Entry requirements

Admitted to Master program in Humanities specialization Aesthetics, Art History, Musicology, Practical Philosophy or Theoretical Philosophy

Learning outcomes

In fulfilment of the course requirements the student is expected to have gained a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding the role of expectation and anticipation in musical experience, and to be able to

• use the concepts and distinctions necessary for any critical engagement with the subject, and to relate to the main theories and arguments
• be prepared to provide a systematic account of the current understanding of the subject
• Analyse the stränghets and weakness of the theories studied
• Provide a critical discussion about the relation between the theories examined and a range of relevant musical examples

Content

The overriding theme of this course is the role of expectation and anticipation in musical experience. More specifically, how our perception and appreciation of music draws on the categories, concepts and knowledge we apply as players and listeners. We will study this question in connection with music in general but also with a view to shedding light on specific modern musical trends, for example in improvisation and film music. Central questions will include: ‘What role do innate and learned patterns play in the way we hear rhythm and melody, style and form?’; ‘Do our musical emotions relate to the satisfaction and denial of our appetites and expectations?’; ‘How do our musical expectations interact with narratives (such as in film)?’. Not only are these questions central to contemporary music aesthetics, they also intersect with important research in music analysis as well as in mainstream neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy. The course will seek to present an integrated approach to the domain of study, with each seminar picking out a particular theme.

Instruction

Students are required to attend seminars and be prepared to discuss the ideas and reading prescribed in each case.

Assessment

The examination will take the form of an essay (approx. 3000 words) which seeks to provide an answer to any one of the questions addressed by each seminar. Candidates will be expected to give a presentation on their assignments before preparing a written paper for submission.

Other directives

The course is designed as a partner course to the Musicology Department’s MA Course in Aesthetics of Music (7.5c Code 5MU522) which provides grounding in the history and central contemporary issues of music aesthetics.