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The music major is a program of at least ten units. The normal sequence of courses for the major is: 122 or 220, 244, and 315 (advanced harmony and composition); 200-201 (history and analysis); and a total of two semesters of 300 (offered in four autonomous modular units per year, from which students may select any combination). Also required are three additional elected units of 200- or 300-level work. The study of composition (Music 213/313) is highly recommended for majors.

The music minor is a program of at least five units. It consists of 122 or 220, 244, 200-201 or one of these plus another history or literature course, and one additional unit of 300-level work.
The Music Department does not allow courses taken credit/non to count toward the major or minor.

Students interested in majoring or minoring in music are strongly encouraged to begin the theory sequence with Music 122 or Music 220 in the fall semester of the first year. This allows them to enroll in the spring-term offering of Music 244, which is the prerequisite for Music 200 and the courses that follow sequentially. Starting on this sequence immediately affords the option of taking a wider variety of elective music courses in the junior and senior years, and also makes it easier for those spending the junior year abroad to complete the major comfortably. Students who plan to undertake graduate study in western music history or theory are advised that knowledge of both German and French (beyond the introductory level) is essential, and proficiency in Italian highly desirable. Also of value are studies in European history, literature, and art.

Music majors are especially encouraged to develop musicianship through the acquisition of basic keyboard skills, and through ear training, private instruction in practical music, and involvement in the Music Department’s various performing organizations.

Group instruction in basic keyboard skills, including keyboard harmony, sight reading, ear training, and score reading, is provided free to all students enrolled in any music course (including Music 100 with the instructor's permission and if space is available), and to Music 99 students with the written recommendation of their private instructor. Ensemble sight reading instruction on a more advanced level is also available for pianists.

The department offers a choice of three programs for Honors, all under the catalog numbers 360/370; honors students normally elect the two units in succession during the senior year. Under Program I, the honors candidate carries out independent research leading to a written thesis and an oral examination. Under Program II, honors in composition, the 360 and 370 units culminate in a composition of substance and an oral examination on the honors work. Prerequisites for this program are Music 315 and distinguished work in Music 313. Program III, honors in performance, culminates in a recital, a lecture-demonstration, and an essay on some aspect of performance. The prerequisite for Program III is Music 344 in the junior year and evidence during that year, through public performance, of exceptional talent and accomplishment; 344 must then be continued in the senior year.

 

Performing Music

Instrument Collection
The Music Department owns 40 pianos (which include 28 Steinway grands, two Mason and Hamlin grands, and five Steinway uprights), a Fisk practice organ, a harp, a marimba, a jazz drum kit, and a wide assortment of modern orchestral instruments. In addition, an unusually fine collection of instruments appropriate to early music performance is available for use by students. These include a Dolmetsch clavichord, a virginal, two harpsichords, a positive organ, a fortepiano, an 1826 Clementi piano, eight violas da gamba, a Baroque violin, and an assortment of Renaissance and Baroque wind instruments.

Of particular interest is the Charles Fisk meantone organ (completed 1981) in Houghton Memorial Chapel, which is America's first major instrument constructed after seventeenth-century German prototypes. The chapel also houses a three-manual Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ. Galen Stone Tower contains a 32-bell carillon.

Performance Workshop (Music 344)
The performance workshop is directed by a member of the performing music faculty. It offers students an opportunity to perform frequently in an informal setting before fellow students and faculty, to discuss repertoire and interpretation, and to receive constructive comments.

 

Private Instruction
The Music Department offers private instruction in voice, piano, fortepiano, organ, harpsichord, harp, violin, Baroque violin, fiddle, viola, violoncello, double bass, viola da gamba, flute (Baroque and modern), oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, French horn, trombone, tuba, recorder, lute, classical guitar, saxophone, and marimba; and private jazz instruction in piano, violin, bass, saxophone, flute, percussion, and voice.

All students planning to enroll for music lessons must take the Basic Skills Placement Test. Information concerning auditions and course requirements for noncredit and credit study is given above under listings for Music 99, 199, 299, and 344. Except for Music 344, auditions and the Basic Skills Placement Test are ordinarily given at the start of the first semester.

There is no charge for performing music to students enrolled in Music 199, 299, or 344 who: 1) have demonstrated financial need as determined by the Wellesley College Financial Aid Office; 2) are receiving financial aid from Wellesley College; and 3) are taking the normal length of lesson. All other Music 199 and 299 students are charged $884, the rate for one half-hour lesson per week throughout the year. Students who contract for performing music instruction under Music 99 are charged $884 for one half-hour lesson per week through both semesters, and may register for 45-minute or hour lessons for an additional charge. A fee of $35 per year is charged to performing music students for the use of a practice studio. The fee for the use of a practice studio for fortepiano, harpsichord, and organ is $45.

Music lessons at Wellesley involve a full-year commitment: lesson contracts are binding for the entire school year. Performing music fees are payable by September 30; no refunds will be made thereafter.

