MUSI200

Instructions

Comparing Composers

Goal: The goal of this assignment is to analyze and compare two compositions of music from different eras using musical terminology to express ideas.

Course Objectives:

· CO-1: Identify Western music by style and era.

· CO-2: Apply musical terminology, concepts and critical listening skills to a given major composer and style of music.

Use AI with caution. The university allows you to use AI for research, stimulating thought, correcting grammar, and a few other areas. See the 
official policy here.

HOWEVER, if the Turnitin System yields an AI score above 75% you will need to rewrite the paper on your own OR submit substantial documentation attesting to your authorship of the paper. You cannot see your score unless we send the report to you, but you know if you used it to write your papers. 

NOTE, for these papers, 
every reference must have a working URL that takes the instructor to the precise location for the document used. Failure to do this can be seen as plagiarism. If you have a physical book, you may need to take a picture to prove ownership of the work.

Description: 

Compare 2 compositions from different eras. In your comparison, you will touch upon two elements of music using relevant language and terminology as well as discuss where people attended concerts. 

Directions:

1. Choose 2 compositions from different eras. See the textbook for some choices or look up a performance. If you need suggestions for pieces to listen to, contact me. I can help guide you to some excellent performances. 

2. Choose 2 elements of music to reflect on in your comparison. Here are some resources for 
discussing the elements of music.

· Melody, Harmony, Rhythm, Timbre, Texture, Form

3.  Listen to the pieces (from #1) concentrating on the two elements of music (from #2).

4. After listening to the performances, write up the following:

·
Introductory paragraph: Preview the main points that will be addressed in the paper. Be sure to include the names of the composers and titles of the compositions.

·
Define Elements: Define in your own words your choice of two of the following elements of music: melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, texture, and form.

·
Compare Elements: Evaluate the similarities and differences of the two elements between the two compositions. In the evaluation expand on the definitions that you supplied. Use musical terminology and information from the course materials to express your ideas.

·
Concert Location: Discuss where people attended concerts during the Renaissance Era (1400-1600), the Baroque era (1600-1750 AD) and the Classical era (1750-1800 AD) using scholarly information to support your ideas.

·
Concluding paragraph: Wrap up the main points of the paper. Be sure to mention the composers and composition titles in the conclusion.

Submission Guidelines

This essay should be 750-1000 words in length. This assignment should reflect knowledge and understanding of the course materials. Points should be supported by specific information from scholarly sources and musical terminology should be used to express ideas. This essay should be written in paragraph form using complete sentences with a clear introduction and conclusion. Reference both concerts in the introduction and conclusion. 
See note below about AI use in creating this paper.

In addition to these elements, fulfill the 
Requirements for Writing Assignments, including citing all sources (including the concerts) both in the body of the text and on a reference page.

Note that MLA is the standard citation style in the humanities. However, if your university major uses APA or you are more comfortable with it go ahead and use it.

Here are some good sources of information for 
Evaluating Online Resources, 
Citing Sources, and 
Writing & Grammar Resources. The video links for the concerts should be cited in the body of the text and in your reference page.

Please consider the following:

·
This assignment is due by Sunday of Week 4 at 11:55 pm (Eastern time). Note that late submissions will be automatically downgraded according to the APUS late policy.

· Essays must be uploaded as an attachment. Double-check that your attachment is in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format as explained in Requirements for Written Assignments (see above link).

· DISCLAIMER: Originality of attachments will be verified by Turnitin. Both you and your instructor will receive the results.

· Be sure to ask if you have any questions about this assignment by asking in the Questions thread in Discussions or via Email

NOTE: If you are serving overseas and have difficulty downloading or viewing concerts, there is an alternate assignment that you can complete. Just send an email explaining your situation and your instructor will send you the alternate assignment.

Note Well: Essays will be automatically added to and checked against the standard Turnitin repositories. Originality reports will be returned to the faculty and student in roughly 15 minutes of the submission.

NOTE ABOUT AI USE: 


Per the university guidelines, you are free to use AI to generate ideas, create outlines, do research, and edit your work. 
You are not permitted to use AI to write this paper. You are responsible for clearly indicating what words are not yours, treating all generative AI contributions like direct quotations, and treating the program as the “author” of those words. Failure to do otherwise is plagiarism, claiming the words of another as your own, and sanctions could be issued.