Music History at EIU

The curriculum in music history at EIU is designed as a three-semester survey of Western art music from Antiquity to the present. Through lectures, assigned readings, projects, and examination of scores and sound recordings, students learn about the complex relationships between the ideas, performance, and perceptions of music in past and modern times. More specifically, students learn how to apply methods of aural and score analysis to identify musical styles, forms, and genres. They learn how improvisation and ornamentation were used in the performance of music. They learn how music functioned in Western society and how musical ideas relate broadly to ideas expressed in the Fine Arts and Humanities. They also learn how to think critically and reflectively about music, so that by applying standard methods of analysis and research, they can communicate their ideas through writing and speech.

The Department of Music offers the following undergraduate music history and history-related courses.

Required courses in all degree options

Students are strongly encouraged to take the following courses in sequence:

MUS 3584 History and Literature of Music I (fall, 3 credits): pre-req, MUS 2541
MUS 3585 History and Literature of Music II (spring, 3 credits): pre-req, MUS 2541
MUS 3586 History and Literature of Music III (fall, 3 credits): pre-req, MUS 2542

Honors Courses

Students in the Departmental Honors Program should enroll for the following honors versions of the
required courses listed above and are encouraged to take them in the following sequence:

MUS 3594 History and Literature of Music I, Honors (fall, 3 credits): pre-req, MUS 2541
MUS 3595 History and Literature of Music II, Honors (spring, 3 credits): pre-req, MUS 2541
MUS 3596 History and Literature of Music III, Honors (fall, 3 credits): pre-req, MUS 2542

Related Courses

MUS 4870 Style Period Proseminar (3 credits)
MUS 4600 Independent Study (1–3 credits)
MUS 3592G Non-Western Music, Honors (fall and spring, 3 credits)
MUS 3562G Non-Western Music (fall and spring, 3 credits)
MUS 3550G Survey of American Music (fall, 3 credits)
MUS 2581 Jazz History (on demand, 2 credits)
MUS 2557G The Evolution of Jazz & Rock (fall and spring, 3 credits)

The Department of Music offers the following graduate courses in music history.
Students must complete MUS 5100 before enrolling in MUS 5880.

Required courses in all concentrations

MUS 5100 Introduction to Research in Music (fall, 3 credits)
MUS 5880 Seminar in Music History (spring, 3 credits)

Related Courses

MUS 5990 Independent Study (1–6 credits)
MUS 4980 Workshop in Music (1–3 credits)
MUS 4870 Style Period Proseminar (3 credits)