance and Analysis). He is a concert pianist and a specialist in historical performance practice. Professor Levin's reconstruction of Mozart fragments have been recorded and performed worldwide. He has embarked on cycles of the complete Mozart piano concertos with Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music (Oiseau-Lyre), and of the complete Beethoven piano concertos with John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestra Révolutionaire et Romantique Archiv. Received honorary Doctorate from New England Conservatory, 2001.
Ingrid Monson Quincy Jones Professor of African American Music, Supported by the Time Warner Endowment (Ethnomusicology), Department Chair. Won the Sonneck Society's 1998 Irving Lowens Prize for the best book in American music for her 1996 Saying Something, Jazz Improvisation and Interaction. Came to Harvard from Washington University in St. Louis in 2001. Was also a founding member of the nationally known Klezmer Conservatory Band, and plays trumpet with jazz and salsa bands.
Carol Oja William Powell Mason Professor of Music (Historical Musicology) Previously taught at the College of William and Mary, Brooklyn ollege and the Graduate School of the City University of New York. Her research focuses on composers in early 20th-century America. Oja's book, Making Music Modern: New York in the 1920s (Oxford University Press, 2000), won the Lowens Book Award and an ASCAP Deems-Taylor Book Award. She is at work on a study of Leonard Bernstein's works for musical theater and is past President of the Society for American Music.
Alexander Rehding, Professor of Music (Theory). Joined the faculty in 2003. B.A. in Music at Queens' College, Cambridge. His M.Phil. Thesis, "(Mis)Interpreting Ernst Kurth," 1995, which examines the rise of "linear counterpoint" in 1920s Germany, and his PhD thesis, "Nature and Nationhood in Hugo Riemann's Dualistic Theory of Harmony," 1998, were both completed under the supervision of Professor John Deathridge. Was a Research Fellow at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and has been awarded an Andrew W. Mellon Post-doctoral Fellowship at the Penn Humanities Forum, University of Pennsylvania. Main research interests in both aesthetics and music theory, ranging from Zarlino and Rameau to Hindemith to the political uses of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
Kay Kaufman Shelemay G. Gordon Watts Professor of Music and Professor of African and African American Studies (Ethnomusicology). Received her PhD in Musicology at the University of Michigan. Her fields of specialty are African music (especially Ethiopia), music of the Middle East, and Jewish music in America. Recently published Soundscapes. Exploring Music in a Changing World (W.W. Norton, 2001) and edited Studies in Jewish Musical Traditions. Insights from the Harvard Collection of Judaica Sound Recording (Harvard College Library, 2001). Appointed Chair of the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, 2002; won Levenson Teaching Award (Harvard, 2006) and Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Prize (2006).
Anne Shreffler James Edward Ditson Professor of Music (Historical Musicology). She most recently held the position of Professor of Music at Universitat Basel. Her book, Webern and the Lyric Impulse came out from Oxford University Press in 1994. Shreffler is a graduate of New England Conservatory and holds a PhD in Musicology from Harvard. She's interested in music and politics, relationships between European and American music, the historiography of 20th-century music, and opera.
Richard Wolf Harris K. Weston Professor of the Humanities (Ethnomusicology). Specialist in the musics of south Asia, joined the faculty in 1999 after two and a half years' post-doctoral fieldwork in Pakistan and India. Recent fieldwork focused on how meaning is attached to ritual drumming, particularly in the Shi'ah observance of Muharram.
Christoph Wolff Adams University Professor and Curator of Isham Memorial Library. Wrote his dissertation at the University of Erlangen (1966) on Bach and the Stile Antico. Taught there and at Toronto and Columbia before coming to Harvard in 1976. Won the Otto Kinkeldey Award for Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician (W.W. Norton, 2000; nominated for Pulitzer Prize, 2001), received Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, 2001. In addition to Bach, his work has focused on Mozart, Brahms, and Baroque music.
Junior Faculty
Mauro Calcagno Associate Professor of Music (Historical Musicology). Received his PhD from Yale University, earned his D.M.A in piano at the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia in Rome and his B.A.-M.A. in Humanities at the University of Rome. Before coming to the United States, he worked for Ricordi Inc., Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft, and RAI Italian Public Radio, and was active as a music critic. His doctoral dissertation at Yale--"Staging Musical Discourses in Seventeenth-Century Venice: Francesco Cavalli's Eliogabalo (1667)"--addressed issues of aesthetics (the meaning of voice in the Baroque), history (the censorship of opera librettos), and analysis (the application of linguistic theories to text-music relationships). His other main research interest is the work of Heinrich Schenker. Joined the faculty in 2000.
Sean Gallagher Associate Professor of Music (Historical Musicology). Holds B.M. (1985) and M.M. (1989) degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, and a PhD in musicology from Harvard (1998). Research interests include fifteenth- and sixteenth-century music and culture, history of liturgy and devotional practices, aesthetics, and rhetoric. Was on the faculty of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill before coming to Harvard in the fall of 2002.
Elliott Gyger Assistant Professor of Music (Composition). Graduated from the University of Sydney with a B.M. in composition, 1990. Has had his music performed by orchestras, choirs and ensembles throughout Australia and has also worked as a conductor of ensemble and choral music. Received his Ph.D. from Harvard in 2002. Thesis: "Nag Hammadi" (composition for tenor solo, chamber choir and double chamber orchestra). Won the Blodgett Composition Competition in 2001. This is Gyger's last year.
Hans Tutschku, Associate Professor of Music, Composition, studied electroacoustic composition in Dresden, and between 1989 and 1991 accompanied Karlheinz Stockhausen on several concert tours for the purpose of studying sound diffusion. He attended the international one-year course in sonology at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, where he worked primarily in the field of digital sound processing. As a member of the Ensemble für Intuitive Musik Weimar he has realized several multimedia productions, conceiving projected images and choreography for dance as well as the music. Tutschku finished a DEA at the Parisian Sorbonne and completed his PhD in Composition at the University of Birmingham in UK in 2003. He taught computer music at IRCAM; electroacoustic composition at the conservatory of Montbéliard, and in 2003 was "Edgar Varèse Gastprofessor" at the Technische Universität in Berlin. Tutschku is the recipient of several international composition prizes: Bourges, Hanns-Eisler-Preis, CIMESP Sao Paulo, Prix Ars Electronica, and Prix Noroit. Came to Harvard in 2004.
Sindhu Revuluru, Assistant Professor of Music (Historical Musicology) begins at Harvard this fall. She received her PhD from Princeton University.
Senior Lecturers
Jameson Marvin Senior Lecturer on Music (Choral Activities). Director of Choral Music at Harvard, Conductor of the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum and the Harvard Glee Club. He received his D.M.A. from Illinois and taught at Lehigh, Bard and Vassar before coming here in 1978.
James D. Yannatos Senior Lecturer on Music (Conducting and Orchestration). Conductor, violinist and composer, he received his PhD from the University of Iowa before coming to Harvard in 1964. He directs the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra and teaches an undergraduate course in conducting.
Senior Preceptor
John Stewart Senior Preceptor in Music (Theory). Teaches undergraduate analysis, musicianship and theory, and Music B. He holds a PhD from Harvard School of Education and a B.M. from the New England Conservatory of Music.
Preceptor
Daniel Stepner Preceptor in Music (Performance). Is first violinist for the Lydian String Quartet, concert master of Handel & Haydn Society Orchestra, and member of the Boston Museum Trio. Stepner is well-known for his versatility in Baroque and modern violin.
