School of Philosophy

Department of Music Studies

UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES

Course Descriptions

Historical and Systematic Musicology

Aesthetics and philosophy of Music

Code: ΜΟ35 | Summer Term

Music has been the subject of philosophical thought since antiquity. In modern times the study of music has been linked to the meaning and practices of the musical work of art and the idea of the autonomy of art. Starting from these newer concepts, the lecture examines a series of central themes of music aesthetics, in a historical order and systematic orientation: the relationship of music with the higher cognitive-practical abilities of imagination, intellect and speech (Kant), music as an art of interiority and in contrast to the other arts (Hegel), music as an objectification of the metaphysical origin of the world (Schopenhauer), music as an expression of emotion and as a "sound-moving form" (Hanslick), music as a spatial and temporal object and the problem of the ontology of the musical work (Ingarden), human musicality from the point of view of philosophical anthropology (Plessner), music as a symbolic system (Langer), music as a living dialectic and as a critical integration of the social (Adorno).

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC440/

Introduction to Historical and Systematic Musicology

Code: ΜΣ01 | Winter Term

Presented and discussed are some topics of major importance for musicology, such as: the object and fields of musicology; the main concepts of musicology (form, genre, style); problems of periodization and methodology in music historiography; tonality and tonal systems; aesthetic and sociological parameters of music; music analysis and its relation to value judgment etc.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC220/

Theory and practice of renaissance music I

Code: ΜΟ72 | Winter Term

In this two-semester course students are introduced to the contrapuntal ‒and, at times, homophonic‒ style of the great masters of the so-called “golden age of polyphony”, namely Palestrina, Orlando di Lasso, de Victoria, etc. The usual educational method of the Fuxian “species counterpoint” is not followed; instead, the students learn the fundamental principles of contrapunctus simplex (beginning with theoretical viewpoints of the 14th century), and the gradual transformation of such a basic structure to several versions of contrapunctus diminutus, through melodic embellishments. The students are asked to compose “free” 2-voice canonic passages in the way of Cantiones Duarum Vocum by Lasso, but also 3-voice or 4-voice passages against a given Cantus Firmus. In addition, the students are taught the fundamental principles of the contemporary theory (Tinctoris, Aaron, Glareanus, and mainly Zarlino) and, after becoming familiar with the several and divergent viewpoints about the modes, the concept of “tonal types”, the concepts of simultaneous and successive composition, as well as the differences between intervallic and chordal compositional practices, they analyze representative works of that period.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC425/

Theory and practice of renaissance music II

Code: ΜΟ72_ | Summer Term

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC425/

Theory and practice of tonal music (harmonic and structural analysis) Ι

Code: ΜΟ71 | Winter Term

The aim of this two-semester course is to lead freshmen to develop a scientifically and historically founded perspective that will allow them to understand and experience the most important harmonic and structural procedures of tonal music through the examination of representative works from the baroque, the classic and the romantic eras. Among the main theoretical and analytical issues that are being studied in this course are the concepts of musical phrase, cadence and harmonic functions, tonicization and modulation, harmonic and structural rhythm, the reductive analytical method, the procedures of repetition, variation, development and contrast, as well as the structural types of sentence, period and some hybrids between them, along with the “small” ternary and binary models of organisation for a section of a broader music piece.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC217

Theory and practice of tonal music (harmonic and structural analysis) ΙΙ

Code: ΜΟ71_ | Summer Term

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC217

History of modern Greek art music

Code: ΜΣ39 | Summer Term

This course offers an overview of the history of Greek art music in the modern times, starting from the early nineteenth century (the time around the founding of the modern Greek state) up till the end of the twentieth century. It aims to familiarise students with musical developments in Greece, while at the same time placing such developments in the wider historical and cultural contexts that marked them, both national and global. To this end, the ways in which art music has related to church and traditional music is also considered. At the end of this course, students will have become acquainted with the main musical trends in Greece over the period under examination, as well as the main protagonists and musical institutions that played a significant role in the shaping of Greek musical life. Moreover, they will have familiarised themselves with representative musical compositions. At the same time, they will have enhanced their understanding of the ways in which music relates to historical, political, and broader cultural developments, with an emphasis on the Greek case.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC195/

Sociology of Music

Code: Μ234 | Summer Term

An introduction to the sociological study of music, through a presentation and critical discussion of the work of some of its main representatives, such as Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Georg Simmel, Jules Combarieu, Paul Bekker, Max Weber, Alfred Schutz, John Mueller, Alphons Silbermann, Kurt Blaukopf, Tia DeNora and, prominently, Theodor W. Adorno. Examined are such issues as, among others, the social formation of the materials, styles, forms and genres of music, the social role of the musician and the social function of music, the nature and development of musical institutions and audiences.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC369/

Form in European music Ι

Code: ΜΟ70 | Winter Term

The subject matters of this course are divided into two semesters. In the first one, a variety of canons, fugues, choral preludes, variations (both strophic and double / alternating ones), minuet and scherzo forms, the main “rondo” forms (large ternary, rotational form, rondo and rondeau) as well as the binary forms of the baroque suite dances are being studied, before the sonata forms of the classic and romantic eras, the mixed rondo-sonata, rondeau-sonata and sonata-rondo forms, as well as the aria da capo, ritornello and the later sonata-concerto forms are being investigated in the second semester. The selected repertory of music ranges from the early 17th century until the middle 20th century and focuses on some of the most representative (mainly instrumental, but also a few vocal) compositions of the baroque, classic and romantic eras. Aim of the course is to assist students to acquire a solid knowledge of the basic music forms that have been applied by the composers in several major music genres during the aforementioned eras, from both a systematic and a historical perspective.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC292

