Music: Under the Hood

Course Description

We all love music but are often unaware of the compositional craftsmanship that makes it work. In this course, to get a keener appreciation of their artistry, we peek under the hood at how composers actually put notes together. We begin with a brief review of musical basics (keys, harmony, structure, etc.) along with audio examples. We then analyze a wide variety of musical works, illustrated by YouTube performances (a website with links will be provided). On the classical side, they include works by Bach, Mozart, Debussy, and others. Popular composers receive equal emphasis, including such jazz legends as Pittsburgh’s Erroll Garner and Billy Strayhorn, and creators of the Great American Songbook, such as Fats Waller, George Gershwin, and Jerome Kern. We also examine the lives of the remarkable individuals whose music we discuss.

The Study Leader

John Hooker is Professor of Operations Research and Holleran Professor of Business Ethics at Carnegie Mellon University. He is also an amateur composer, pianist, and clarinetist. He studied musical theory and composition at Princeton University and has published recent research on music theory in academic journals. He is currently working with a doctoral student on automated methods for writing harmony and counterpoint. Several of his compositions, with audio files, can be found on his university website public.tepper.cmu.edu/jnh.