Requirements  | General | Must be SATB (do not divide parts) | | A cappella |
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| Melody | Must be scored in Finale | | Include words to poem entered with Lyric tool | | Must include entire melody (even if melody repeats in ternary form, etc.) |
| | First draft |
| Must be scored in Finale | | Does not have to be pretty (formatting) | | Do not write in open score | | Must be a complete composition; partial assignments will not be accepted | | Must include harmonic analysis, form indicated, cadences analyzed |
| Must be scored in Finale with nothing hand-written | | Number every measure (see Finale page for instructions) | | Must include harmonic analysis (use Lyric tool below bass note), and cadences marked (use Text tool) | | Format in 4 parts on two staves (hymn style) Do Not turn in open score | | Put the lyrics between the bass and treble clef. Make sure notes do not collide with lyrics. | | Stems direction must correspond to voice part; i.e. soprano and tenor stems up/ alto and bass stems down (use layers to make this easier). | | Format to fit on complete pages. Use % tool if necessary. |
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 |
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. This composition is not intended to be programmatic, although the poem can certainly guide the mood.
| Write a rhythm 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 |
| Write a melody to the poem | 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 | | Make sure the phrases of the poem correspond with the phrases of your melody (where the cadences are); Antecedent/consequent phrases are a good place to start | | Do not go outside the vocal ranges given (to your right). The soprano is your melody. Confine that voice to about an octave. |
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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) |
| Harmonize the melody in 4-part vocal harmony (SATB) |
| Use proper voice-leading | | Make sure the voice parts remain in their ranges | | Be careful with inversions (6/4 chords used correctly) Review here | | Include at least one secondary dominant or secondary leading tone chord | | 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 for help with requirements below. |
| Submit the assignment. |
| Save your Finale file as Yourname_FinalComp.mus (substituting your name) | | Submit in the Assignments tab in Blackboard by the deadline on your Course Outline | | 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. |
Composition ComponentsExposition Repetition Variation Contrast
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 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 Note: I do not care if YOU can sing outside these ranges - keep to these guidelines! 
Follow these links for some choral examples: Echoes How Calmly the Evening The Blue Bird THING YOU'RE FINISHED??? Not if you're interested in making a GOOD grade! 
CHECKLIST For PART-WRITING All voices in range Octave or less between soprano/alto and between alto/tenor No augmented intervals in any voice part No parallel 5ths No parallel 8ths Proper use of all 6/4 chords Not too many root position chords
CHECKLIST For HARMONY At least one secondary chord included Traditional harmonic progression Traditional cadences at the end of each phrase
CHECKLIST For FORMATTING Large-scale form marked Cadences marked (above the line) Harmonic progression indicated with Roman Numerals and inversions (under bass line) Every measure numbered No notes colliding with any words (lyrics or analysis) Words divided correctly (use a dictionary! http://dictionary.reference.com/) Sop/tenor stems up; alto/bass stems down Pages come out even (no extra lines on the next page) Measures well proportioned (nothing looks crowded or too much space)
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