Form in European music IΙ

Code: ΜΟ70_ | Summer Term

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC293

Concise History of Music I

Code: ΜΜ94 | Winter Term

This is a core course aimed at first-year students in the first two semesters of their studies and attempts to give them a concise picture of the Western European music history, from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century. The objective is to lay a historical foundation so that students can later specialize in the individual History courses and work out issues that require adequate knowledge of Music History. Despite the density of the material, the course serves as a good reference point for students in later years as well. It underlines the social and cultural conditions in which the course of music history takes place, the evolution of musical genres and forms, composition techniques, and important personalities that have left their permanent mark. Emphasis is also placed on the evolution of the musical style, but also on the position of composers in the their respective social environment. Each era is approached with representative musical examples, listened to during the course and analyzed briefly, in order to gain an understanding of the musical forms and structures within their historical development.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC210/

Concise History of Music II

Code: ΜΜ95 | Summer Term

This is a core course aimed at first-year students in the first two semesters of their studies and attempts to give them a concise picture of the Western European music history, from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century. The objective is to lay a historical foundation so that students can later specialize in the individual History courses and work out issues that require adequate knowledge of Music History. Despite the density of the material, the course serves as a good reference point for students in later years as well. It underlines the social and cultural conditions in which the course of music history takes place, the evolution of musical genres and forms, composition techniques, and important personalities that have left their permanent mark. Emphasis is also put on the evolution of musical style, but also on the place of composers in the their respective social environment. Each era is approached with representative musical examples, listened to during the course and analyzed briefly, in order to gain an understanding of the musical forms and structures within their historical development.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC210/

Gregorian Chant

Code: ΜΣ84 | Summer Term

The history of music tradition from the first Christian centuries to our day. The first forms of christian chant, psalms and hymns. Local repertories: Old Roman chant, Ambrosian chant, Gallican chant, Beneventan chant, Mozarabic chant, Byzantine chant ecc.. The formation of the Gregorian chant and its relationship with the local music traditions. The music theory of cantus planus. The liturgical year, the liturgical books and the chant these contain. The theoreticians of the Middle Ages, and the information we draw from the theoretical treatises of the period, concerning the performance of Gregorian chant. Birth and development of the neumatic notation, families of neumes, examination of the main music manuscripts. Transcriptions from medieval manuscripts. Music examples.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC141/

Choral Conducting I (Winter Semester)

Code: ΜΜ107 | Winter Term

In this course, participants will be introduced to the field of choral conducting. Key areas of focus include: a) an understanding of the various types of choirs, with special emphasis on school and amateur choirs and their unique characteristics, b) an introduction to the choral repertoire, c) systematic practice of conducting techniques, and d) effective methods for teaching and conducting choral works.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC453/

Choral Conducting II (Spring Semester)

Code: ΜΜ108 | Summer Term

In this course, students further explore the intricacies of conducting a vocal ensemble. Specifically, they engage with the fundamental principles of choral conducting, which include: a) the preparation stage of the conductor, b) the technical, artistic, and social demands of conducting effective choir rehearsals, and c) the interpretation of musical works. This course is designed for aspiring music educators, as well as for individuals who have a keen interest in conducting musical ensembles more broadly.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC453/

20th and 21st century operas and musicals

Code: Μ266 | Summer Term

Α concise view of mainly the 20th century opera and musical. Issues covered: · The characteristics of the operatic reform and the "Zeitoper" during the Weimar Republic, focusing on the operas by Β. Brecht – Κ. Weill. · The African-American musical and theatrical genres: their influence on the American musical and on operas of the interwar period. Scott Joplin’s opera Treemonisha and Ernst Krenek’s opera Jonny spielt auf. · 20th century operatic works established as part of the standard repertory (operas by Debussy, Janacek a.o.). The historical and theoretical characteristics of 20th century operas: · expressionistic drama (Schoenberg's operas and especially Alban Berg’s Wozzecκ and Lulu), tendencies in the movement of operatic neoclassicism: Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Ravel, Britten, Menotti. · Most important are operas based on ancient Greek drama: Richard Strauss’ Elektra, Igor Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex, the respective operas by Carl Orff a.o. · The historical and theoretical elements of the American and the English musical are also discussed, focusing in detail on the outstanding musical West Side Story. · Further: Character and extensions of the musical theatre in the 20th and 21st century. Post-war forms and experimental tendencies in the field of musical theatre: Mauricio Kagel and the Instrumental Theatre, multi-media operas, post-modern trends etc.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC433/

Repertory operas and operettas

Code: Μ263 | Winter Term

Through historical references, documentation and commentary, this course aims at pointing out the characteristics of mainly the opera and operetta, mainly focusing on certain works of the repertory. Lectures describe the nature of musical theatre, opera’s major principles, as well as the historical and genre characteristics throughout its major phases from its beginnings up to the 20th century. Issues covered: Musical Theatre, Dramatic Theatre, Opera: distinctions and definitions. Function and role of opera and operetta singers. The myth of Orpheus from Monteverdi to Gluck G.F. Händel and operas of the Baroque era The operas of W.A. Mozart, Opera seria – Opera buffa 19th century French opera (Grand opéra - Opéra comique- Opéra lyrique) Romantic opera in Germany and Heinrich Marschner’s gothic opera «Der Vampyr». Notes on Richard Wagner’s music dramas. Italian opera: Bel Canto and romanticism: Rossini - Donizetti – Bellini and the Bel canto revival by Maria Callas. Verdi and Italian nationalism Operatic Verismo: From Bizet’s “Carmen” to Puccini’s “Turandot”. Τhe first and the late phase of European operetta. The course also includes references on the history of Greek opera and operetta.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC427/

