Requirements  | General | Must be SATB (do not divide parts) | | A cappella |
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| Melody | Must be scored in Finale with melody only on the page (no blank staves to use later) | | Include words to poem entered with Lyric tool |
| | First draft |
| Must be scored in Finale | | Does not have to be pretty (formatting) | | Include piano reduction | | Must be a complete composition; partial assignments will not be accepted | | Must include harmonic analysis, form indicated, cadences and modulation analyzed |
| Final version |
| Must be scored in Finale with nothing hand-written | | Must include harmonic analysis, cadences marked | | Open score with piano reduction, or piano reduction only; Do Not turn in only open score only | | Put the lyrics between the bass and treble clef in the piano reduction also | | Stems direction must correspond to voice part in piano reduction (use layers to make this easier). The stems in open score should follow normal procedure. |
Procedure | Choose a poem from the website link above. Keep in mind: | Long poems with a regular rhythm can be structured in verses | | Short poems can be repeated in part or entirely | | Repeated phrases can be used as a chorus |
| | Choose a formal structure for your composition |
| Based upon the structure of the poem, anticipate the overall form of your piece | | Consider binary, rounded binary, ternary, strophic, ritornello |
There should be a balance between repetition and contrast. Do not simply let the piece evolve as it wants to. Avoid the tendency to fill each piece with idea after idea, while not sufficiently exploring ideas already presented.
| Write a melody to the poem | Say the poem aloud to get a sense of the rhythm | | Circle the most important words in each line of your poem | | Make sure that you make the important words important in your melody also (on accented beats, long notes, syncopated notes, etc.) There is a hierarchy of accents within a measure that should correspond with the words of the poem | | Make sure the phrases of the poem correspond with the phrases of your melody (where the cadences are) | | The melody should be expressive of the words (whether fast/slow, major/minor, high/low, conjunct/disjunct, long notes/short notes, etc.) | | Use a proper proportion of steps/skips, and repetition/contrast |
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| Choose a harmonic progression |
| Use the typical progressions as a guide (strict adherence is not required, but some adherence is strongly advised) | | Use a functional progression (forward motion instead of static) | | Include a common chord modulation in your composition |
| Harmonize the melody in 4-part vocal harmony (SATB) |
| Use proper voice-leading | | Make sure the voice parts remain in their ranges |
Note that the Finale Wizard will place the tenor part in the clef that looks like a treble clef with an 8 below. This means that the tenor note will sound an octave below the pitch you see.
| Be careful with inversions (6/4 chords used correctly) Review here |
| No "Ah's" or "Hm's" or "Mm's" in the voice parts |
| Prepare the score. It must be submitted as a Finale file. See Finale link at top of page for help with requirements below. |
| Submit the assignment. |
| Save your Finale file as TheoryII_lastname_firstname.mus (substituting your names) | | Email your file to me (boucher@tarleton.edu) | | Print a paper copy to turn in | | Be SURE to save your file for revision |
| Example RequiemRobert Louis Stevenson |
Under the wide and starry sky Dig the grave and let me lie: Glad did I live and gladly die, And I laid me down with a will. This be the verse you grave for me: Here he lies where he long'd to be; Home is the sailor, home from sea, And the hunter home from the hill. |
 Remember: Good melodies use repetition and variation. A melody with no repetition sounds unfocused and weak, as if it's wandering around with nowhere to go. Listeners quickly lose interest and tune out. A melody with too much repetition is boring. Good melodies use both. |
Voice Range Guidelines 
Follow these links for some choral examples: Echoes How Calmly the Evening The Blue Bird |
