Styles Examination
The requirement · The exam · Upcoming dates
The requirement
All doctoral students must demonstrate their ability to deal analytically and
stylistically with a broad range of musical compositions by taking the Doctoral
Styles Examination.
Students must sign up for the styles examination on line or in the Music Graduate Office at least ten days
before the exam.
The exam will be offered only once a year, early in the
spring semester. Students who have a conflict with a religious observance on
the exam date should contact the Director of Graduate Studies at least ten days
before the exam to arrange an alternative exam time.
For students entering fall, 2006 and after: Students must take
the exam in their first spring semester of enrollment. Students who pass the
exam meet the requirement. Students who do not pass the exam may retake the
exam once with permission of the Director of Graduate Studies, if their score is
within a range recommended by the Doctoral Styles Committee. Students who do
not pass the exam must earn a grade of B or higher in T545 Introductory Analysis
of Music Literature. This course may fall anywhere in the student’s
curriculum. T545 taken previously at Indiana University and passed with a grade
of B or higher will be accepted in lieu of the exam; transfer credits will not
be accepted. This requirement must be completed before a student may begin to
take qualifying examinations.
If you started the doctoral program before fall 2006, please see the
information below:
For students entering before fall, 2002: The musical styles
examination must be taken prior to the oral qualifying examination. The styles
examination may be taken no more than twice.
For students entering fall, 2002 and after: Students must take the
exam in their first fall semester of enrollment. This will be their only
opportunity. Students who pass the exam meet the requirement. Students who do
not pass the exam must earn a grade of B or better in T545 Analysis of Music
Literature. This course may fall anywhere in the student’s curriculum. T545
taken previously at Indiana University and passed with a grade of B or better
will be accepted in lieu of the exam; transfer credits will not be accepted.
This requirement must be completed before a student may begin qualifying
examinations.
Students entering before fall, 2002 may petition the Director of Graduate
studies to use T545 to meet the requirement.
The examination
The Graduate Theory Association sometimes holds a mock exam, and usually there are students willing to tutor; check with the Music Theory Office (M225).
The exams from Spring 2002 and Summer 2002 exam
(in the new format) are available in the Music Library; the listening examples
are available from Music Library computers:
Spring 2002: http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/cgi-bin/var/access?vaa0309
Summer 2002: http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/cgi-bin/var/access?vaa0309
The exam will typically consist of score examples and recorded examples. Here
are sample questions (constructed Spring 2002):
1. Sample questions about harmony and tonality: Comment upon the harmonic
organization of the excerpt. To what key area does the excerpt modulate, and
where within the form does it do this? Characterize the nature of the harmonic
vocabulary. Describe basic pitch materials (to what key, scale, or collection
do the pitches belong?) Identify the prominent use of a non-chord tone.
2. Sample questions about form: What can you say about form in this
movement? Briefly sketch the structure of this piece. What observations can
you make regarding form and repetition? What is different about the last
section? Suggest some ways in which composers from this period wrote more
varied or complicated versions of this type of piece.
3. Sample questions about compositional devices: List several motivic
devices used by the composer to unify this piece. Describe the melodic
construction and characteristics of the solo part. How does it relate to the
accompaniment? What contrapuntal devices are common in this piece?
4. Sample questions about text: What is unusual about the treatment of the
text in the context of this kind of piece? How does the text relate to the
form of the piece? How does the vocal line express the text?
5. Sample questions about orchestration: This is a transposed score. What
are the first ten sounding pitches in the English horn? Is the orchestration
of this piece typical or unusual? How so?
6. Sample questions about textural issues: Comment upon the texture and
orchestration of the excerpt. How is the thematic material distributed in the
orchestra? Discuss briefly the use of instruments in this excerpt, especially
in relation to the voices.
7. Sample questions about rhythmic and metric issues: Comment upon the
rhythmic and motivic structure of this piece. Comment on the composer's
phrasal organization: are the phrases of equal length?
8. Sample questions about performance issues: Discuss the dynamic and
articulation markings. Would these markings influence a choice of instrument?
What performance implications might they have?
9. Sample questions about genre: What is the genre of this piece? What
stylistic characteristics prevailed in this kind of piece 30-50 years earlier,
and how do the stylistic characteristics differ in this excerpt?
10. Sample questions about composers and dates: Propose and defend an
attribution and date for this excerpt. What is the term associated with this
stylistic period of this composer? What stylistic periods are associated with
this composer's work? Place this work in a larger perspective by naming pieces
similar in style or construction to it.
Upcoming dates
For upcoming styles exam dates, click here.
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