Early Baroque (1600-1650): vocal and instrumental music from Europe

Code: Μ199 | Winter Term

Early baroque era forms a very interesting part of western music history. This is not only due to the evolution of already existing music genres, such as the madrigal and the motet, originating from the Renaissance, but also due to the emergence of new ones, such as the opera, the sonata and the concerto, whose existence, surpasses the time limits of the period. Through the examination of both vocal and instrumental repertoire of northern Italy and the Habsburg Court, the students will have the opportunity to understand in depth the changes that had a significant impact on the relationship between music and text ̶ resulting in the meticulous rhetorical planning and conception in composition ̶ as well as the composers’ effort for structural organization in the constantly developing instrumental music.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC392/

Russian music

Code: Μ270 | Winter Term

This course focuses on musical creation and, more broadly, musical life in Russia, with reference to art music. At the same time, it examines the reception of Russian art music and its history in the West. It concentrates on music starting from the introduction of Western art music in Russia in the early eighteenth century up till (and including) the first wave of Russian emigration (following the Russian Revolution). Consequently, Soviet music is outside the purview of this course. During this course, students will get acquainted with the musical production and, more broadly, the musical activity in question, with an emphasis on understanding their relationship with their wider historical, cultural and political contexts. At the same time, the course discusses the place of Russian art music in Western music historiography and the role its study has played in musicological developments since the last decades of the twentieth century.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC416/

Practice listening skills

Code: ΜΜ103 | Winter Term

The aim of this practical course is to cultivate the listening skills of students, so that they are able to recognize individual intervals and chords and also wider harmonic sequences and descending formations. On the other hand students learnh how to write one or two consecutive melodic lines on the on the staves. Special emphasis is also given to the possibility of perceiving melodic and harmonic formations in relation to their functional role in the respective tonal context

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC184

Music of the Romantic Era

Code: Μ337 | Summer Term

In the period after the end of the Napoleonic Wars and before the outburst of the First World War, music experienced an unprecedented development. It penetrated all strata of society, older genres evolved, new genres were created. Innitaly, we will examine social, technological, economic, aesthetic and stylistic aspects of musical romanticism, and then we will trace the evolution of the genres of instrumental and vocal music: symphony, overture and symphonic poem, concerto, chamber music, piano music, opera, choral music with or without orchestra, art song. We will discuss both significant and lesser-known composers, listening, along with the score, to a number of notable works.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC512/

Theory and Aesthetics of 20th century music

Code: Μ269 | Winter Term

Exploring characteristic works of 20th century music composers, the course seeks answers to the following fundamental questions: What are the components of the formation of synthetic ideas in new music and with what musical-theoretical and music-philosophical conceptual tools can they be described?

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC424/

History of Orchestration (Orchestration I)

Code: ΜΟ47 | Winter Term

Approach to the evolution of orchestral writing: distribution of musical texture elements among orchestral groups, relationships of groups between them, development of orchestration along with technical developments of the instruments, solo use of several instruments, development of orchestral practices and techniques such as divisi and non divisi chords, natural and artificial harmonics, pizzicati and so on. on the strings, breath and tongue on the winds, sound-color combinations, balance of volume, the evolution of the use of percussions etc. (Score excerpts by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Wagner, Liszt, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, R. Strauss, Stravinsky and others.)

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC487

History of European musical instruments

Code: ΜΟ52 | Winter Term

The course examines musical instruments primarily within their historical context and development, rather than through a conventional organological approach, while also considering their role in contemporary musical practice. It focuses mainly on instruments of Western European art music, including those of the symphony orchestra, solo instruments, and ensemble instruments, as well as historical instruments revived in historically informed performance practice. The course introduces the fundamentals of acoustics and sound production, followed by an overview of the history, dissemination, and classification of musical instruments into chordophones, aerophones, membranophones, and idiophones. It then provides a brief historical overview of Western European instrumental music before examining individual instrument families and types, including plucked and bowed chordophones, wind instruments, brass instruments, keyboard instruments, membranophones, and idiophones. Teaching is supported by recorded musical examples, visual material, and demonstrations of instruments and their use. The main objective is to provide students with a solid understanding of the history and development of European musical instruments as a fundamental field within historical and systematic musicology.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC431/

Music Analysis IV: Introduction to 20th-century analytical methods

Code: Μ346 | Winter Term

The present course sets as its goal the theoretical and also practical familiarisation of the students with important analytical methods and techniques for the repertory of western art music that were developed in the course of the 20th century. Greater importance is attached to schenkerian analysis and set theory. The former was developed by Heinrich Schenker in the interwar period and was subsequently elaborated further as a groundbreaking method for the interpretation of tonal music that proceeds reductively from the level of the musical surface towards progressively deeper layers, in search of the fundamental melodic and harmonic structures, while the latter (set theory) was created by Allen Forte after the mid-20th century and quickly established itself as the main analytic tool for the study of free atonal works. Futher analytical models, which are not as popular and/or with a more restricted range of implementation that are examined in the course pertain to analytical approaches to twelve-tone music, to the theory of rhythmic structure that was created by Cooper and Meyer, to Réti's reductive method of motivic analysis, to theories of musical semiotics etc.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC578/

Music analysis Ι: Cases of cyclic form and programme music

Code: ΜΜ57 | Winter Term

The present course extends the knowledge gained from the courses “Theory and practice of tonal music” and “Form in European music” towards two parallel directions in the repertoire of the baroque, classic and romantic eras. The first direction concerns various cases of works written in cyclic form and, in particular, compositions which either consist of two or more movements that are thematically interconnected or comprise a compound movement that more or less assimilates the form and the character of a sequence of different movements. The other direction lies in cases of works of programme music, where it is examined how but also to what extent the extra-musical content exerts its influence on the purely musical form (or, conversely, how the latter one can be manipulated by the composers in order to serve at the same time the respective programmatic context).