Visiting Professors and Lecturers 2007-2008
Virginia Danielson , Lecturer on Music (Richard F. French Librarian, Loeb Music Library)
Brian Ferneyhough, Visiting Professor of Music (Stanford University)
Helmut Lachenmann, Fromm Professor of Composition (Spring 2008)
Matthew Peattie, Lecturer on Music
Julie Rohwein, Lecturer on Music
Jason Stanyek, Visiting
Professor of Music (NYU)
Nicholas Vines, Lecturer on Music
Yehudi Wyner, Lecturer on Music
Advisors and DGS for 2007-2008
Hans Tutschku: Graduate Advisor for Composition
Richard Wolf: Graduate Advisor for Ethnomusicology
Carolyn Abbate: Graduate Advisor for Historical Musicology
Alex Rehding: Graduate Advisor for Theory
Director of Graduate Studies: Alex Rehding
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Blodgett Artists-in-Residence 2007-2008
Associates of the Department 2007-2008
Biographies: Graduate Students
(click for research interests of all our current graduate students)
Lesley Bannatyne is the Communications Coordinator. She is responsible for website maintenance, publicity, publications, admissions information, and other special projects. She publishes the Department Facebook, phone directories, and newsletter. Stop by and give her all your pertinent information (local address/phone/email and Harvard ID#) as soon as you get it.
Kaye Denny co-manages the front office. She handles all general inquiries, distributes keys and copy cards, schedules classrooms and oversees the practice rooms.
Mary Gerbi is Assistant to the Chair. She is also the primary contact for the undergraduates in the department.
Sarah Macarah is a staff assistant who assists faculty, the Director, and Financial Manager, and organizes the University Hall Recitals.
Stehanie Macaris, assistant to the Chair, schedules meetings for the Chair, coordinates committees and maintains department data.
Jean Moncrieff is Director of Events. She assists concentrators and graduate students with producing their concerts in the department and is responsible for booking Paine Concert Hall.
Karen Rynne is the Financial Manager. She deals with all things financial and oversees the department and library copiers.
Nancy Shafman is the Director of Administration. Nancy coordinates the academic programs for the department and works closely with the chair and faculty. She also supervises the department and will know many of the answers about teaching requirements, exams, fellowships, financial aid, etc.
Charles Stillman co-manages the front office with Kaye.
Fernando Viesca is the Building Manager. He manages all things having to do with the physical plant: anything electrical, internet connections, telephones, heat, and air conditioning.
Ean White is the Harvard University Studio for Electroacoustic Composition Technical Director.
Sheri Wood, production assistant, oversees the production aspects of Paine Hall.
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The Music Department
The Fanny Peabody Mason Music Building is located in the North Yard of the Harvard Campus. The older part of the building, dated 1914, contains four classrooms on the first floor; the John Knowles Paine Concert Hall on the second (which was completely renovated in 1990); the electronic music studios on the second and third floor; and a small lounge and teaching fellow offices in the basement. The newer section of the building provides entrances to the Loeb Music Library and contains the Department administrative offices, lounge, Ethnomusicology Lab, and Early Instrument Room. Faculty offices are located in many locations in both parts of the building. The basement area also contains two large rehearsal rooms (G-19 and G-20) and practice rooms, including several with grand pianos.
Many newcomers to the Music Department have noted difficulty in navigating the Music Building. While the main corridor of the first floor allows one to traverse the entire length of the building, finding rooms on the second and third floors can be a challenge because existing architecture winds around the second floor concert hall, as well as the second and third floor stack areas of the library. Whatever difficulty does exist in conceiving of and getting around the various parts of the building seems to be offset by the fact that all Department classes and offices, and the Music Library, are under one roof.
Maps of the building are available at the Reception Desk.
The Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library
The Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library, located in the Music Building, is the primary repository of musical materials at Harvard and serves as an international research facility for musical scholarship. The library's general collections include about 62,000 books, 99,000 scores, 105,000 sound and video recordings, and nearly 900 periodical titles that support research in a wide variety of musical disciplines including historical musicology, music theory, ethnomusicology, composition, and historically informed performance practice. In addition, the Isham Memorial Library houses a collection of 5,000 rare books and scores and 30,000 microforms. Virtually all materials are cataloged in HOLLIS, Harvard's online catalog. Further information about the holdings, hours, services and staff (as well as links to other on-line resources) is available on the Library's Home Page: http://hcl.harvard.edu/loebmusic/
The Isham Memorial Library is a special Library adjunct to the Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library. It is dedicated to research with primary sources and serves as a major resource for scholarly research in music. Collections housed in Isham include microforms, published facsimiles, rare books and manuscripts, and Harvard dissertations in music. Also housed in Isham are the general archival collections of the Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library as well as special collections.
The Archive of World Music is a special collection established in 1976 by Professor John Ward, which was eventually transferred as a gift to the Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library at Harvard University. It is devoted to the acquisition of archival field recordings of musics world-wide as well as to commercial sound recordings, videos, and DVDs of ethnomusicological interest. Whereas the content of the Archive continues to develop with a special emphasis on Asia and the Middle East, it is currently in the position to further develop the collection with recordings from Mexico, Central and South America, as well as from all around the globe. Substantial holdings of Anglo-American ballads and songs are also notable. The Seeger Room, the ethnomusicology reading room in the Music Library, contains reference materials and monographs relevant to the study of much of the music collected in the Archive. Dedicated to the work of Charles Seeger, it is also a gift of Professor John Ward.
The library also provides access to an increasing number of electronic resources in support of music scholarship. Seven public workstations in the library may be used for searching HOLLIS and other electronic databases and an additional six music research workstations include music notation software, the Microsoft Office suite, high-quality sound cards and audio output, and access to all networked library applications. Carrels, which are assigned to each graduate student for study and storage of circulating library materials, also provide electrical and data outlets to support laptop use.
Other music collections at Harvard include the Houghton Library (antiquarian materials); the Harvard Theatre Collection in the Pusey Library (documents and artifacts for the study of theatre, dance, and opera); the Morse Music Library in the Hilles Library (undergraduate materials); the Andover-Harvard Theological Library (hymns and hymnology); and Widener Library (materials related to A.B. Lord's folklore studies).
There are two photocopying machines located in the Music Library and one in a small room between administrative offices 102S and 101S. Each machine has different features: both in the library are designed especially for copying from books, and the administrative copier works well for two-sided and collated/stapled copies. Graduate students are subsidized for $50 worth of copying each year. The Front office distributes new student departmental copy cards. Students should hold on to their card year to year. $25 will be added at the start of the Fall semester and the second $25 will be added when requested. (make your requests to the front office.) The cards work at all Harvard copiers that take Crimson Cash (which is most of them). Personal money cannot be added to the card. However, Harvard IDs can be loaded with Crimson cash that can be used on all departmental copiers. The cost of copies at music department copiers is 8 cents.We ask that large copy jobs be done outside the department at one of the local photocopy businesses, so you don't monopolize a machine.
The department has one fax machine that is used only for department business. Students needing to send or receive faxes are advised to find services in Harvard Square.
