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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
Academic unit Performance
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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None
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

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

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 ? 
Semester 2 2024
Normal day Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2025
Normal day Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2020
Normal day Sydney
Semester 2 2021
Normal day Sydney
Semester 2 2022
Normal day Sydney
Outline unavailable
Semester 2 2023
Normal day Sydney

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.