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC448

Musical analysis III - synthetic practices in 20th century music

Code: Μ260 | Summer Term

The aim of this course is to get acquainted with the various compositional techniques in 20th century music and the different analytical methods that approach them. Based on selected representative works of music of this historical period fundamental issues, techniques and problems of analysis of new music, that arise not only from the score of the composition but also from the interpretation of the musical work will be examined.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC389/

Palaeography of Music

Code: ΜΟ25 | Summer Term

The development of music notation from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Byzantine and Western neumatic notation up to the 14thcentury.The primitive notation of the first polyphonic compositions. The black square notation: Ars antiqua and Ars Nova. The white mensural notation of the Renaissance. The notation system of instrumental music in the Renaissance. Music and typography. Transcriptions from Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts. Music examples.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC140/

Digital methods in Historical Musicology

Code: Μ320 | Winter Term

The course aims to introduce students to the rapidly evolving digital research methods of the humanities and, more specifically, to the opportunities these methods open up for musicological research. Familiarity with such methods is now taken for granted within the field's scholarly community. The syllabus is organised around four strands. The first covers sources and documentation: the digital management of historical sources, metadata and music librarianship, digital repositories, digital preservation and copyright. The second turns to data: data structures (hierarchical structures, XML/TEI, databases), spreadsheets, information visualisation, quantitative research, sampling and survey research. The third introduces the web and programming: web technologies (HTML), web scraping and the Python programming language. The fourth fosters a critical approach to technology: the history and theory of the digital humanities, information verification and disinformation, and the use of artificial intelligence tools in research. The course does not set out to turn musicologists into programmers. Rather, it equips them with the skills to formulate and pursue research questions by digital means, and to go on developing those skills independently once the course is over. Everything taught is put into practice, with Polymnia, the digital repository of the Laboratory for the Study of Greek Music, serving as the principal field of application.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC479/

Introduction to Greek and Latin Palaeography

Code: ΜΟ37 | Winter Term

The Hellenic book script: The capital script from the fourth to the ninth centuries. The transition from the capital to the minuscule script. The minuscule script from the ninth to the fifteenth centuries. Analytical study of the hand-written book (manuscript). General historical survey of the Latin script. Reading hellenic and latin manuscripts (exercises).

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC139/

Western art music and African-American music: Correlations and cross-influence

Code: Μ362 | Winter Term

Claude Debussy: Golliwogg’s cakewalk and The little nigar (The little minstrel). Igor Stravinsky’s “ragtimes”. Darius Milhaud and his ballet La Creation du monde (1924). Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra and George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue (1924). Maurice Ravel, blues and jazz: 2nd Sonata for Violin and piano (1923-1927) and Concerto for piano and orchestra in G major (1931). Erwin Schulhoff and the jazz influence. George Antheil: A Jazz Symphony (1925/1955). William Grant Stil: Afrο–American Symphony (1930), Igor Stravinsky: Εbony Concerto (1945). Gunther Schuller: From Birth of the cool to Τhird stream. The confluence of Western art music and jazz in post-war America: Gil Evans, Individualism και Concierto de Aranjuez. Bill Evans - Claus Ogerman and the adaptations of classical masterpieces: Βill Evans Trio with Symphony Orchestra and Symbiosis. Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Egberto Gismonti: Compositions for music ensembles and symphonic adaptations.

Opera Workshop I

Code: Μ288 | Winter Term

This elective course is designed for students with a strong interest in opera. Prior experience with this style and previous study (voice or piano accompaniment) are advantageous. Throughout the semester, participants will study extensive excerpts, entire scenes, or acts from renowned operatic works within the canon. These selected pieces will culminate in a concert performance at the end of the semester, accompanied by piano, as part of events organized by the Department or the University.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC456/

Opera Workshop II

Code: Μ309 | Summer Term

This elective course is designed for students with a strong interest in opera. Prior experience with this style and previous study (voice or piano accompaniment) are advantageous. Throughout the semester, participants will study extensive excerpts, entire scenes, or acts from renowned operatic works within the canon. These selected pieces will culminate in a staged performance at the end of the semester, accompanied by piano or symphony orchestra, as part of events organized by the Department or the University.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC456/

Music and its contexts: Cultural and Analytical Approaches

Code: Μ369 | Summer Term

The aim of the present module is to develop a multi-dimensional understanding of music as a cultural phenomenon, focusing on four music works from different historic periods (from Baroque era to the present). The methodology of this approach is based on a process of understanding and discussing analytical and cultural issues related to each work. The analytic process brings to the fore musical parameters (such as tonal material, formal process, timbre, etc,) while the cultural discussion focuses on aspects of the cultural context in which the work was perceived and received. In this way, the musical score is finally understood as a field of cultural connotations. A decent use of English and a good understanding of the basics of the analytical process are considered crucial for a better understanding of the issues discussed.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC649/

History, genres and idioms in African-American music

Code: Μ361 | Summer Term

Historical and specific characteristics of the most important milestones and streams in African-American music: The Τransatlantic / Τriangular Slave Trade and the musical traditions of enslaved Africans. The “Call and response” pattern, from African tradition to the 21st century. Spirituals and Gospels. Pentatonic tone-material of African origin: melodic and harmonic characteristics. Blues, Blues music και blue notes: The blues, from the 19th-century plantations and the configuration of the 12-bar form, to its worldwide establishment. The Jazz repertoire: Jazz blues, standards and jazz tunes. Εarly Jazz: New Orleans Jazz and Dixieland, Jelly Roll Morton and the stride piano. The Swing Era and the Βig bands. Bebop, Hard Bop, Post-bop: A revolutionary musical idiom, which defined and determined the modern mainstream of jazz music. West Coast & Cool jazz: sonority and the influence of European art music. The issue of “European” jazz. The African–American protest movements for equal civil rights, the return to African musical roots and Free Jazz. The rhythmic nature of Afro-Cuban (Latin) music, the meaning, definition and use of the “clave” in instrumental music. Bossa nova and Samba: Βrazilian musical genres and correlations. Electric sonority: Jazz / Rock - Soul - Funk - Latin Fusion and related idioms, from their emergence to the 21st century.