For purposes of placement, a Basic Skills Placement Test is given before classes start in the fall semester. All students registered for 111, 122, 220, or private instruction in Music 99 or 199 are required to take the examination.

Arrangements for lessons are made at the Music Department Office during Orientation of the first week of the semester. Students may begin private study in Music 99 (but not Music 199 or 299) at the start of the second semester, if space permits.

Academic Credit and Corequisites for Music 199 and 299
Credit for performing music at the 199 and 299 levels is granted only for study with the department’s performance faculty, not with outside instructors; the final decision for acceptance is based on the student's audition. One unit of credit is granted for a full year (two semesters) of study in either Music 199 or 299; except by special permission, both semesters must be satisfactorily completed before credit can be counted toward the degree. Of the 32 units for graduation, a maximum of four units of performing music may be counted toward the degree. More than one course in performing music for credit can be taken simultaneously only by special permission of the department.

Music 122 is normally taken along with the first semester of lessons for credit; Music 220 is an alternate, and can substitute for 122 in the major/minor sequence. Students pursuing jazz performance in 199 may elect 122, 220, Music 209/Africana 224 or Music 233/Africana 233 as a corequisite. An additional music course must be elected as a corequisite for each unit of credit after the first year.

The Music Department's 199 and 299 offerings are made possible by the estate of Elsa Graefe Whitney '18.

Group Instruction
Group instruction in classical guitar, percussion, viol consort, voice class and recorder is available for a fee of $250 per year.

Performing Organizations
The following organizations, all directed by faculty members, are vital extensions of the Wellesley Music Department's academic program.


The Wellesley College Choir
The College Choir, consisting of approximately 50 singers, is devoted to the performance of choral music from the Medieval era through the present day. Endowed funds provide for collaborative concerts with men's choirs from the U.S. Naval Academy, Harvard, Cornell, and similar institutions; the choir has also commissioned compositions in recent years. In addition to staging local performances of works for choir and orchestra, such as the Brahms Requiem, the choir tours both nationally and internationally. Auditions are held during Orientation.

The Wellesley College Glee Club
The Glee Club performs a range of choral literature from many periods. In addition to presenting concerts, the Glee Club provides music at various chapel services and collaborates with the College Choir in concerts and at the annual Vespers service. Auditions are held at the beginning of each semester.

The Wellesley College Chamber Singers
The Chamber Singers is an ensemble of 12 to 16 vocalists selected from the College Choir's finest singers. The group specializes in music for women's voices with and without instruments, and presents concerts in conjunction with other College music organizations during the academic year.

The Collegium Musicum
The Wellesley College Collegium Musicum is an ensemble of singers and instrumentalists open to Wellesley College students, faculty, staff, and members of the local community. The Collegium specializes in the performance of Western music from the Middle Ages to the early 19th century. The Collegium is often joined by faculty and outside guest artists who enrich the ensemble for special projects. Members of the Collegium enjoy the use of an unusually fine collection of historical instruments. Separate consort instruction is available in viola da gamba, renaissance winds, and recorder for both beginning and advanced players on a fee basis ($250 for the 2003-04 academic year).

The Wellesley-Brandeis Orchestra
The College Orchestra consists of approximately 40 musicians. Selection for membership is based on auditions at the start of each semester. The group is directed by a faculty conductor, but is run by students; a student assistant conductor is chosen by audition. The Orchestra performs compositions from the standard symphonic repertory once or twice each semester, and periodically engages in collaborations with other institutions to perform such large-scale works as Mahler's Symphony No. 2.

The Chamber Music Society
CMS offers an opportunity for small ensembles to explore the chamber music repertoire of the last three centuries. A number of groups, which include singers and players of strings, winds, and keyboards, rehearse independently and also meet weekly with a faculty coach at no cost. Throughout the year, players present formal and informal recitals. Entrance is by audition.

Prism Jazz
Prism Jazz is a faculty-directed jazz ensemble of eight to ten students. Rehearsals encourage the development of fluency in jazz improvisation; previous jazz experience is not required. The ensemble performs several times each year, and presents joint concerts with ensembles from Wellesley and other area colleges. Workshops on jazz improvisation with visiting guest artists are also offered. Auditions are held at the beginning of each year.

Body and Soul
Body and Soul is a faculty-directed vocal jazz ensemble of six to eight singers that performs several times each academic year. The ensemble focuses on developing improvisational skills through individual and group repertoire; previous jazz experience is not required. Auditions are held at the beginning of each year.

Fiddleheads
This group studies and performs the fiddle tunes and styles of Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton, Québec, and New England. The class is taught entirely by ear, and all instruments are welcome. No prior experience playing in a traditional style is necessary.

Yanvalou Drumming and Dance Ensemble
Yanvalou, an ensemble that explores the traditional musics of Africa and the Caribbean, offers participants the opportunity to perform with authentic instruments, and to experience a variety of cultures through their musics. In collaboration with their dance troupe, Yanvalou presents several concerts during each academic year.

 

 

Photo by John Mottern