Cracow, Poland

Composition and Theory of Music

Master's
Table of contents

⇑Composition and Theory of Music at AMK

Language: EnglishStudies in English
Subject area: arts
Kind of studies: full-time studies
University website: www.amuz.krakow.pl/en/

⇑Test: Is Composition and Theory of Music the right fit for you?

Composition-and-Theory-of-Music-Masters-test-happy-woman-playing-piano

10 questions · two minutes

1. You’re analysing a piece you’ve never heard before. Where do you start?

2. You’re asked to write for an unusual line-up – say, accordion, cello and percussion. How do you react?

3. Composition seminars and theory classes are taught in English to students from many countries. How do you feel about that?

4. Your piece gets some tough criticism in a seminar. What do you do?

5. How do you feel about contemporary music whose language is far removed from traditional tonality?

6. Do you use technology in your musical work – notation software, electronics, recording?

7. You need to write a theoretical paper on a composer’s technique. How do you plan it?

8. An ensemble asks you for a new piece for a concert in a few weeks’ time. How do you organise your work?

9. How do you see your path after your Master’s?

10. What motivates you most to pursue a Master’s degree in Composition and Theory of Music?

⇑Definitions and quotes

Music
Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound organized in time. The common elements of music are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics (loudness and softness), and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture (which are sometimes termed the "color" of a musical sound). Different styles or types of music may emphasize, de-emphasize or omit some of these elements. Music is performed with a vast range of instruments and vocal techniques ranging from singing to rapping; there are solely instrumental pieces, solely vocal pieces (such as songs without instrumental accompaniment) and pieces that combine singing and instruments. The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike; "art of the Muses"). See glossary of musical terminology.
Theory
A theory is a contemplative and rational type of abstract or generalizing thinking, or the results of such thinking. Depending on the context, the results might, for example, include generalized explanations of how nature works. The word has its roots in ancient Greek, but in modern use it has taken on several related meanings.
Theory
The final test of a theory is its capacity to solve the problems which originated it.
George Dantzig (1963) Linear Programming and Extensions, Princeton University Press, p. vii.
Music
It was music, more than anything else, that led the Pythagoreans to believe that the universe is a harmonious place governed by numbers.
Ian Stewart, Another Fine Math You’ve Got Me Into (1992) p. 236
Music
The silent organ loudest chants
The master's requiem.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Dirge.
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