Chamber Music II

Code: Μ294,Μ326 | Winter Term

Study of works from the Repertoire of Chamber Music of the Great Tradition of Art Music – the course can be taken by students selected by audition and is completed with a concert at the end of spring semester.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC445

Chamber Music I

Code: Μ295,Μ327 | Summer Term

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC444

Catalogues of Works in Art Music: Historical Perspectives, Categories, and Uses

Code: Μ321 | Winter Term

The course aims to familiarize students with the Work Catalogue as a fundamental tool for musicological research and study. The expected learning outcomes include both the acquisition of basic knowledge and skills required for compiling a Work Catalogue as a means of documenting primary material, and the ability to use catalogues to retrieve and interpret information at a secondary level. The course begins with a historical overview of the earliest Work Catalogues of nineteenth-century Western art music and highlights the most significant Western and Greek catalogue publications of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Within this framework, different types of Work Catalogues are examined, with particular attention to their structure, content, and individual parameters. The catalogue is also explored as a tool for the systematic indexing and retrieval of information in libraries, archives, and documentary repositories. In addition to acquiring theoretical knowledge, students undertake practical catalogue-compilation exercises both in the digital repository “Polymnia” and in the book collection of the Department of Historical and Systematic Musicology. In this way, the course combines theoretical training with hands-on research and study.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC485/

Chamber Orchestra II

Code: Μ289,Μ328 | Winter Term

Chamber Orchestra I

Code: Μ305,Μ329 | Summer Term

Palaeography of Music: Old Byzantine Notations

Code: ΜΜ53 | Winter Term

Birth and development of the notation in Byzantium. Ekphonetic notation, local notations, palaeobyzantine notations, middlebyzantine (round) notation. Transcriptions from byzantine manuscripts with middlebyzantine notation. Music examples.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC142/

The (church) organ in Greek Art Music

Code: Μ322 | Summer Term

The course focuses on the pipe organ within the context of Greek art music, both secular and sacred. The expected learning outcomes include familiarity with the history, repertoire, and contemporary presence of the instrument in Greece. The course covers a brief overview of the history of the organ in Greece, Europe, and America; its established repertoire in the Western tradition; an overview of organs in Greece; and a historical survey of Greek composers who have written for organ, either as a solo instrument or in combination with other instruments and/or voices, together with a periodization of the corresponding works. In addition, the course provides a concise overview of the organ’s concert repertoire, as well as works for organ used in religious services. Beyond the acquisition of theoretical knowledge, students engage in the research and study of works for the pipe organ and perform selected works in Catholic churches in Attica. In this way, the course combines theoretical study with practical research and performance experience.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC497/

Digital score and electronic publications

Code: Μ229 | Summer Term

The ability to digitally edit the score brought such potential, that gradually impose digital scores as the best means for writing music. The aim of the course is to examine the challenges and opportunities that are derived from the use of digital score in the hands of the modern musicologist. From the field of historical musicology, examined issues include dating the score, identifying the composer, investigating the authenticity of the work, copyright issues, etc. From the field of computational musicology, examined topics include the contribution of symbolic representation of music (such as MusicXML semantic language) in the field of interoperability, and the rapid spread of digital score thanks to Open Source Software. Regarding the utilization of new technologies in education, digital score is considered as a means of cultivating creativity. After completing the course students will be able, among other, to write music on the computer using score editing applications.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC375/

Seminar: Workshop on Greek Music

Code: Μ158 | Winter Term

The objective of the seminar is the engraving and editing-publication of works by Greek composers that are either handwritten or in old editions, into a digital format, using specialized computer programs, as well as the historical research around the works and the composers and the analytical presentation of the compositions. The seminar’s purpose is to prepare and publish the works through the Laboratory of Research and Publication of Greek Music that already operates in the Department.

Seminar: Igor Stravinsky

Code: Μ271 | Winter Term

This seminar focuses on one of the most important figures in the history of Western art music, especially of the twentieth century: the composer Igor Stravinsky. It examines aspects of his life and work in relation to the historical and broader cultural context that shaped his life and output. It aims to develop a deeper understanding (among others) of his music, his place in music history, his relationship with tradition and innovation, the reception and impact of his work and his relationship with criticism.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC436/

Musical interpretation and analysis

Code: Μ368 | Winter Term

This seminar aims at the understanding of music performance as a multi-dimensional and creative process. The students develop this creative approach by attending lectures, taking part in discussions, but also by preparing abstracts of important texts from the field and the final performance of a piece.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC648/

Seminar: music and image. Music in the visual arts and cinema

Code: Μ251 | Winter Term

Music has always been involved in interactions with the visual arts, demonstrable by numerous works of art that go beyond the aesthetic limits of music or visual expression, namely music-inspired paintings, programmatic musical compositions based on image or film music. The seminar analyzes the characteristic works of art that demonstrate the ways in which the analogical or opposite relations between musical sound and image are aesthetically integrated.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC390/

