Graduate Academic Degree Committee (GADCom)
GADcom Committee Spring 2008
- John Murphy, chair
- Deanna Bush
- Eileen Hayes
- Bernardo Illari
- David Schwarz
- Steven Slottow
- Graham Phipps
Examination Schedule for Spring 2008
- Phase 1 exams: week of March 10-14.
- Phase 2 exams: week of March 24-28.
Ph.D. Qualifying Exams Orientation for Spring 2008: TBA. Students who cannot attend the orientation session are invited to send questions to the GADCom chair, John Murphy, at murphy@unt.edu.
Deadline for signing up for quals: February 15, 2008 at 5 p.m. (See Meredith Matthews).
PhD Qualifying Exam Instructions
- Introduction And General Instructions
- Evaluation Procedures
- Pass Or Fail
- Special Instructions
- Phase 1 - Proficiency Review
- Exam 1 - Music History (2 Hours)
- Exam 2 - Music Literature (2 Hours)
- Exam 3 - Music Analysis (3 Hours)
- Phase 2 - Professional Review
- Exam 1 - Professional Essay
- Exam 2 - For Majors In Music Theory Or Music History
- Exam 2 - For Majors In Music History With An Emphasis In Early Music
- Exam 3 - Minor Or Related Field (3 Hours)
- Oral exam
Introduction And General Instructions
The PhD qualifying exam consists of two phases, a Proficiency Review (Phase I) and a Professional Review (Phase II), each consisting of three exams. Both Phases must be taken by PhD candidates in Music History, Music History with an emphasis in Early Music, and Music Theory.
The Proficiency Review must be taken during the third long semester of PhD coursework. It tests general knowledge in music history and theory, including repertory, research methodology, and major aspects of current research.
The Professional Review will be administered after completion of coursework, demonstration of required language proficiency, and passing the proficiency review. It is highly recommended that candidates will have already formulated special fields for their dissertations and set up dissertation committees before signing up for the exam. The exam will test students’ capability for professional research, including essay writing and language proficiency in their special fields, as well as professional knowledge in a related field or minor field.
Evaluation Procedures
The members of the GADCom provide the exam questions and determine a grade of pass or fail for each examination. Should the committee fail to reach agreement, the Director of Graduate Studies is called upon to evaluate the exam in question and to render a final decision.
Pass Or Fail
Candidates must pass all three exams to qualify for further study at the doctoral level. All failed exams must be retaken in the following long semester.
Candidates who do not pass these exams in two attempts will not be given permission to proceed in the doctoral program. The following instructions describe the content, procedure, and policies of eligibility and assessment for both phases of the qualifying exam. This text is subject to change at the recommendation of the GADCom.
Special Instructions
Phase I – Proficiency Review
The Proficiency Review consists of three exams, taken over two days. The dates of the exams will be announced at the end of the previous semester. Usually the exams will take place in March and October (this may change due to special schedule conflicts). They will not be given during the summer (except for the one-time-only offering in August, 2007).
All candidates will take the exams in the same room. The exams may be handwritten or the candidates may bring their own computer. Please indicate your choice so that the room can be set up accordingly.
In order to ensure fairness, including fairness to students who opt to write the exams by hand, students who plan to use a computer for the exam will be asked to sign an honor code document with the following provisions:
- A text-only or plain text editing program such as Wordpad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac) must be used for the writing, not a fully-featured word processor. The essay must be saved in .txt format.
- The computer's wireless card must be removed, or its wireless function turned off.
- No wired network connections can be used.
- No information stored on the computer can be used in writing the exam essays.
- At the completion of the exam, the essays will be saved on a blank CD-R provided by GADCom, and emailed to GADCom, and printed out for the student to sign, along with additional attachments such as handwritten examples, figures etc.
Members of GADCom will be present during the exam as proctors, to help with any technical problems, and to preserve a quiet working environment for the exam-takers.
If the candidate has an established disability as defined by the “Americans with Disabilities Act” and wishes to request accommodation, a written request must be turned in to the Chair of the GADCom no later than the deadline to sign up for the exam.
Exam 1: Music History (2 Hours)
Candidates will be asked to write on two out of the six topics given. The two topics must be from different periods in music history:
- Medieval-Renaissance 2 topics
- Baroque-Classical 2 topics
- Romantic-Twentieth Century 2 topics
Assessment:
Essays should be well organized, accurate, and focused on the question. They must demonstrate knowledge of representative musical examples.
