assignment is to choose one musical composition that is not on the course listening list and to approach your investigation of this piece in the same manner as we did in Lecture 6. The composition must come from a Western music tradition and can be in any genre (Classical, folk, rock, jazz, pop, etc.). You will want to describe what you hear using the technical language that you have learned in this course. How do the technical features of your chosen piece become an emotional experience for you as a listener? You will then research the composition and discover whatever you can about the context in which the piece was composed. What compositional techniques were used to create this piece of music and what might the composer have been wanting to communicate? How does the context in which the piece was written give meaning to the music and affect or change your reaction to that piece of music?

Guidelines:Range: 1100 to 1200 words. As a starting point, be sure to familiarize yourself with the composition by listening to it. You will need to introduce the piece that you have selected using the technical language that you have acquired from class and provide your initial reaction to it; you will then provide an explanation of how your knowledge of the historical and cultural context affects your reaction to the composition. Your paper must be in proper essay format. Using internet resources: please take care when researching your topic to use only those internet resources that are of reliable quality (such as scholarly journals found on-line or other resources connected with universities or other reputable institutions). While you may decide to use Wikipedia as a place to start your search, it is not acceptable to use as the basis of your research because it is known to be wrought with inaccuracies and incorrect information. Peer reviewed scholarly sources have editorial boards that ensure all information is correct, so please consult such resources instead.

Remember that you must cite any thoughts that are not your own through a footnote, endnote, or some other type of reference (this includes both direct quotations and ideas that are borrowed and put into your own words). It is not enough to merely list your references in your bibliography; you must refer to them when they are used directly in the body of your essay.

The grade that your paper receives will take into consideration such features as:

Handling of the topic (thesis) Analysis of the music

Quality of research and citations Format and organization Expression of ideas