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Module Specifications.

Current Academic Year 2024 - 2025

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Date posted: September 2024

Module Title Jazz History
Module Code MC125 (ITS) / MPA1022 (Banner)
Faculty Humanities & Social Sciences School Theology, Philosophy & Music
Module Co-ordinatorJenna Harris
Module TeachersConor Guilfoyle
NFQ level 6 Credit Rating 5
Pre-requisite Not Available
Co-requisite Not Available
Compatibles Not Available
Incompatibles Not Available
Repeat examination
Description

A course designed to familiarise learners with the history of jazz, its major figures, and to give an overview of how the music evolved and developed, and the social context in which it existed at different periods of its evolution. The major stylistic eras of jazz will be covered including the origins of the music, the swing era, the Bebop revolution, modal jazz, the rise of the avant-garde, jazz-rock, contemporary jazz and contribution of women to the history and development of jazz. Discussion of the musical aesthetics of different eras will be combined with how these evolved via the social and historical environment in which they evolved

Learning Outcomes

1. Be fully conversant with the history of jazz since its foundation to the present day
2. Be familiar with all of the major figures and innovators in the music and be aware of how they contributed to the history and development of jazz
3. Develop critical thinking and an ability in how to interpret historical and social information
4. Know how use this thinking to form opinions about their own work and place it in the jazz continuum



Workload Full-time hours per semester
Type Hours Description
Lecture24Weekly, A one-hour group lecture
Independent Study101Research on jazz history through listening and reading
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

The development of jazz
This module will cover the development of jazz from being a regional, relatively simple folk-like music to becoming a complex art music with an international reach and influence. The survey of the evolution of the music will be mostly done chronologically, and the major musical developments will be discussed. Areas covered will include: ° Origins of jazz ° Early jazz in the New Orleans context ° The swing era – Kansas City, and New York ° Duke Ellington ° The Bebop Revolution ° The evolution of Cool and West Coast Jazz ° Hard Bop ° The Music of Thelonious Monk ° Modal Jazz ° Miles Davis and John Coltrane ° Ornette Coleman and free jazz ° Jazz Rock and the fusion movement ° 1980s – M-Base and Young Lions ° Contemporary jazz, post 1990 ° Women in jazz – the leading female practitioners and their contribution ° The development of European jazz

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment100% Examination Weight0%
Course Work Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
Oral ExaminationDiscussion with examiner of a learner-chosen period or style50%Sem 1 End
AssignmentWritten Essay - 2000 word essay on a learner chosen period, style, or performer50%Sem 1 End
Indicative Reading List

  • Ted Gioia: 1997, The history of jazz, Oxford University Press, New York, 019512653X
  • Franck Bergerot: 0, Jazz, Chambers, 055010271X
  • Martinelli, Francesco: 2017, The History of European Jazz, The Music, Musicians and Audience in Context,, Equinox Publishing Ltd, 1781794464
  • Linda Dahl: 1992, Stormy weather, Limelight Editions, New York, 0879101288
  • Becker, Chris: 2015, Freedom of Expression: Interviews with Women in Jazz, Beckeresque Press,
  • Alyn Shipton: 0, New History of Jazz, Continuum International Publishing Group, 0826429726
Other Resources

35158, Website, 0, Grove Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public,

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