Practice Rooms
In the basement of the Music Building there are nineteen practice rooms (including the two larger rehearsal rooms, G19 and G20), ten of which contain grand pianos. As a music graduate student you automatically have grand piano access. When the building is open, sign out a key for a practice room. The keys are kept at the reception desk (during normal office hours); at the circulation desk in the Library (during the Library's evening and weekend hours); and at a special desk set up in the hallway near reception (late at night and on weekends). The staff in the front office will explain the sign-out procedure to you. When the building is closed, you will need to use your own key, which gives access to the "G" practice rooms in the basement of the newer part of the building. Practice rooms are available on a first come, first serve basis; there's normally a two hour limit.
The Ethnomusicology Laboratory
The music program's "Ethnolab" serves as a project studio, an analysis tool, and as a field recording center. It is equipped with VHS, S-VHS, and hi-8 video and digital video cameras and playback decks, video capture hardware for non-linear video editing, and a multi-system video converter. The two PC sound editing stations include digital audio capture hardware, spectral analysis software, sound editing, filtering, and digital audio/MIDI multitracking and sequencing software, as well as speech transcription hardware and software. An additional Macintosh Quadra 880AV computer with a laser printer runs basic word-processing software.
In addition to a wide variety of supported recording formats in the studio, there are DAT machines, matched stereo Neumann microphones, camcorders, and other portable recording equipment for use in the field. Plans for the future include high-speed networking with the Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library, facilitating the online access of archival sound recordings and literary materials.
Access to the Ethnolab is open to: current graduate students in ethnomusicology; students enrolled in ethnomusicology courses who require the resources of the Ethnolab for course projects; and other individual students with the consent of a faculty member and upon application to the Director of Administration, subject to availability.
The Early Instrument Room
The Early Instrument Room [EIR] houses the Department's collection of period and replica instruments. The collection of keyboard instruments is of particular interest, and includes: a French double harpsichord made by William Dowd; a historic Dolmetsch double harpsichord and clavichord; a piano built by Johann Baptist Streicher in 1869, from the private collection of Professor Robert Levin; a copy of a 5 1/2 octave piano by Anton Walter & Sohn (ca. 1805); and a copy of a 6 1/2 octave piano by Conrad Graf (ca. 1824). From an organological point of view, the EIR has instruments that take users all the way from the high Baroque to the advent of the modern piano in the late 1880s.
Access to the room is open to students in performance practice seminars; students being coached by the Blodgett Artists-in-Residence; and, subject to availability, other individual students with the consent of a faculty member and upon application to the Department Administrator.
Harvard University Studio for Electroacoustic Composition
Harvard's electroacoustic music resources are concentrated in the Harvard University Studio for Electroacoustic Composition (HUSEAC) located in Paine Hall Rooms 22, 31, 32, and 33, with a small office in Room 21. Each Mac-based workstation has four- or eight-channel spatialization capability. Room 33 adds 7.1 Surround Sound, DV video editing and a DVD mastering suite. All the workstations run Pro Tools, Nuendo, Max/MSP+Jitter, the IRCAM Forum suite, Csound, and much more. Our vintage Serge and Buchla analog modular synthesizers, as well as a variety of classic outboard signal processors, are housed in Room 22.
Access to the HUSEAC facilities are open to graduate composition students, those enrolled in electronic music seminars, and other individual students subject to availability. Questions about equipment and access should be directed to Professor Hans Tutschku, HUSEAC Director <mailto:tutschku@fas.harvard.edu>or Ean White, HUSEAC Technical Director <mailto:eanwhite@fas.harvard.edu>.
There is one Macintosh computer and one PC for graduate student use in Room B-3. These computers are for graduate students. Each computer has word-processing and music notation software. The room also contains a printer and a dubbing station, (as the library charges for printing, this printer can be a valuable resource). B-3 can be accessed with your ID card.
Each of the Teaching Fellow offices is equipped with a data jack, enabling teaching fellows to connect their own computers to the Harvard network and to work online. Each computer must be registered with the Harvard network for the link to function; see Fernando Viesca for details of the procedure.
Additional Computers
Next door, in the basement of the Science Center, there are computer rooms for student use, with Macintosh, Windows and Unix machines. A "help-desk" in the same area provides students with assistance they may need while working in those rooms or elsewhere on the University network. Refer to the various publications put out by FAS Computer Services for more information.
Wednesday, September 12th is GSAS Registration day. Go to Lehman Hall in Dudley House, where you'll find a tent outside with information waiting for you. Pick up your packet. Inside, you'll find your temporary ID and instructions on how to get a permanent ID. You'll also find an envelope with your email account information in it. Should you miss Registration Day, go to the GSAS Registration Office at 20 Garden Street, Cambridge/617-495-5315) to pick up your packet.
To get 24-hour entrance to the Music Building you will need to stop by and see Building Manager Fernando Viesca. He will code your ID so that you can use it to enter the building anytime. The staff at the front desk will give you two keys: one opens the "G" practice rooms and the other, the Taft student lounge in the music building.
When you have registered with GSAS and are assigned an ID number, you will automatically receive a University email/networking account. This account is activated by "registering" with the network system with your new ID number. These accounts are not available for use before registration.
Harvard maintains a number of orchestras, choirs, and other performing organizations. Graduate students are welcome to participate in most of these groups. Speak to Nancy Shafman and/or contact the Office of the Arts (495-8676) for more information on musical performance at Harvard.
Of particular interest will be the very active music program at Dudley House, which features an orchestra, choir and big band made up of and directed by graduate students, as well as a regular concert series. The Dudley Music Fellow positions have often been occupied by music department students; they constitute the only regular on-campus opportunities for directing and conducting which are reserved for graduate students. Dudley House also often hosts individual student performances. If you are interested in setting up a concert through the House, talk to one of the Music Fellows about the possibility of using the Common Room, which seats about 60 people and has two pianos. (See below for information on Dudley House's other activities.)
All students have the opportunity to have compositions performed. The Harvard Group for New Music (HGNM) is the most important avenue for music graduate students. Administered by students in the graduate composition program, the HGNM puts on around five or six concerts each year, including the annual Thelma E. Goldberg concert (for undergraduate and graduate composers). For information contact the Group Director, Jose Luis Hurtado (hurtado@fas), if you are interested.
Dudley House, located in Lehman Hall on the Yard, houses the GSAS center. There you will find a host of events, including lectures, concerts, movies, outings and activities tailored to graduate students. At registration there will be a group of tables with descriptions of activities in which you can get involved and people to talk to about those activities. There is a website at (http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~dudley) which outlines services available and also an e-mail list to which you can subscribe for notice about upcoming events (you can subscribe from the house website). The House sponsors opportunities to share lunch or dinner with faculty, and houses a dining room, computer facilities for graduate students, the office of the Graduate Student Council and the offices of Director of Student Services for GSAS and the office of the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs.
Lecture/Colloquium Opportunities
There are dozens of colloquia and lectures of interest on campus every day. Within the Department there are two series specifically for graduate students: Friday Lunch Talks and the Composer's Colloquium. Friday Lunch Talks are organized by Prof. Sean Gallagher in tandem with graduate students (contact Toby Ottersen for info--ottersen@fas), and are weekly lectures given by department graduate students and ocassional special guests. They are designed to be an informal avenue for students to get feedback on their work-in-progress. The Composer's Colloquium meets weekly and features presentations by graduate composers or guests (contact Jose Luis Hurtado--hurtado@fas). There is also a committee of graduate students who suggest guest speakers for the department to host each year; the committee is composed of one of each of the department's areas of study: musicology, ethnomusicology, theory, and composition.