Instructions that will appear on the exam:
Write on two of the following subject areas, which must be from different categories. You should construct a coherent argument focused on a topic within the subject area of the question. Essays should be well organized and accurate. They must demonstrate close knowledge of representative repertory, and awareness of current scholarly literature. It is possible to write successfully about only one piece in an essay provided that the discussion shows graduate-level understanding of relevant historical and cultural questions.
Assessment:
Essays will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria: organization, accuracy, coherence in the development of the argument, awareness of current scholarly literature, and knowledge of representative repertory.
No credit will be given for information unrelated to the subject area. This means, for example, that students should not go into the prehistory of the subject area.
Sample questions used in August 2007
- I. Medieval--Renaissance
- 1. Oral transmission, memory, and performance in medieval music
- 2. Modes, tonality, and analysis and the Renaissance motet
- II. Baroque--Classical
- 3. Rhetoric and the affections in Baroque music
- 4. Comic opera in Italian from the Classical period
- III. Romantic--Twentieth Century
- 5. Music and politics in the nineteenth century
- 6. Non-Western styles and instruments in Western art music of the twentieth century
Exam 2: Music Literature (2 Hours)
Candidates will be asked to discuss salient (in other words, prominent, of notable significance) characteristics of eight musical excerpts, choosing at least two from each of the following periods of music history:
- Medieval-Renaissance 4 excerpts
- Baroque-Classical 4 excerpts
- Romantic-Twentieth Century 4 excerpts
On the basis of the characteristics cited (specify measure numbers), students will be asked to identify the genre, the decade of composition, and the name of a likely composer whose music embodies the characteristics described. Original titles and musical instructions in the score will not be translated, if they are in French, German or Italian.
Instructions that will appear on the exam:
Discuss significant features of eight of the twelve musical excerpts, which have been placed in chronological order. You have been given four excerpts from each of the following categories and are to choose at least two from each:
- Medieval-Renaissance
- Baroque-Classical
- Romantic-Twentieth Century
On the basis of the characteristics that you cite (specify measure numbers), identify the genre, the period of composition (be as precise as possible), and the name of a likely composer. Being able to identify the composer is less important than being able to discuss features of the music in a knowledgeable manner.
Exam 3: Music Analysis, 3 Hours
Candidates will be asked to write an analytical essay on one of two provided works, discussing significant structural aspects. The two works will be chosen from the period 1700-1900.
Specific questions, instructions or comments may be provided for each work. Candidates will have access to a keyboard (students will take the exam in the keyboard lab). A translation will be provided in case of a foreign language text in vocal music. Original titles and musical instructions in the score will not be translated, if they are in French, German or Italian.
Assessment:
Answers will be evaluated on the quality and organization of the analytical observations. The presentations may include music examples, tables, etc. as appropriate.
Instructions that will appear on the exam:
Write an analytical essay on one of the following two prompts. The analysis should be directed towards an interpretation of the work(s) and not simply consist of labeling structural features. The analysis should address the questions in the prompt and demonstrate understanding of both small- and large-scale analytical issues.
Assessment:
Answers will be evaluated on the quality and organization of the analytical observations. The presentations may include music examples, tables, etc. as appropriate.
Sample questions used in August 2007
1) The scores of Handel's Fugue in G minor (HWV 605) and the choral fugue "He Smote the First Born of Egypt" from his Oratorio "Israel in Egypt" (HWV 54) are provided. Considering significant aspects of fugal design and structure, discuss how Handel developed the choral movement from the keyboard piece.
2) The score of the first movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata in E minor, Op 90, is provided. Discuss Beethoven's use of sonata form in this minor-mode movement. How does this movement conform to the usual harmonic practice for a minor mode sonata; are there some unusual, deviating features? In the exposition, where does the second subject begin, and why? Explicate the overall tonal organization of the development. What is unusual about the retransition and beginning of the reprise?
About the prompts:
Each prompt will consist of several questions about one work from 1700-1900, the score of which will be provided.
Phase II– Professional Review
This phase of the exam is intended to allow the student to demonstrate readiness to proceed with dissertation work. All parts of Phase II will be written in collaboration with the student's qualifying exam committee, with each individual student's area of expertise in mind. Questions about methodology, for example, will focus on methodologies that the student's committee and GADCom, working together, view as essential for the student intended research topic.