Seminar: Documentation of musical life in Greece

Code: Μ338 | Summer Term

This seminar focuses on the dual management of physical and digital documents in relation to music and musicology. Basic archival terminology and the history, nature, categories and use of documents are reviewed. In addition, the archival tasks for the acquisition, classification, description, indexing, maintenance and display of documents are taught through practice in archival material. Regarding digital sources, issues such as digital libraries and repositories, data modeling through ontologies, methods of ensuring interoperability and accessibility, and digital preservation are considered. The skills developed by the students are put into practice through the use of the "Polymnia" digital repository which operates in the Laboratory for the Study of Greek Music. Finally, the basic principles of research methodology are examined, with special reference to the discipline of musicology.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC513/

Ancient Hellenic Music

Code: Μ325 | Summer Term

The course covers the basic systematic aspects of the music of the ancient Hellenes, that is: harmonics (theory and application of the tonic/melodic component of a melody), rhythmics (theory and application of the temporal/rhythmic component of a melody), and parasemantics, that is, the notation of the surviving melodies, mostly songs. Proposed manuals: West, Martin L. (2010) Αρχαία ελληνική μουσική. Transl. Stathis Komninos. Athens: Papadimas. [Eudoxos catalogue no: 86053768 – available] = West, Martin L. (1992) Ancient Greek music. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Landels, John G. (2011) Η μουσική στην αρχαία Ελλάδα και Ρώμη. Transl. Nancy Kouvarakou. Athens: Ion. [Eudoxos catalogue no: 114837 – not available] = Landels, John G. (1999) Music in ancient Greece and Rome. London & New York: Routledge.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC500/

Management of Cultural Organizations

Code: Μ359 | Winter Term

This course aims to provide useful tools to students who will, in the future, staff cultural organizations and institutions as artistic directors or administrative personnel. In order for students to understand the environment in which cultural organizations operate, the course will analyze the concepts of culture, cultural goods, and management–administration, will review management theories and functions, and will define the role of the manager and/or artistic director. It also includes an analysis of the external environment and the challenges faced by cultural organizations, including strategic planning, SWOT analysis, preparation of a business plan, analysis of the organizational structure, the decision-making process, and an understanding of financial functions. The course will conclude with tips on personal management (time management, writing a CV, etc.).

Arts Marketing and Audience Development

Code: Μ360 | Winter Term

This course defines the role of marketing in cultural organizations, while also analyzing the fundamental concepts and principles of marketing and the methodology of strategic marketing planning, as well as marketing mix strategies. It also aims to help students understand the audience of a cultural organization and to build a relationship with them through the application of audience development theory. Further, it incorporates the principles of marketing / audience research, the preparation of a marketing plan, and an approach involving segmentation, targeting, and positioning for different audience groups. The course provides knowledge about means of promotion and communication and concludes with the writing of communication materials, not only at the organizational level but also at the individual level.

Choir I

Code: Μ291 | Winter Term

This is an optional course that is addressed to all students of the Department. During the course, the students are trained in vocal techniques, vocal placement, and proper breathing, as well as selected short examples of the repertoire from all periods of music history. The students participate in the Department Choir and are required to perform in music events organized by the Department or the University of Athens.

Choir II

Code: Μ292 | Summer Term

Ethnomusicology

Urban folk music

Code: ΜΟ17 | Summer Term

Emphasis is placed on historical, social and political conditions which shaped the urban folk music phenomena in the Greek inhabited geographical space, from 1821 to the 30’s. In this context, key questions as the diffusion and the role of the clarinet, the evolving folk musicians’ professionalism and the European music influence, with reference in specific historical examples, are some major starting points. Moreover, particular issues such as the Cafe Aman and rebetika songs are also dealt with.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC122/

Ethnomusicology I

Code: ΜΣ02 | Winter Term

The aim of the course is to introduce students to the definition, scope, and methods of Ethnomusicology. Through a survey of its history, the course explores the relationship of Ethnomusicology with Historical and Systematic Musicology, as well as current tendencies in the discipline.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC417/

Ethnomusicology II

Code: ΜΜ97 | Summer Term

The course covers the development of the field of ethnomusicology since the mid 20th century to the present. This period is defined by the focus on the study of music “in culture and as culture”, following the influence of modern anthropological theory and the method of ethnographic enquiry on ethnomusicology. The course emphasises the shift from the study of music to the study of sound and its interrelation to space, material culture and the constitution of social and cultural identities. Through a wide range of different musical and sonic practices the course analyses the relation between music and sound, and social structures, as well as how this relationship changes and is transformed due to the impact of technology, globalization and migration. The overall aim of the course is to introduce undergraduate students to the modern theoretical, methodological and practical trends within the field of ethnomusicology, and to the current discussion and debates reflected in the relevant literature.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC397/

Greek traditional music

Code: ΜΣ06 | Winter Term

The course provides an introduction to the study of Greek traditional music from an ethnomusicological perspective and is organised around a set of thematic strands. Through lectures, listening, audiovisual material, and discussion, selected musical practices and repertoires are examined within their historical, social, and cultural contexts. The course raises questions about what we mean by the terms “tradition” and “Greek traditional music,” how musical practices are constituted and transformed, and the significance of performance, orality, improvisation, and social participation. Particular emphasis is placed on musicians, practices, and processes of musical creation and transmission, as well as on key characteristics of repertoire, musical forms, and performance practices. At the same time, different approaches to and representations of the field, as well as its historical formation, are examined critically.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC186/

World Music

Code: Μ222 | Summer Term

The course 'Musics of the World' is a compulsory core course. Under the umbrella of 'Musics of the World,' we will explore the musics of Latin America. We will begin with a brief introduction to the social and political dimensions of Latin American history, from its discovery in 1492 to its complete colonization by Europeans. We will examine the decisive impact of the European conquest and the transatlantic African slave trade on the musical idioms that formed in the New World. We will delve into the musics of the Caribbean, such as Rumba and Son in Cuba, Bomba and Música Jíbaro in Puerto Rico, and Vodou in Haiti; the music of Venezuela (music of the Orinoco indigenous peoples); Brazil (Capoeira, Candomblé, music of the Amazon indigenous peoples); the great Tango tradition of Argentina; and we will conclude with the Andean region, specifically the musical traditions of Peru. Thematically, we will address issues such as the emergence of hybrid musical genres through the interaction of African and European musical idioms, the relationship between music, spirits, and transcendence, as well as the connection between music, politics, and globalization.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC348/