About one third of the population of GSAS is international. There are special programs for foreign students, including a session at the orientation during the first week of the year. Moreover, four years ago, a "host student" program was started. Each continuing GSAS student who wishes to help will be matched up as a host to an incoming student. The purpose of the program is to help incoming foreign students feel welcome and supported. If you are an incoming foreign student you should be receiving a letter at the beginning of the summer from your host. A number of activities will be planned in September so that you can, with the help of your host, get to know other students, the city, and the University, and feel that you are not alone. The host will answer questions you may have, give advice based on his or her experiences, and refer you to appropriate resources in the University for help with housing, academic, or other problems. In addition, several events take place throughout the school year such as potluck dinners, outings, concerts, and so forth.
Harvard is a very large place and it is sometimes not clear where to get information and/or help. The following is a partial list of resources available to graduate students.
In the Music Department:
Your fellow students. You may think your question is unique, but often someone else in the department has also asked it (See also the Graduate Music Forum, below).
Nancy Shafman is the Director of Administration and has a wealth of knowledge about the music department and its procedures, as well as where to go outside of the department. She also has a library of pertinent publications in her office.
Regarding academic matters, one can speak to the appropriate program advisor, the Director of Graduate Studies (Alex Rehding) or the Department Chair (Ingrid Monson). There is also an annual meeting of the faculty and graduate students in all programs, held around the beginning of the second semester, to discuss academic or procedural issues of broader concern.
Graduate Music Forum
Started in spring 1998, the Graduate Music Forum (GMF) aims to provide an opportunity for Harvard Music Department graduate students in all programs to discuss issues of common interest or concern. To date, these have ranged from matters of departmental administration and facilities to the structure of degree programs and the inception of new student projects.
Discussion takes place principally in monthly meetings, which are held usually on a Wednesday or Thursday afternoon at 5:15. Both notification and minutes are circulated to all graduate students. All are encouraged to attend the meetings: however, those for whom attendance is inconvenient or impossible are urged to participate in the Forum via e-mail or other means.
While the aim has been to keep the GMF fairly informal, the organization does have an official role in selecting and briefing representatives to the Music Department faculty meetings and the Graduate Student Council, and preparing agenda items for the annual graduate/faculty meeting. These representatives, in addition to a secretary who co-ordinates the meetings and prepares the minutes and correspondence, are the Forum's only "office bearers."
Outside the Department:
Two documents are very useful. The Handbook of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (you should get a copy at registration) contains the official Harvard word on academic procedures. The GSAS Student Survival Guide, which is published by the Graduate Student Council, is full of information on matters both academic and not. A copy can be obtained at registration or from the office of the Graduate Student Council in Dudley House.
Harvard has a number of programs and people assigned to help students in various venues, as well. Ellen Fox (Director of Student Services (495-5060) is located in Dudley House, and Garth McCavana (Associate Dean for Student Affairs) is in Byerly Hall, and both are available for consultation on a variety of topics. There is also a lecture/seminar series run under their auspices on practical topics of interest to graduate students in various stages of their careers. The offices of the Graduate Student Council are also in Dudley House. The Council is available as a forum for discussion of issues which concern students and as an advocate within the greater Harvard community. (http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~gsc)
The Bureau of Study Counsel (5-2581) provides both individual help and short courses for students needing help with academic skills. The Writing Center (Barker Center, 5-1655) can provide help with any and all writing issues.
The University Health Services (Holyoke Center 5-2008) provides a range of wellness programs and confidential counseling (short and long term) in addition to traditional medical care including after-hours urgent care.
There is a special office to help international students with visa and other problems/concerns. You should feel free to ask for help at the International Office (495-2789) if you need it; everyone there is aware of the problems associated with being in a foreign environment.
Additional Financial Resources Available to Graduate Students
Graduate students in the Music Department are usually fairly well-looked-after in terms of basic financial support (tuition, stipend and/or teaching work). However, there are a number of additional financial resources of which you may wish to take advantage at some point in your career at Harvard.
There are four basic types of financial awards offered by the Department:
1) Composition prizes (The Bohemians, George Arthur Knight, Albert W. Sprague, Hugh F. MacColl, Francis Boott, John Green Award);
2) the Schafer Teaching Award; given to students who have demonstrated unusual ability and enthusiasm in their teaching of introductory courses, and designed to give students a year free of teaching assistant duties;
3) Traveling Scholarships (Nino and Lea Pirrotta, Richard F. French, John Knowles Paine, Ferdinand Gordon & Elizabeth Hunter Morrill); given for a research project of well-defined limited scope; and
4) General funding, usually for travel to AMS or other conferences (Weyman Fund, Music Department Graduate Travel Fund). The Department Travel fund is available twice to graduate students during their tenure. It can be used to support travel to attend a conference, give a paper or have a composition performed by a professional organization. The Scholarship Committee has set the following guidelines:
- Funding from a third party is not available (e.g. already received or applied to Graduate Council and Weyman Fund);
- One of the two trips must to be used to present a paper or the equivalent, not just to attend a conference;
- Funding will not exceed $600 per trip
The award will be based on current availability of funds. Requests should be submitted in writing to the Financial Manager. For reimbursement, original receipts must be submitted within the calendar year.
Notices are posted during the year explaining when and how to apply for most of these awards (the Weyman Fund is less regular so you should ask the Assistant to the Chair how it works).
You may also be eligible for funding from sources outside the Department. The Graduate Student Council awards grants for conference travel during the year, and for research during the summer; for more information, see their website (http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~gsc). For other prizes and fellowships awarded by GSAS and the University, ask Nancy Shafman to show you the "Fellowship Book" or, better still, make an appointment to speak with Cynthia Verba in the GSAS Dean's office--she wrote the book!
For complete and official descriptions of course requirements for Composition, Historical Musicology, Ethnomusicology, and Theory, consult the Graduate Supplement to the Harvard Course Study Guide. The following is intended only as an informal summary of course requirements. Program requirements common to all graduate students such as Music B, languages, and the General Examinations will be discussed in later portions of the handbook. Note: a "half-course" at Harvard denotes a one-semester course for regular credit.
While it is expected that Music Department seminars will make up the bulk of your coursework, it may be possible to cross-register for courses in other departments, subject to approval. Courses of independent study, under the supervision of a faculty member, may also be arranged to cater to your particular interests.
The Department is sometimes willing to accept credit for some graduate level courses done at another institution. See section VII for more information.
Each composer is given the opportunity to develop a command of compositional technique. Regular composition lessons with faculty constitute four of the sixteen half-courses required (one per semester). At least two of the remaining twelve half-courses must be taken in musicology or theory; beyond that, the course requirements are fairly flexible. Many composition students undertake at least one year of work in electronic music. For more information consult the Graduate Advisor for Composition.
The Musicology program is broadly defined to include historical, comparative, and systematic aspects of the field. The program incorporates two tracks: Historical Musicology, with an emphasis on the history, theory, and literature of Western music; and Ethnomusicology, with its concentration on the ethnographic study of any musical tradition in relationship to its cultural setting.
Included in the 16 half-courses required of all Musicology students are two half-courses in either theory or composition. A seminar in the history of theory counts towards the theory requirement. Historical Musicology students must also take two-half courses in ethnomusicology among their 16 half-courses, while Ethnomusicology students must take at least two half-courses each in historical musicology and in interdisciplinary offerings outside the department. Ethnomusicology students must also take at least two half-courses in music theory or composition; Music 157x and y do not count. It is recommended that at least one theory seminar be in cross-cultural music theory. The Graduate Advisor for Historical Musicology and Graduate Advisor for Ethnomusicology can assist in planning a course of study.
