MU6004 - Seventeenth-Century Keyboard Music in the British Isles: its Creation, Use and Place in Society

Each week you will prepare for a seminar based around set reading and listening which may be accessed through the online reading lists and the eLearning portal. The seminars vary from week to week, and may include discussion in which you engage with the perspectives of others, giving individual oral presentations to other students and leading group presentations. Weekly practical workshops focus on the approaches to editing keyboard music of this period, introduce you to aspects of performance practice, and include an element of performance for those of all levels of keyboard proficiency, from beginner to advanced – there is no expectation that you will be a keyboard player

There will also be an optional field trip to the Russell Collection of early keyboard instruments at the University of Edinburgh.

You will be responsible for your own guided and independent learning, and by the end of the module you will have edited a piece of early British keyboard music, written an essay and performed a piece appropriate to your level of keyboard ability. The essay, the edition AND the performance will all count towards the final mark.

Your academic development will be supported through the module tutor, engagement with your peers and through your programme leader. Your module tutor will offer tutorials, both for the preparation of your assignments and for feedback. In addition, you will also be able to see the module tutor (for instance in the publicised feedback and consultation hours) and to raise questions via email. Your peers will provide you with a collaborative learning environment, and your programme leader will guide you through the requirements and expectations of your course. You will also be supported through individual engagement with the academic literature, lectures, and resources available on the eLearning Portal. Feedback will be ongoing throughout seminar activities and through assessment tasks.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. You will demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of keyboard forms and genres, and an understanding of keyboard music in the British Isles within broader cultural, social and religious contexts.
2. You will demonstrate an understanding of primary manuscript sources of the music
Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
3. You will be able to produce a scholarly edition of keyboard music, and engage with, and evaluate critically, scholarly conventions in the editing of early keyboard music.
4. You explore aspects of performance practice through playing the music.
Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. You will show a willingness to monitor and assess your progress in a spirit of critical self-awareness.

1. Essay of 3,000 words (60%). MLOs: 1, (2), 5

2. Scholarly Music Edition (20%). MLOs: 2, 3, 5

3. Performance 20%). MLOs: 2, 4, 5


Feedback on the essay comprises annotations to the script and a short report, plus an opportunity to go over your work with the module tutor in an individual tutorial.

Feedback on the Scholarly Music Edition involves annotations to your work, and a short report, plus the opportunity to go over your work with the module tutor.

Feedback on the performance is given on a report form, and you have the opportunity to discuss this with the module tutor for further feedback.

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This course involves a study of keyboard music mainly by William Byrd and his contemporaries, and examines the way keyboard music was used in the home by amateur players. It includes repertoire by named composers, but also anonymous arrangements of popular tunes of the day. You will engage with primary source material (microfilms and digitlisations of music manuscripts) and debate the editorial principles underlying approaches to modern editions of the repertoire. The module combines musicological study with experiential learning: whatever skill level you have at the keyboard, you will play some of the music, thereby gaining insights into instruments (virginal, harpsichord), playing techniques and aspects of performance practice.