Courses

The courses offered at the EAMA Summer Program reflect the continuing tradition of teachings of Nadia Boulanger. While incorporating her methodology and her beliefs, they are also tempered by the cutting-edge research of the core faculty and director Philip Lasser.

CORE CURRICULUM

Counterpoint

Instructors: Philip Lasser, Benjamin C.S. Boyle, Lane Harder, Edward Niedermaier, Kyle Blaha

Intensive classes are offered in the study of the craft of counterpoint. These classes are not style-based. Rather, the classes are designed for the study and perfection of contrapuntal principles fundamental to the control of all Western musical styles.

Species Counterpoint: This class examines the often neglected single-line counterpoint, and the four basic species in two, three, and four voices. Exercises concentrate on the concepts of metrics, melodic control, imitation and non-chord tone usage. The majority of new students will be placed into this course. Higher levels of these courses will study all forms of polyphonic imitation, invertible counterpoint, and multiple invertible counterpoint.

Invertible, Canon and Fugue: This class begins with the study of canonic procedures, including the study of cyclical canons, inversion canons, cancrizan canons, retrograde canons; and the study of ‘flip’ chorales, segueing into the study of fugue. Special topics concentrate on how to write the most flexible subject, what is involved in writing the appropriate answer, working out all possible procedures available in the subject such as stretto, canon, inversion, augmentation, etc. Fugal exposition, episodic writing, sequencing, modulation, middle entries and coda, as well as writing the appropriate prelude, are also studied. The class will culminate in the completion of a Prelude and Fugue for either organ or piano.

Keyboard Harmony

Instructors: Philip Lasser, Benjamin C.S. Boyle, Lane Harder, Mark Shapiro, Edward Niedermaier

Nadia Boulanger firmly believed that harmony was best studied at the piano, beginning with the internalization of basic sequences and cadences before proceeding to the harmonization of figured basses and melodies. In our classes, we use the famous basses and melodies of Paul Vidal and Henri Challan, both of the Paris Conservatory. We offer two levels of intensive keyboard harmony training.

Keyboard Harmony I and II:
Intensive introductory keyboard harmony class, beginning with the study of the three fundamental root motions and their corresponding voice leading. Cadence patterns and sequence patterns are practiced in the light of the above voicings. Root position and first inversion harmonic issues involving questions of doubling, choice of soprano note, and voice distribution are closely examined. The majority of first-year students will take this course.

Keyboard Harmony III and IV: These classes offer a more in-depth look into complex harmonic issues, beginning with first and second inversion, and including the study of seventh chords, ninth chords and non-chord tone treatment in harmonic realization. Extensive work is done on four-voice harmonization of melody.

Musicianship and Score Reading

In her famous “cours d’accompagnement” at the Paris Conservatory, Nadia Boulanger took great effort to have her students not simply know but rather truly hear and experience the knowledge they were acquiring. To that end, musicianship classes and choral were vital counterparts to her harmony, counterpoint and analysis classes.

Musicianship

Instructors: Kyle Blaha and Edward Niedermeier

This class will improve sight-singing skills through focused practice and application of all intervals. Class work will consist of Bach Chorale exercises in multiple clefs as well as projects sculpted for the individual’s goal. It will also work toward fluency in solfege and the singing and dictation of intervals, triads, basic chord progressions, tonal melodies, and scale patterns. We will work in fixed-DO solfege and will use treble, bass, alto, tenor, and soprano clefs. Other skills will include fluency in the singing and dictation of intervals, triads and seventh chords, chord progressions, atonal melodies, and scale patterns.

Introduction to Score Reading

Instructor: Lane Harder

Note: There is a pre-requisite of fluency in reading clefs (including treble and bass plus at least one additional clef). This fluency will be evaluated in placement interviews. Students will work on reading multiple clefs, using two-part, three-part, and four-part examples from the literature. The class will also focus on B-flat, F, E-flat, A, and other transpositions. Four-part Bach chorales in open score will be realized, and modest orchestral excerpts will be realized in class.