Cultural and music anthropology

Code: ΜΜ78 | Winter Term

The course provides an overview of the themes, key concepts, methods, and trends involved in the anthropological study of culture. Τηε εχπλορατιον οφ familiar and unfamiliar ways of life, traditions, worldviews, practices, experiences, beliefs, and values is a fascinating journey, as it reveals the diversity of human societies across space and time.Placing particular emphasis on the anthropological/ethnographic study of music—as a phenomenon that both shapes and is shaped by culture—this course will also explore issues related to (digital) technologies, identities, emotions, politics, social movements, etc..

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC212/

A Generative Approach to the Analysis of Jazz Standards, Rock, and Contemporary Pop Music

Code: Μ333 | Summer Term

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC542/

Arabian-Persian music

Code: ΜΜ40 | Winter Term

Main purpose of this course is the induction of the students in issues about the constitution, the culture and the development of “classic” Arabian and Persian music, which its development took place mainly in the aristocrats’ courtyards (Medina, Damascus, Bagdad) at the time of the Middle Ages. The role of religion in the development of hymnody, the relationship of language and music, the musical theory and the tonal system, the musical notation and aesthetics, the instruments and the composition of music ensembles, as well as the effects with the musical theory of Ancient Greek, constitute certain from the thematic units that are examined. The lectures are accompanied by musically examples.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC418/

Ethnographic approaches to the performing arts

Code: ΜΜ81 | Winter Term

In this course we will investigate the concept of 'performance' in relation to the both,performing arts (music, theatre) and relevant theories and methodologies. Although the concept of performance (and related concepts, such as performativity) takes on diverse meanings across different academic disciplines (e.g., cultural studies, performance studies, theatre studies, and music studies), within anthropology it is understood primarily as an expression of culture through specific actions and behaviors, or as an act that constitutes and transforms the world. Consequently, performance—both as a field of research and as an analytical tool—is intrinsically linked to the creation and understanding of reality itself. Through the study of specific examples, we will examine how ethnographic research—namely participant observation and the researcher’s active engagement in the field—contributes to an understanding of diverse artistic traditions, as well as how various performing practices (musical, theatrical, dance-related, etc.) influence research theory and practice.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC320/

Ethnographic Cinema and Documentary

Code: ΜΟ81 | Winter Term

The course “Ethnographic Cinema and Documentary” covers various theoretical issues on the subjects of reality cinema and fiction, film studies and ethnography, visual and media anthropology, ethnomusicological films and music documentaries. As part of the lectures, a series of earlier and contemporary ethnographic films are anthropologically discussed and critically analyzed. The course is supported by audiovisual examples while students’ grades are calculated on the basis of a mid-term assignment, a final project paper and written exams.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC148/

Ethnomusicology and auditory culture

Code: Μ314 | Summer Term

The course is an introduction to the concepts and debates concerning the cultural study of sound and listening. Music culture is considered under the broad analytical frame of sound and ‘auditory culture’. Students become familiar with the theoretical and methodological tools of historical, ethnographic and artistic research of sound. They approach historical sources through the perspective of aural history, and perform acoustic walks, educational sound walks, and sound composition and performance. The course combines short lectures with discussion and hands-on activities inside and outside the classroom.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC502/

Ethnomusicology and digital applications

Code: Μ345 | Winter Term

The field of digital humanities is the intersection of the humanities and information science. Specifically in the field of music, it utilizes digital and digitized data and combines methodologies from musicology, ethnomusicology, cultural anthropology, and other social sciences with tools and methods provided by computer science, such as metadata, hypertext, knowledge discovery, and digital curation. The course “Ethnomusicology and Digital Applications” offers students the opportunity to learn how to use modern digital content management tools for presenting music collections. The primary tool to be used is the Wordpress platform, a widely popular content management system (CMS).

Introduction to rhythm and metrics (accompaniment with percussion instruments)

Code: Μ284 | Winter Term

This is a compulsory course, which aims to bring the participants into a first contact with the rhythms that one encounters in the traditions of the Greek musical map. During the semester, issues related to the transcription of rhythmic patterns on paper, the differences between "tonal" and "prosodic" rhythms, the approach to Greek dances from the dancer's point of view, and the timeless value of the interaction between the researcher and the researched as an element necessary for the understanding of any cultural practice are addressed. Students are encouraged to decipher the codes of even the most obscure dance rhythms using their voices, bodies and musical instruments, without forgetting the importance of writing for any ethnomusicological research.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC459/

Performance and digital technologies

Code: Μ308 | Summer Term

In this course, we will explore the theoretical and methodological questions anthropology raises within the broad and interdisciplinary field of digital performing arts (e.g., theater, music, dance, performance art). More specifically, through the presentation and analysis of concrete examples, we will examine how digital performing arts are defined, what they share with—and how they differ from—other artistic traditions (both Western and non-Western), and how anthropological/ethnographic research can shed light on the diverse experiences and meanings attributed by participants to digital performances.In the course, we will also discuss issues raised by Artificial Intelligence (AI)—such as creation/creativity, intellectual property rights, ownership and the authenticity of the artwork, liveness in theater and other performing arts, the role of the audience, etc.—not only within the field of the performing arts but also in the field of the performance of everyday life.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC442/

