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History - Musical Context

"The past is a foreign country; people do things differently there" - L.P. Hartley

The study of history opens our minds by bringing us into contact with different cultures. It opens our minds to things that we should never encounter if we were cut off from our past. In a reciprocal way, music and culture aid the understanding of each other. Knowing a culture's music helps us to understand the culture; knowing the culture helps us to understand the music.

About

Music HistoryDo you love music and like to read and do research? Do you have curiosity about different times and places? Do you wonder about where things came from and why they came to be? If you do, you should consider majoring in music with a concentration in music history.

At Calvin we provide a solid foundation for graduate study in musicology. A small but steady stream of Calvin music students have gone on to graduate school and careers in musicology. They have had a remarkable record of success in gaining admission into some of the best graduate schools in the country and then in careers in higher education, library science, journalism, radio, and publishing.

But at Calvin we hope to provide more than a solid foundation for further study and a career. We make a conscious effort to study everything, including music and its history, in the light of God’s Word. We recognize that education needs to go beyond knowledge and skill to critical evaluation. We recognize the need to “test the spirits,” including the spirits behind the music, “whether they are from God” (I John 4:1).

Calvin is a mid-sized liberal arts college with an international reputation for academic excellence. It is large enough to offer you a wide range of educational opportunities and challenges yet small enough so that you will be known and valued as an individual—an individual whose gifts we will seek to cultivate for service to God and neighbor.

As you make decisions about higher education, we’ll be honored if you consider Calvin. Feel free to contact me or any of my colleagues at any time to find out more about us. Or better yet, come and visit us. We will do our best to help you make the right decision in your choice of college.

In the service of our Lord, I am Sincerely yours,

Calvin Stapert

Example Course Sequence

Descriptions of each course and the most up-to-date requirements can be found in the College Catalog.

fall term spring term

freshman

MUS 105 Introduction to Music MUS 108 Music Theory I
  ensemble*   ensemble*
       

sophomore

MUS 207 Music Theory II MUS 208 Music Theory III
MUS 213 Aural Perception MUS 206 Music History II
MUS 205 Music History I MUS 312 Tonal Counterpoint
  ensemble*   ensemble*

junior

MUS 305 Music History III MUS 308 Order, Meaning & Function
MUS 307 Form and Syntax   ensemble*
  ensemble*    
       

senior

MUS 390 Independant Study   ensemble*
  ensemble*    

• Eight semesters of MUSC 180 are required of all music majors.
• Green fields are required of all music majors; blue fields are particular for history majors.
• History majors also require eight semesters of MUS 180 and an approved interim, not shown.
• * History majors require eight semesters in a faculty-directed ensemble, at least six semesters must be in 131, 141, 151, 161, 171, or 191.