Because Theory students must have a strong background in either composition or musicology before applying, it should come as no surprise that a significant amount of their course work will be taken in the secondary area during the first two years. Of the 16 required half-courses, four half-courses should be in either composition or musicology. The Graduate Advisor in Theory should be consulted for additional advice about types of courses permissible in the secondary area.
What to Expect in the First Week
The week(s) before the "First Week"
When talking about your first week in the program, it is better to think in terms of beginning before the beginning. Your first order of business will probably be securing a place to live. Read the literature sent by the housing office carefully. In it, you will find two basic options: living in the graduate dorms or living in an apartment. If you plan to live outside of the graduate dorms (which are primarily for first-year students), you will probably want to visit Cambridge early to find an apartment. The Harvard Housing Office (on Holyoke Street in Harvard Square) has many listings of available rooms in shared accommodations as well as studios and one-bedroom apartments. Given the extremely high cost of housing in this area, you will probably want to consider a shared situation. One possibility is to find graduate students currently in the program who are looking for roommates for the coming year; they may already know of reasonably priced apartments opening up, etc. You might want to let Nancy Shafman (the Director of Administration) know if you are looking for a roommate. Again, be warned: housing in the Cambridge area is expensive!
Assuming that you have indeed found somewhere to live by the end of August (come early! - apartments in the area can be hard to find; be prepared to pay first and last month's rent, security deposit and possibly a broker's fee up front), it is a very good idea to move in by September 1 in order to give yourself a chance to get acclimated to the area and the Department. Here are a few things you might want to take care of before the first week of school.
1. Introduce yourself. As soon as you are moved in (or otherwise settled) come to the Department and find Nancy Shafman. She will be your conduit for important official information, advice, etc. Either have Nancy introduce you to the Department staff or simply introduce yourself. Visit Lesley Bannatyne, Communications Coordinator, and give her your address, ID number and email address to add to the department's various directories so that you'll receive important information along with the rest of the department. You will probably find other graduate students in the library or the Taft lounge.
2. Stop in the Music Library and look for Liza Vick, the Public Service Librarian, who will give you a tour of the library. Similar tours are available for Widener (the main University library) and other facilities as will be explained at the GSAS orientation (you will be notified about this orientation in advance by mail).
3. Pick up a pair of keys at the receptionists' desk: one is a key to the lounge; the other is a key to the "G" practice rooms in the basement. Both are for use during hours when the building is officially closed. Your Harvard ID card will open the electronic locks on the exterior doors to the building when it is closed (remember, you need to see Fernando Viesca to have your ID coded).
4. Find your mailbox in the graduate lounge. There is probably more information waiting for you.
5. Ask the receptionists about signing up for a locker if you want one. Do this early, as there may not be lockers available later in the term.
6. Seek out any professors who are around and are teaching a fall semester course in which you might be interested. Find out what the course will be about and what the requirements will be. This could also give you a head start on any scores or texts you need to purchase for the course if you are pretty sure you will be taking it. Reading lists are often posted on the bulletin board in the lounge, especially if there is reading to be completed by the first class meeting.
GSAS Orientation Week/Bok Teaching Program
During the week immediately preceding the start of classes, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) and the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning sponsor a number of events for both incoming and continuing students. The Bok Center, for example, sponsors two-day teaching orientations just prior to the start of the fall and spring semesters. Aside from various receptions which provide opportunities for new students to get to know others as well as free breakfasts and lunches, the majority of the Bok Center orientation involves panel discussions on various topics of interest to young teachers. These panels are comprised of faculty members, representatives of the Bok Center who have experience both teaching and helping others teach, and current student Teaching Fellows. You will find that many of the participants are "G2s" (in their second year of Graduate study) or beyond and thus that many of them are already assuming teaching responsibilities. Even though students do not teach in the Music Department until their third year, you are welcome at these trainings and can benefit from what the Bok Center has to offer. There is no charge for the program, but you will need to register in advance if you wish to attend, either in person at the Bok Center office in the Science Center in room 318, through their website (http://bokcenter.fas.harvard.edu) or via e-mail (bokcenter@fas.harvard.edu).
While GSAS offers a number of activities for new students, the primary event is an orientation day held just before classes begin. You will receive information from the GSAS - be on the lookout for it. (There is a separate orientation for international students.) Classes begin on Monday, September 17, 2006. Orientation is comprised of a series of presentations in the morning by various representatives of the University, a picnic lunch, and a variety of receptions and orientation sessions for students with particular concerns. All of these activities may not be of interest to you, but you may find the morning's activities a good way to introduce yourself to the Harvard community beyond the Music Building. For further information about these activites, please contact Student Affaris at studaff@fas.harvard.edu/
We also recommend taking the time to get to know some of the campus outside of the Music Department before you get too busy. Your Harvard I.D. gives you access to all Harvard's libraries and free admission to the museums.
Registration
GSAS registration is Wednesday, September 12, 9 am- 5 pm at Dudley House. Registration at Harvard is a little different than at many colleges. On registration day, all you will be doing is picking up the paperwork which allows you to register for classes at the end of "shopping period" (see below). After you have collected your paperwork, called a "study card," you will need to fill it out as you attend classes and meet with your advisor and/or the Director of Graduate Studies. Filling out the card can be a little confusing the first time; other graduate students are a good resource for study card questions. After it is completed, you will need to turn it in to the Registrar's Office. There will be a date at the end of shopping period when the card can be turned in at Dudley House. If you want to turn it in early, you can take it to the Registrar at 20 Garden St.
A couple of hints for filling out the study card:
1. The "course number" is the 4-digit number catalog number on the second line of each description in the main Harvard catalog. The "course title" is the department/program name plus a 3 or 4 digit number on the first line of the description. Thus, "Music 201" is a course title; 3973 is its course number.
2. Be sure to check the main Harvard course catalog to see if any courses you are taking are marked with an asterisk. These courses require the instructor's signature on the study card. Signatures are also required for independent studies and for the composition seminars.
3. Before the end of shopping period, you will need to have your advisor sign the lower right-hand corner of the study card, indicating approval of the courses. Be sure to check with your advisor early on to see when they prefer to sign their cards -- each one has a different preference, and not all faculty are available every day. In case of problems in obtaining signatures, see Nancy Shafman; she can direct you to alternate signatories.
The main activity of the first week will be "shopping." This entails visiting any and all classes that you think you might want to take and deciding which you will in fact sign up for on your study card. You will probably meet with the Director of Graduate Studies and/or your program's advisor to discuss what and how many courses you should be taking. You should receive a schedule of department courses during the summer. A complete listing of courses offered at Harvard is available at registration or can be found on the Harvard website (http://www.harvard.edu). The music department's courses are listed at http://www.music.fas.harvard.edu/courses/courses.html
Program advisors for this year are: Hans Tutschku (Composition), Richard Wolf (Ethnomusicology), Carolyn Abbate (Historical Musicology), and Alex Rehding (Theory).
