Assignment 1: Response Paper
Write a 1–page double spaced response, for discussion in Session 2: Suppose the only piece of music you had ever heard was Ligeti’s Lux Aeterna. What elements of Bartók’s String Quartet (or any other music) might be surprising to you on that basis? (Use the diagrams in [Cook 2004] in your arguments about similarity, difference, and surprise.)
Assignment 2: Problem Set 1
Topics: thinking about music with an object-oriented mindset; introduction to Python
Problem Set 1 (PDF)
Supporting file for problem 4: instruments.py
Additional Python resources:
- Little or no programming experience? See 6.189 A Gentle Introduction to Programming Using Python
- Some programming experience in other languages? See the Python Tutorial in 6.01SC Introduction to Electrical Engineering and Computer Science I
Assignment 3: Problem Set 2
Topics: developing digital notation for unusual repertories; similarity and search
Assignment 4: Ossia Paper
Topic: a 3–5 page research paper summarizing a current musicological database project
Final Paper
The following sample final papers are presented courtesy of the student authors and used with permission.
Wong, Lawson. “Feature-Based Analysis of Haydn String Quartets” (PDF)
Anonymous student. “Describing Musical Contour with Tonality, Voicing, and Dissonance Levels” (PDF)
Anonymous student. “Using Tarsos and music21 to Analyze Presidential Speech Patterns” (PDF)
