II Level Diploma Composition Musicology

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II Level Diploma COMPOSITION specialism MUSICOLOGY

 

ENTRANCE EXAM

In order to enter the Biennio (Master’s degree) of Composition with an emphasis in Musicology, the following knowledge and specific skills about the artistic-disciplinary fields of Bibliography and Music Librarianship, Composition, Musical Dramaturgy, Score Reading, History of Music are required:

  1. overall knowledge of the entire period of art music history and of the main instruments and methods of bibliographical research;
  2. basic competence in the compositional techniques (harmony) and in the analytical methodologies;
  3. fundamental dynamics of musical dramaturgy and of the basic elements of versification;
  4. possession of both instrumental and sight-reading skills.

The entrance exam provides specific operational modalities defined on the basis of the candidates’ previous study paths.

  1. Candidates coming from a Triennio (Bachelor’s Degree) in Composition with an emphasis in musicology or in Historical, critical and analytical disciplines of music, shall take a general motivational interview.
  2. Candidates coming from Bachelor’s or master’s degrees, possessing a study curriculum similar to the three-year degrees present at point 1, shall take a general motivational interview. If the candidate, before taking the entrance exam, detects the lack of competence in one or more of the four above-mentioned disciplinary fields, will have the possibility to request to take specific tests. After the interview, possible educational debts will be identified, based on the qualifications presented, on the study plan related to previous qualifications, and on the result of the possible test/s which the candidate has taken.
  3. Candidates coming from courses of studies which are not similar to the three-year courses cited at point 1, and not possessing certifications showing the knowledge and competence required, shall take a written test of Bibliography and Music Librarianship, a written and oral test of History of Music, a written test of Composition, an oral test of Analysis and Musical Dramaturgy, a practice test of Score Reading. After the exam, possible educational debts will be identified, based on the result of the tests, on the qualifications presented, and on the study plan of the Bachelor’s Degree in Composition with an emphasis in Musicology.
    For the exam preparation and the typology of tests, candidates of points 2 and 3 shall comply with what is indicated in the specific disciplinary fields, as follows.

 

MUSICAL ANALYSIS

Oral test

  1. Harmonic, phraseological and formal test of a piano piece from the classical repertoire of the eighteenth/nineteenth century, given by the board. Maximum overall duration: 2 hours.
    The candidate will have a room equipped with a piano at his/her disposal.
  2. Oral test on the main methodologies of musical analysis developed in the last two centuries.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

COMPOSITION

Written test

  1. Four-part harmonization of a bass line of medium difficulty, containing altered chords and enharmonic processes, given by the board.
  2. Written realization of a succession of four modulating passages in distantly related keys, given by the board.

Maximum overall duration: 6 hours. The candidate will have a room equipped with a piano at his/her disposal.

Oral test
Oral test about the theory of harmony.

 

MUSICAL DRAMATURGY

The knowledge of the Prelude and the first act (orchestral score) of the opera Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi and the related libretto by Francesco Maria Piave is required.

The oral test verifies the skill of identifying the fundamental dynamics of musical dramaturgy and the basic elements of versification.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

SCORE READING
  1. Performance of one study drawn from “Czernyana”, vol. 1 or 2.
  2. Performance of one music piece by J. S. Bach drawn from “Il Piccolo libro di Anna Magdalena Bach”.
  3. Sight reading of a simple piano piece.
  4. Sight reading on the piano of a simple part of a transposing instrument.
  5. Sight reading on the piano of a simple part (written only on one staff) in either soprano, alto, or tenor clef.

 

HISTORY OF MUSIC and BIBLIOGRAPHY AND MUSIC LIBRARIANSHIP

The test, written and oral, verifies the candidate’s skill of understanding the entire period of art music history and his/her knowledge of the main instruments and methods of bibliographical research.

Written test
Closed-ended questions. An example of test is available at the following link.

Oral test
Historical-stylistic contextualization of two music compositions of art music among six presented by the candidate, each of a different historical period comprised between the 15th and 20th century.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
In order to prepare the test on the main instruments and methods of investigation of the bibliographical research, the candidate can refer to the following book:

In order to prepare the test of History of Music, the candidate can refer to the main textbooks, among which:

 

STUDY PLAN II LEVEL COMPOSITION MUSICOLOGY

STUDY PLAN II LEVEL COMPOSITION MUSICOLOGY enrolled from a.a. 2021/22