Initial Meeting - During the week of registration, there is a general meeting of the entire Music Department; be on the lookout for fliers announcing the time and place; they'll be posted on the bulletin boards of the music building. Here, new students are introduced, courses are outlined by those teaching them, and other official business is transacted. A reception is held immediately afterward. There is often an informal get-together with new and not-so-new graduate students after the reception.
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Diagnostic Theory Exam - Sometime during the first week, all new students need to meet with a faculty member (ask Nancy Shafman who you should see) to schedule a time to take the Department's diagnostic theory exam. The exam is divided into two main parts: a two-hour written portion that is taken as a group; and a brief keyboard quiz that is taken individually. The two-hour exam consists of analysis, part-writing, counterpoint, and melodic/harmonic dictation. The analysis section involves both music of the "common practice" period and twentieth-century procedures. The part-writing section consists of SATB harmonization of a chorale in the style of J.S. Bach. The counterpoint section tests both modal and eighteenth-century counterpoint. You are given approximately an hour and a half to complete these written portions of the exam. The dictation portion then comprises the last half hour. Here, the pace is quick but not unrealistic. You will be asked to notate a single melodic line as well as a four-part texture, intervals, and sonorities in various inversions. The keyboard portion of the exam stresses sight-reading, realization of a figured bass, and harmonization of a melodic line. Overall, this exam is intended to test your fluency with these fundamental skills and to reveal your deficiencies. While this may seem intimidating, its purpose is to clarify will exactly which skills you will need to cover to fulfill the Music B requirement. Based on the results of the exam, you may test out of all or part of Music B.
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What to Expect in The First Year
Based on the results of your performance on the Diagnostic Theory exam, you may either test out of or be placed in Music B. Many students test out of some but not all of Music B. Thus, the curriculum for this course is flexible and tailored to meet the needs of each individual student. Music B usually consists of one or two students meeting with a faculty member one or two times a week. In these meetings, you will work on areas in which you need more experience to develop theory and analytical skills. Your work will involve keyboard and written assignments.
Some students meet the Music B requirement over the course of the first term while others need the entire first year to complete their requirements. If you have had substantial theory training previously but perhaps have gotten rusty in a few areas, it is to your advantage to review a bit before taking the exam. If you do not pass out of everything, do not fret; rather, commit yourself to completing your theory requirements as soon as possible. It is to your advantage to have Music B behind you before you start your second year.
Composition and theory students must compose a complete fugue in Bach style under the supervision of a faculty member as part of their Music B requirement.
Music 201 is intended as an introductory course for first-year students in Musicology. In the past, students have given weekly presentations on assigned topics varying according to instructor. The objective of this methods course is to increase a student's ability to gather information, absorb it, and synthesize it sufficiently for weekly presentation to his or her colleagues. In doing so, the student exercises and sharpens methodological skills under time pressure.
You may (or may not) wish to sign up for a Departmental language exam right away; it's nice to get one requirement over with quickly. You can arrange a date for the exam and get samples of past exams from Nancy Shafman. Check the bulletin board in the Taft Lounge for dates when exams will be given and sign-up deadlines. Each program within the Music Department has its own specific language requirements: check with the Graduate Advisor in your field for specifics. Musicologists must pass two languages before taking their general exam. Composers must have passed their required language before taking their general exam. Theorists need to pass both required language exams before taking their general exam.
All graduate seminars have the dual aim of exploring specific subject material and opening up methodological questions. Some recent topics have included: Fascism and Music; An Ethnographic Study of the Early Music Scene in Boston; Musical Diasporas: Ethiopia; The Serial Works of Stravinsky; Song, Schubert through Ives; Getting to Know Medieval Song; and Text & Music.
The format of graduate musicology seminars meeting once a week often divides the semester as follows (although a number of musicology, and most composition and theory seminars, follow a quite different plan):
12 weeks:
Paper expectations vary from seminar to seminar. Often, a single large paper-and-presentation will be required at the end of the semester. Alternatively, several short papers and/or presentations may be assigned. Occasionally, a final seminar paper may merit, or possess the potential for, presentation at a professional conference such as American Musicological Society (AMS), Society of Music Theorists (SMT) or Society of Ethnomusicologists (SEM). Some flexibility is often available with regard to the total number of term papers expected across all the courses taken in a given semester. Such flexibility must be negotiated on a case by case basis with the faculty concerned.
The preceding comments will also generally apply to seminars in ethnomusicology, but students should speak to Professor Shelemay for a better idea of the specific types of courses that will be offered in that field.
Information about theory seminars can be obtained from Professor Rehding. Many will also involve a series of smaller assignments and a final paper/analysis project.
Composition seminars, in contrast, usually focus on ongoing compositional work. Information about structure can best be obtained from the particular professor involved.
In consultation with your advisor, some 100 level courses (courses intended for upper level undergraduates) may be taken for graduate credit.
Reading Period typically lasts two weeks after the last day of classes and is primarily provided for undergraduates to prepare for exams (which last another two weeks beyond reading period). Graduate students use the time to complete seminar papers. Often, however, seminars will continue meeting during Reading Period for final presentations. Students should consult the academic calendar and/or their professors before making travel plans near or during Reading Period.
Graduate Student Colloquium Series
Each year a committee of four graduate students - one composer, one historical musicologist, one ethnomusicologist, one theorist - is appointed to administer this colloquium series. The committee canvasses all graduate students for input on the selection of speakers (although each program adopts a different procedure for soliciting opinions and reaching a decision). The committee then invites up to six speakers for the following year. The committee tries to select speakers that best reflect the interests and needs of graduate students. The Department provides the funds that make the colloquium series, now named the Barwick Student Colloquium Series, possible. There are normally informal dinners for the graduate students with invited speakers after their talks.
This is not the only series of colloquia offered by the Department, but it is the only one which gives graduate students the opportunity to request specific speakers whose work is of particular interest, or in fields which are not necessarily reflected by the day-to-day offerings of the Department.
Prof. Mauro Calcagno, along with several graduate students, initiated "Friday Lunch Talks," a series of informal colloquia where students are invited to give "works in progress." The group now meets almost every Friday; you'll see posters around the department announcing the topics (or contact graduate student coordiantor for 2007-2008, Toby Ottersen ottersen@fas). The Composer's Colloquium is another forum for graduate student colloquia. This is a weekly get together that meets for two hours every Monday at noon. It brings together composers, theorists and musicologists from both within and outside Harvard for discussion. Watch for posters or contact its coordinator, Jose Luis Hurtado (hurtado@fas.harvard.edu) for topics.
In December you will receive a Financial Aid Application and Financial Report form from the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid. This form is used to determine your financial "need" based on a budget set by the financial aid office. It is very important to fill out the form carefully, being sure to list all expenditures related to study and all legitimate living expenses. It is also very important to return this form by the specified date (usually early-to-mid January) or you may lose your eligibility for financial aid. You will usually be notified of your financial award by the second week of May.
What to Expect as a Continuing Student
Most graduate students teach for the Department from their third year on. Near the end of each spring semester you will receive a schedule of the upcoming year's classes and a form to fill out on which you will indicate in which classes you are interested in serving as a Teaching Fellow (if you are scheduled to teach in the upcoming year). Just what you end up teaching depends on a number of complicated factors, only one of which is your stated choice. It is a good idea to speak to Nancy Shafman before handing in your form in order to find out which classes are likely to need Teaching Fellows, and, of those, which are normally staffed with third year students, and which are normally staffed with more advanced students.