Students must have formed a qualifying exam committee before signing up for Phase II. (The form for this is available in the COM Graduate Office.) See p. 67 of the 2006-7 Graduate Catalog for the specific requirements with respect to the committee and degree plan. The sequence of events is the following: once a student has signed up for the exam and told the GADCom chair who the members of the student's qualifying exam committee are, GADCom will ask the student's major professor to formulate questions, in collaboration with the other members of the student's committee, and to forward those questions to GADCom.
The qualifying exam committee is not necessarily the same as the dissertation committee. In other words, a student's dissertation committee may include faculty members who were not part of the qualifying exam committee.
Each candidate will be provided with an individual work space for Exams 2 and 3. The exams may be handwritten or candidates may bring their own computer, under the provisions of the honor code described under Phase I. The two-week essay may be written using word-processing software.
Exam 1: Professional Essay
For the Professional Essay candidates will be assigned an essay to be completed within fourteen days. The topic shall be given at 9 a.m. on a given Monday and handed in Monday, two weeks later, at 9 a.m. All sources used by the student must be clearly cited in a bibliography.
The candidate’s essay should include a discussion of current research literature and should consider analytical, methodological, and critical questions pertinent to the topic. In this essay, the candidates should demonstrate their understanding of original and secondary sources, demonstrating professional ability to synthesize these sources with analytical and critical observations. The essay should clearly and concisely address the given topic. The level of research should be that of an essay assignment in an advanced graduate course; the level of writing should be suitable for submission to a professional conference or scholarly journal.
The GADCom will formulate the topic in consultation with the candidate’s major professor. Although centered in the candidate’s projected field of specialization, the assigned topic will be broad in scope; it will not, for example, center on a single work. The topic may concern matters such as genre, a style period, a given repertory of works by a single composer, historical or methodological ideas, cultural issues, and philosophical or theoretical systems. In all cases, candidates must provide evidence in support of their arguments. The candidate will accordingly define the focus of the essay.
Grading of the professional essay is the responsibility of the GADCom in consultation with the major professor.
Exam 2 For Majors In Music Theory Or Music History:
This exam will comprise two sections, of three hours each, taken on a single day.
Section 1: Foreign Language Document
This section shall address a text in one of the two required languages, French and German. The student will choose which one of these languages the test will use, in consultation with the major professor. If the candidate’s special field language is not French or German, then a document in another language may be added as appropriate. The history area will determine the appropriate documents for history candidates; the theory area will determine the appropriate documents for theory candidates. A printed (in other words, non-electronic) bilingual dictionary may be used for this section of Exam 2.
Section 2: Methodology
For Music Theory majors:
This section might address pedagogical, methodological, or critical theories, including the history of theory. Depending on the content of Section 1, this section could deal with a contrasting topic.
For Music History majors:
This phase of the exam addresses historical, philological, methodological, or critical issues.
Exam 2 For Majors In Music History With An Emphasis In Early Music
Section 1: Documents
Candidates will discuss the contents and viewpoints of various important treatises (1500-1800) that discuss performance practice issues. At least one of these treatises will be in a foreign language. Candidates will discuss various interpretations of performance practice topics (1500-1800), including modern writings pertaining to them.
At least two topics will be chosen from the following with pertinence to performance: rhythm and notation, ornamentation, tempi (including dance), pitch and temperament, history of instruments.
Section 2: Performance Practice
Candidates will discuss their specialty (voice or instrument) from the perspectives of historical technique and performance practice. Questions will be formulated by the major professor in consultation with the committee.
Candidates will need to demonstrate from the following:
- Figured bass—knowledge of figures and demonstration of the role of continuo. This may be related to either keyboard or plucked instruments,
- Ornamentation of selected phrases in appropriate style (Renaissance or Baroque)
- Historical use of instruments in a vocal piece.
Exam 3: Minor Or Related Field (3 Hours)
This exam will comprise a single assignment in the candidate’s minor or related field. Assignments will be provided by the faculty of the minor or related area subject to the approval by the GADCom.
Minor Field
“When an official minor is required or opted, the candidate’s graduate advisory committee must include a faculty member from that area who will verify accountability in the minor area through comprehensive examinations, dissertation projects or other appropriate means” (Graduate Catalogue 2004-2005, p. 65).
