About the Course “Arrangement and Harmonisation” in the Curriculum of the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music for 2014–2017: Notes from a Teacher

Abstract

This article considers the course in Arrangement and Harmonisation, which was taught for a number of years at the piano department of the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music. Particular attention is paid to the system of theoretical guidelines and practical tasks, as well as revealing the results and potential of this discipline. This course set out to deepen an understanding of the traditional discipline of Harmony and expand its practical development by introducing creative exercises while appealing to traditions of teaching harmony — in particular, those that developed in Russian conservatory education both in pre-revolutionary and Soviet times. The content of the article reveals how the consistent theoretical and practical immersion of students in the stylistic features of harmony began with the study of the elements of the style of a work through a consideration of the harmonic styles of outstanding composers and the styles of musical trends and eras. The analysis reveals the effectiveness of the approach taken in the course. Although the course ran for only four years, it produced tangible results. Students mastered such valuable skills as the basics of voice leading, harmonisation approaches and techniques, as well as melodic and textural development.

Keywords: music higher education system, arrangement and harmonisation, melodic-harmonic and textural development, harmonic styles of outstanding composers, stylisation