Most teaching assignments involve teaching a section once a week for a course that meets from one to three times a week. The function of sections varies widely from course to course: often it will involve presenting new material, concentrated listening, or discussion of lectures.
The large majority of teaching assignments will be in "Core" courses. The Core Curriculum "seeks to introduce students to the major approaches to knowledge," and its courses are intended for students outside of the field on which a course focuses. All undergraduates at Harvard are required to take around a dozen core courses. The Music Department normally offers two to four such courses per semester, in which enrollment may be as low as 20-30 or as high as 500.
For the past few years, the department has arranged a special teaching seminar for music courses through the Bok Teaching Center to be held at the beginning of the Fall semester.
Receiving Credit for previous Graduate Courses
The Department is sometimes willing to accept credit for graduate level coursework done at another institution. At the beginning of the second year, if you have such previous credits, speak to the Director of Graduate Studies. You will be required to submit a letter requesting the acceptance of credit and a transcript from your previous school. The letter should be addressed to the Faculty Committee and should include course names and grades. The Department may accept up to two credits (equaling two GSAS "half-courses") by vote of the full faculty. Students should be aware that the granting of credit is not automatic and is entirely at the discretion of the faculty.
There are separate exam formats for the four divisions of the Music Department - Composition, Historical Musicology, Ethnomusicology, and Theory. All contain a written component followed by an oral one, and are taken at the beginning of the third year. All three are described in the GSAS Handbook, but a view from those who have taken them is helpful. In addition to what information is offered here, it is a good idea to talk to several people in your program about the exam when it comes time to start preparing (usually sometime during the second year). Copies of questions from previous exams in all four divisions are available in the Department office--it is worthwhile to study these carefully.
Composition The Composition General Exam focuses on analysis of works from the standard literature. Currently, the written portion of the exam is given at the end of the second year, over the course of a long weekend (Friday morning to noon on Tuesday). There are two parts to the written portion of the exam. The first part is an analysis paper; you will be given one or two short pieces without identification of composer or title. As a rule, one of the pieces is from the twentieth century. Recent exams have used Bartok's Contrasts, Chopin's Ballade in G minor, and Webern's 5 Pieces for String Quartet, op. 5. The second portion of the written exam will be a composition for a specified instrumental combination (It is not necessary to produce a complete piece.).
The oral portion of the exam is undertaken after the written exam has been successfully completed. It is currently being given just before the fall semester of the student's third year. The oral exam will cover a total of four works and may raise issues from the written exam as well. Three works are assigned during the latter part of the second year of the program for intensive study. Recent choices have included Berio's Sinfonia, Carter 's String Quartet No. 2, Schumann's Dichterliebe, Mozart's Jupiter Symphony and Beethoven's String Quartet no. 16 in F major, op. 135. The fourth work will be a piece by the student of her/his own choosing in consultation with the advisor. A very detailed knowledge of the scores is expected of the student. Although often conducted as a question and answer session, it is best to prepare the orals as a presentation: be prepared to take charge of the discussion, speaking about the works in a clear and organized way. The use of scores and visual aids is allowed during the exam. The oral exam usually takes 1-2 hours, although its exact length is decided by faculty based on their assessment of the student's performance. Historically, the exam has been given in one of the faculty offices, and students are notified about exact scheduling details shortly before the exam is given.
Theory - The exams in Music Theory divide into four parts. The first part, a repertoire exam, is typically taken at the beginning of the summer. The two main parts of the exams are usually written in late August/early September, before the new academic year begins, and the third part consists in an oral exam following the written tests. Most examinees have felt that the generals exams are well-defined, fair, and comprehensive. The experience is stimulating, maybe even exhilarating.
Part 1 is an oral exam with 1 hr preparation time. At the beginning of the preparation time, 10 score excerpts are handed out, broadly taken from canonical works (substitutions can be arranged). The student is asked to identify, contextualize, or classify all of them, and to make more detailed analytical observations on three of them. The oral exam during which the findings are discussed doubles as a "dress rehearsal" for the more substantial oral that concludes the general examinations later during the summer.
Part 2 includes four written exams. They are held in four three-hour exams over the course of several days. Each exam requires students to choose two questions from a larger selection, and to write an essay on each. The exams are in the following subjects:
(1) Theoretical Systems
This paper consists of three sections (Schenker, Neo-Riemannian Theory, Pitch-Class Set Theory - with permission from the Theory Adviser one section may be substituted for an equivalent alternative). The two essays must be from different sections. The questions tend to offer an opportunity for critique and analysis in a given theoretical tradition.
(2) History of Music Theory
This paper consists of three periods (Early Modern, 18th Century, 19th Century - with permission from the Theory Adviser, one section may be substituted for a different period). In the past, some questions have required detailed knowledge of specific theories or theorists, while others have aimed at sketching a broader historical perspective of developments in the History of Music Theory.
(3+4) Special Topics I and II
Both Special Topics are arranged and prepared with the Theory Faculty. The topics should prepare the student for their likely field of dissertation work and help them survey and critique the existing literature. The exam consists of three questions, of which two must be answered.
Part 3 is a take-home exam in musical analysis. Four pieces are handed out: 2 tonal, 2 post-tonal - substitions of repertoire are possible with permission of Theory Adviser. One piece from each section must be selected. The student writes substantial analytical essays--with graphs, sketches, written descriptions--on the two selected pieces. The pieces are handed out Fri at 9am, the essays are due the following Mon at 3pm.
Part 4 consists of an oral exam. This typically last 2 hours, and follows the successful completion of the written exams, usually within one to two weeks. The oral examination follows up the work on the written examination and may broaden to engage any related issues in Western music and Music Theory, without restriction as to historical field.
Historical Musicology - The written exam consists of an open-book analysis test conducted over a two-day period (9am to 5pm) and, ordinarily separated by a few days, of a general test given in three sections on two consecutive days (9am-12pm; 2pm-5pm; 9am-12pm). The analysis test asks for a detailed critical commentary on compositional and contextual aspects on two works representative of different style periods. The general test is divided into three parts on the history of music from antiquity to the present: Medieval and Renaissance; 17th and 18th centuries; 19th and 20th centuries. Questions are drawn from the entire field of Western music and not necessarily related to topics covered in seminars. Each part consists of two one-hour essays (chosen from four given topics) and four short questions (chosen from six). Students must pass the written examination in order to be admitted to the oral part. (Sample written exams are available from the department office).
The oral examination is separated from the written by a few days and extends over one and a half hours. The first half hour is devoted to a discussion of a composition or literary text and questions from a special field chosen by the student. The remainder of the examination focuses on questions posed in the written examination and on issues related to these questions. (The special field is chosen by the student in consultation with a faculty advisor in the spring preceding the examination period.)
Ethnomusicology - The written exam consists of an analysis test and a general test. The analysis test includes two musical examples, one chosen from the student's primary world music area and the second drawn from a contrasting musical tradition agreed on in advance in consultation with the ethnomusicology faculty.
The general test is divided into four sections: one on ethnomusicological theory and method; a second on world music; a third on interdisciplinary problems; and a fourth on the intellectual history of ethnomusioclogy. By request of the student and in consultation with the ethnomusicology faculty, another subject area may be substituted as the focus of the fourth section of the test.
Students must pass the written test in order to be admitted to the oral examination. In Ethnomusicology, the oral examination begins with discussion of the primary world music area chosen by the student. The remainder of the examination includes questions about general ethnomusicology not necessarily related to topics covered in seminars, and further discussion of questions posed in the written examination.
