Module: Medieval, Renaissance, Romantic Music History

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Medieval, Renaissance, Romantic Music History
Module Code	MPA1048 (ITS: MC307)
Faculty	Theology, Philosophy & Music	School	Humanities & Social Sciences
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5

Description

This module explores musical style and historical context as they pertain to repertoire from the Medieval, Renaissance and Romantic periods, through a range of musicological and practical approaches

Learning Outcomes

1. Display an understanding and appreciation of the genres, styles and techniques of the Medieval, Renaissance and Romantic eras.
2. Demonstrate analytical, performance and literacy skills gained through engagement with prescribed works representative of the leading composers of these periods.
3. Understand the influence of cultural context on music of the Medieval, Renaissance and Romantic periods and to evaluate this influence critically.
4. Rely upon a solid foundation for the teaching of musicological and analytical perspectives in Medieval, Renaissance and Romantic music.
5. Utilise the aural skills and musicological expertise necessary for understanding and teaching the music of these periods.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	48	Lectures, including audio and practical demonstration, and participation through vocal, reading and rhythmic activities.
Assignment Completion	38	Research and preparation of assignments.
Independent Study	39	Independent research and listening to support course learning
Total Workload: 125

Section Breakdown
CRN	11162	Part of Term	Semester 1 & 2
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Roisin Blunnie	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Essay	Essay	20%	Once per semester
In Class Test	Listening Test	30%	Once per semester
Formal Examination	End-of-Semester Final Examination	50%	End-of-Semester

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

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

Summary of Content
Semester 1: Music in the Middle Ages: Theory and Practice; Organum, development of rhythm and polyphony; secular music in France and Germany (Troubadour, Trouvere, Minnesinger); Music at the papal and royal courts; the Renaissance; music in the English context; the madrigal;

Semester 2:

Beethoven and the Symphony; The Age of Romanticism; Romantic Piano Music;

Lieder; Symphonic Poem; Opera; Programme Music.

Selected Set Works
Machaut: Messe de Nostre Dame; Settings of the L'Homme Armé Mass (Dufay, Ockeghem et al); Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, 7, 9; Brahms, Symphony No. 4; Schubert: Die Schone Mullerin, Felix Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture; Fanny Mendelssohn, assorted compositions; Liszt: Mazeppa; Strauss, Also Sprach Zarathustra; Chopin, Field: assorted piano works.

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Arnold, Joan: 1982, Medieval Music, Oxford University Press, London,
Barzun, Jacques: 1982, Berlioz and the Romantic Century, Oxford University Press, London,
Blüme, Friedrich: 1967, Renaissance and Baroque Music, First Edition, W.W. Norton, New York,
Burkholder, P. and Palisca, C: 2009, Norton Anthology of Western Music: Ancient to Baroque, WW Norton,
Caldwell, John: 1978, Medieval Music, Hutchinson, London,
Grout, D. J.: 1996, A History of Western Music, Fifth Edition, W. W. Norton, New York,
Grove, George: 1962, Beethoven and His Nine Symphonies, Third Edition, Dover books, New York,
Hoppin, Richard H.: 1978, Medieval Music, First Edition, W.W. Norton, New York,
Marocco, William Thomas: 1977, Medieval Music, Oxford University Press, London and New York,
Mayer Brown, Howard: 1976, Music in the Renaissance, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey,
Reese, Gustave: 1954, Music in the Renaissance, Revised Edition, Dent, London,
Taruskin, Richard: 2010, The Oxford History of Western Music: The Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century, Oxford University Press,
Sadie, Stanley with Alison Latham: 1990, The Cambridge Music Guide, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge; New York,
Whittal, Arnold: 1987, Romantic Music, First Edition, Thames & Hudson, London,
Wyn Jones, David: 2006, The Symphony in Beethoven's Vienna, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York,

Articles:
None

Other Resources

Website: Oxford/Grove Online, 2007, Grove Music Online; Encylopedia of Popular Music; The Oxford Companion to Music; The Oxford Dictionary of Music, Oxford University Press, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com
Website: Online Scores, www.imslp.org
Website: Education Scotland, Learn Listening Online: An Interactive Resource for Music Students, http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learnlisteningonline/index.asp
Website: Graphic Scores, www.youtube.com
Website: Online Recordings, www.youtube.com
Website: Kelly Dean Hansen, Brahms Listening Guide, http://kellydeanhansen.com/