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Unit of study_
EMUS5600: Historical Performance Practice
2025 unit information
This course examines historical performing practices up to the present day aiming to widen understanding of the extent to which musical notation and written evidence preserve the performing practices of past eras. The wealth of sound recordings from the turn of the twentieth century provides a window into the near past. Issues to explore include: sound production (vibrato, non-vibrato and portamento in the case of string and wind playing and singing), expressive keyboard techniques (manual asynchrony and arpeggiation), and more general issues such as tempo rubato, tempo modification, ornamentation, articulation, and phrasing. The course will introduce students to varying performance styles, some of which are no longer generally in fashion, increasing the palette of musical choices and solutions and increasing the dimensions of understanding of specific repertoire.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Sydney Conservatorium of Music
| Study level | Postgraduate |
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| Academic unit | Performance |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. access and apply performing practice information in primary and secondary sources (including early recordings) to a wide range of repertoire
- LO2. communicate ideas and research related to historical performance practice both in written, spoken and performative formats
- LO3. use novel performance practice research methodolgies including recording emulation.
- LO4. applying historical performance practice evidence in performance
Unit availability
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The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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