Dissertation
Advising
Prior to taking the general exam, students are generally advised by the program advisor designated for their particular field. This is the advisor who must sign the study card. Other faculty may, of course, be consulted informally. The Director of Graduate Studies is also available for help in this area.
After completion of the general exam, students will acquire a dissertation advisor and a committee. This is a small department, and many students know when they arrive who they expect to work with on the dissertation based on the specialty they wish to pursue. Whether one has settled on a particular person or not, getting to know faculty members both formally and informally will help students to establish an effective relationship with the disseration advisor once the generals have been passed. The dissertation committee will be assigned by the faculty. The exact role of the advisor and committee will vary somewhat from program to program. A recent faculty document on advising for dissertation projects entitled "Report of the Faculty Committee on the Structure of Phd Dissertation Advising" is available on the Graduate Student Council website, http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~gsc/advising/.
Dissertation Prospectus
Each student must produce a prospectus for their dissertation project within one calendar year after the general examination is passed. Each program has its own procedure for creating this document and students should seek specific guidance from their advisors.
Musicology students follow the most involved process. Students will receive a letter with information shortly after successful completion of their general exams. Musicology students must submit proposals in development for comment from all Musicology faculty members. Nancy Shafman also has information on this process. Students on the far side note that it is often necessary for the student to be persistent in collecting faculty comments.
Composition students have a less formal procedure to follow, but will need to submit a description of their proposed piece for consideration by the faculty. See the composition program advisor for more information.
Theory students should speak to Prof. Rehding about their procedures.
Various opportunities are available for students to earn supplemental income, both during the academic year and during the summer. Generally, first and second year students do not have an abundance of time for extracurricular positions. The following represent commonly-pursued forms of employment available within the Harvard community. International students may face some additional restrictions.
Professors may sometimes require the help of a research assistant for a limited or temporary project. Usually the professor will approach a student asking if that student has the time for and wishes to help on a project. This kind of project is often, but not always, supported by College Work-Study funding. The application process for work-study can be lengthy, so you are encouraged to apply early if this option avails itself.
Throughout the semester, opportunities will arise for single-event employment including setting up and cleaning up at department receptions, filling in for receptionists, etc. Let Nancy Shafman or Jean Moncrieff know if you are interested in this sort of work.
Positions are available for students who wish to act as security guards or stage managers for Paine Hall in the evenings, on weekends, and during Paine Hall events. Contact Jean Moncrieff to express interest in these positions.
Tutorships/Proctorships/Resident Advisors
The latter, usually known as RAs, are positions that are usually given to second- and third-year students. An RA lives in the GSAS Residence Halls (one per floor) and is responsible for the "well-being" of the residents and for organizing social activities, particularly during the first month. The RA is an important resource and also takes care of administrative duties such as holding floor meetings and dealing with noise disturbances. The staff of the Office of Student and Residential Life is very helpful. The job begins about a week before students move in (usually around the first week in September) with a job training program and continues through the end of the school year. The RA receives a free room and meal contract for the academic year for his/her services.
A resident tutor is a graduate student living in a "House," the Harvard term for dorms. There are twelve of them, and they each hire a pool of students from a representative number of fields. A tutor is expected to help undergraduates in his/her field of expertise, and in the case of Music tutors, to organize musical events, take care of the House practice rooms and instruments, and help music concentrators or others taking music courses. Moreover, a tutor is also a member of the staff of the House, and as such is in charge of order and discipline in his or her "entryway" or floor. Each tutor is usually assigned a group of sophomores or other students to advise in non-concentration matters. Duties and expectations vary widely from house to house. The tutor is usually given, as payment for service, a suite (usually consisting of a common room, bathroom, and bedroom) and approximately 14 meals per week. There are also limited openings for couples.
There are also positions available as non-resident tutors, which involve attending House functions and doing some counseling to help students in their field of concentration in exchange for a limited number of meals.
A proctor has a similar position to that of a tutor, but works in the freshmen dorms. The freshmen all live in residences located for the most part within Harvard Yard. The job is much more time-consuming than the tutorship, because freshman tend to have many more needs, concerns, and problems. The resident tutor and freshmen proctors keep their rooms throughout the year, including the summer (without meals as Dining Halls are closed). A limited number of summer proctorships are available for Harvard summer school and include compensation of a room for the duration of Summer School.
All of these positions are advertised at the end of the first semester in the GSAS Bulletin, a bi-monthly publication sent to all GSAS students. The tutorships usually require an application with cover letter and resume early in the year. If a House is interested in one's application, it is followed by interviews in March and April. Appointments are usually made by the end of April.
During exam period (the second half of January and of May) a crew of students is hired by the registrar's office to serve as proctors for the exams. Usually there are two shifts for the morning and afternoon sessions. Exam proctors are paid a basic salary. In addition, some students have special needs (visually impaired students who need writers, dyslexic students who take more time to write the exam, sick students who take the exam in the infirmary, etc.), in which case the proctor receives a higher salary and works a different set of hours. During normal exam sessions, if the exam is larger than 20-30 students, there is a head proctor, responsible for the whole group of proctors.
Department Events and Programs
Department events are listed on a monthly calendar distributed to your box in the Taft lounge. In addition, the Department maintains a frequently-updated online calendar of events (www.music.fas.harvard.edu/calendar.html) and prints an Events brochure listing major concerts, colloquia and residencies each year. There is also a concert line (496-6013) with current information about upcoming concerts and events in Paine Hall.
Blodgett Artist-in-Residence Concert Series
The Ying String Quartet are Blodgett Artists-in-Residence. The Quartet will give four concerts in 2007-2008 in addition to private lessons, master classes, workshops, classroom demonstrations and lectures, coachings, and special projects with students and faculty members. The musicians stay around campus during their residency and work with music tutors and students. Contact the Director of Events for details.
Fromm Contemporary Music Series
This is the oldest foundation in the country devoted exclusively to the support of new music. From 1972 through 1987 the Fromm Music Foundation was partially administered by the Music Department. Beginning in the fall of 1987, it was moved entirely here. The Foundation grants commissions annually to young composers, sponsors an annual composition award and contemporary music concert at Tanglewood, and has recently helped to establish a composer residency at the American Academy in Rome. In addition, the Foundation has supported a variety of concerts and festivals of new music throughout the country.
The Fromm Players at Harvard give a series of concerts in Paine Hall which are devoted to new music. The concerts are sponsored by the Department and the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard and are normally scheduled in February and/or March.
The Group presents several concerts during the year consisting of works by undergraduate and graduate composers as well as works by prominent 20th century composers.
This is an annual concert given in May featuring works of Harvard undergraduate and graduate composers. It is produced under the direction of the Harvard Group for New Music.
Music-History-Context Lectures
This is a series of lectures, usually two per year, given by current Harvard faculty in Musicology on their work.
Other Lectures and Events
Harvard's Music department hosts other lecture series, colloquia, and concerts on a periodic basis. These include the Norton Lectures in Poetry and the Fromm Visiting Composer-in-Residence. In addition, there are often visiting lecturers and faculty who are shared with other departments at Harvard or with the Humanities Center (ongoing colloquia include those in Opera, Music and its Audience and Ethnomusicology). Events are listed on the department's internal calendar (which you will receive in your dept. mailbox each month), on its website, and on its concert line (496-6013).