Music History
The related field professor, in consultation with the GADCom, will formulate a two-part exam that will require students to write two essays. The essays should be focused, well organized, and clearly written. Each of the essays should summarize and evaluate scholarship relevant to the topic, articulate the candidate’s own views on the issues involved, and demonstrate knowledge of specific repertoire as appropriate.
Section 1 (1 Hour)
This section will examine knowledge of musicology as a discipline. Students will write an essay on one of two topics.
Section 2 (2 Hours)
This section will examine knowledge of areas of musicology and music history pertinent to their special fields. Students will choose one of two topics.
Music Theory
The related field professor, in consultation with the GADCom, will select two pieces representative of the standard repertoire. The pieces may involve original notation; they may be in full score (symphonic movements of moderate length).
Candidates will write an analytical essay on one of these pieces and should begin with a clear thesis, in which they indicate the purpose and the analytical approach of the essay. The essay should continue by addressing (at least briefly) salient large-scale issues of form and structure.
Candidates may then decide whether to write about large-scale matters, or whether to narrow down their discussion to particularly rich passages. The essay’s analytical discourse must be supported by precise evidence in the form of musical examples, diagrams, and/or sketches. If relevant to the work, the candidate might address extra musical elements such as word-painting, poetic ideas, narrativity, rhetoric, and aesthetics, being careful to ground such elements firmly in the immediate details of the work at hand. A conclusion should provide a clear overview of the results and significance of the essay’s thesis.
Early Music
Candidates will discuss various interpretations of performance practice topics (1500-1800), including modern writing pertaining to them.
At least two topics will be chosen from the following with pertinence to performance: rhythm and notation, ornamentation, tempi (including dance), pitch and temperament, history of instruments.
Candidates will discuss their specialty (voice or instrument) from the perspectives of historical technique and performance practice. Questions will be designed in consultation with the candidate’s committee.
Jazz History
Section 1 (2 Hours)
Candidates will write an essay that demonstrates a thorough understanding of jazz historiography. The essay topic will be written with the student's research interests in mind.
Section 2 (1 Hour)
Candidates will listen to five excerpts chosen from recordings made between 1920 and 1970 and make written comments, in prose or outline form, that do the following:
- Identify as many features of the excerpt as possible: artists, title, date, styles of composition, improvisation, and arrangement,
- Contextualize the excerpt in two ways:
- in terms of the lives and the works of the artists involved;
- in terms of jazz and social history.
Ethnomusicology
The related field professor, in consultation with other ethnomusicology faculty, will formulate a two-part exam that will require students to write two essays. The essays should be focused, well organized, and clearly written. Each of the essays should evaluate scholarship relevant to the topic, articulate the candidate's own views on the issues involved, and demonstrate a thorough understanding of the study of music as culture.
- Section 1 (1 Hour)
- Section 2 (2 Hours)
This section will examine a knowledge of ethnomusicology as a discipline. Students will write an essay on one of two topics.
This section will examine knowledge of areas of ethnomusicology. These areas will include but not be limited to: fieldwork, area studies, ethnomusicology history, and contemporary theory. Students will choose two of three topics, one of which may include a listening example.
Other Related Fields
Related fields outside the division of History, Theory, and Ethnomusicology will be formulated on a case by case basis.
Oral exam (2 hours)
Once a candidate has passed all parts of the Phase 2 exams, he or she will consult with his or her major professor about the outcome of Phase 2 and the candidate's preparation for the oral exam. With the major professor's permission, the candidate may schedule the oral exam.
Approximately one half of the two-hour exam will follow up on the content of Phase 2 of the Qualifying Exams in one or more of these ways: another opportunity to answer a question that was not answered adequately in the written part; further exploration of a topic that was handled adequately in the written exams; other questions as specified by the candidate's Qualifying Exams Advisory Committee in advance of the exam; follow-up questions on topics that arise during the exam.
The second half of the oral exam will test the comprehensive knowledge of music history, repertoire, and literature, including significant secondary sources, that is expected of all doctoral candidates.
If the candidate does not pass the oral exam, he or she may not retake it sooner than the following long semester. The exam may be taken again only once. In order to retake the exam, the student needs permission from his/her major professor.
These guidelines are subject to revision.