Ethnographic audio-visual recordings workshop

Code: Μ334 | Summer Term

The students of the department will be asked to create short ethnographic films/documentaries of a certain duration, accompanied by corresponding reports. A necessary condition for participation is the knowledge of audio and video processing, which is acknowledged either through attending similar courses, or through personal experience.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC558/

Applied Ethnomusicology

Code: Μ213 | Summer Term

The course “Applied Ethnomusicology” examines practical and public dimensions of ethnomusicology outside the academic context through participatory action research (e.g. ethnomusicology and community music, ethnomusicology and education, ethnomusicology and cultural policy, ethnomusicology and conflict management, ethnomusicology and vulnerable social groups, ethnomusicology and development programs, ethnomusicology and the media). This approach aims at creating a balance between ethnomusicological teaching, research and active social involvement by educational, cultural, political, computational, artistic or activist means. The course is supported by further educational material and case studies while students’ grades are calculated on the basis of a mid-term assignment, a final project paper and written exams.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC327/

Historical Ethnomusicology Issues

Code: Μ341 | Winter Term

The evolution of historical consciousness in ethnomusicology, traced in relation to the gradual construction of a relevant theoretical and methodological framework with the contribution of anthropological thought. In particular, the emergence of a modern field of research, historical ethnomusicology, through the meeting of history with ethnomusicology, is examined. In this context, the possibilities and limitations of the use of archival sources in ethnomusicological research are explored in conjunction with emerging issues such as: what is (or can be) the role of ethnomusicology, a science traditionally based mainly on here-and-now empirical research, and how it matters for an ethnomusicologist an analysis that does not focus so much on purely "technical" musicological issues but extends to topics and research techniques that predominately concern other sciences.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC531/

Indian music

Code: ΜΜ44 | Summer Term

India was always a station one of the most ancient cultures of humanity. Main purpose of this course is the induction of the students in issues about the constitution, the culture and the development of “classic” Indian music, which its development took place mainly in the aristocrats’ courtyards. The role of religion in the development of Vedic hymnody, the relationship of language and music, the musical theory and the accentual system, the musical notation and aesthetics, the composition of music ensembles as well as the effects with other musical cultures, as the Arabs and Persians, constitute certain from the thematic units that are examined. The lectures are accompanied by musically examples.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/cources/MUSIC419/

Songwriting Techniques in Contemporary Pop Music

Code: Μ331 | Winter Term

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC517/

Music Ensembles (instrumental and vocal) of Greek traditional music

Code: Μ285 | Winter Term

The aim of this practical course is to promote cooperation among the students, cultivating their individual musical skills such as dynamics, phrasing, consistency, rhythmic solo. The small music groups that will be created will be invited to perform a repertoire of anonymous Greek songs and organic purposes.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC460/

Music ensembles of the Mediterranean

Code: Μ339 | Summer Term

This is, in principle, a practical lesson, during the course of which students will have to form one or more musical ensembles (depending on the participation) with a repertoire related to the popular or urban folk musics of the Mediterranean (Turkey, Arabic-speaking countries, Israel, Italy, France, Spain, Balkan countries and Portugal). The lectures will be of a seminar nature, with the presence of official guests who, depending on their status and experience, will talk to us about the musical traditions we will be examining or lead musical experiments.

Musical traditions of the Middle East

Code: Μ254 | Summer Term

The course is an introduction to the various musical traditions of the Middle East, focusing on the principal dynasties of the Islamic world and on their historical relationships. The course offers and thorough survey of the historical Arabic, Persian and Ottoman sources on musical theory and practice, and covers wide range of topics that include the special historical, social and cultural features that shaped the diverse musical traditions in the area, the status and role of musicians across different historical and social contexts, as well as the relationship between music and other forms of artistic expression. The overall aim of the course is to introduce undergraduate students to a very significant aspect of the cultural history of the Middle East and to foreground the geographical and linguistic pluralism, as well as the interaction and the historical continuities and discontinuities among the various musical traditions.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/TURKMAS225/

Music cultures of the Mediterranean: North Africa

Code: ΜΜ116 | Summer Term

This course is a continuation of the winter semester course ("Musics of the Mediterranean: Southern Europe"). It is a compulsory elective for students specializing in Ethnomusicology, and an open elective for students who have chosen any other specialization within the department's curriculum. It is also offered to students from other departments of the School of Philosophy. Through specific ethnomusicological studies and by listening to selected musical examples, we will geographically navigate different musical cultures of North Africa.Initially, we will examine the development of the Arab-Andalusia musical tradition in Arab-ruled Iberia and the diverse forms it took following the expulsion of Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula and their subsequent settlement in North African countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. We will analyze the ways in which colonial regimes and nation-states in the Maghreb politically and culturally managed the Arab-Andalusian musical tradition.Next, we will transition to another thematic unit, specifically the relationship between music and the "transcendental." We will focus on the Gnawa in Morocco and the Stambeli in Tunisia, exploring the connection between music and trance (spiritual possession). We will further investigate the relationship between music and ecstasy through the case of the Sufis and their mystical connection to Islam.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC271/

Music cultures of the Mediterranean: South Europe

Code: ΜΜ121 | Winter Term

The winter semester course "Musics of the Mediterranean: Southern Europe" and the spring semester course "Musics of the Mediterranean: North Africa" constitute the expanded version of the older course "Ethnomusicology: Musics of the Mediterranean." The rich ethnomusicological literature produced in recent years on various musical cultures of the Mediterranean basin necessitated the creation of two courses to adequately cover the scope of Mediterranean musical cultures across its southern and northern axes. These two courses are open electives for all students of the department and compulsory electives for students tracking in the Ethnomusicology specialization.A central point of focus is the relationship between music and culture, as approached theoretically and methodologically by respective field-based ethnomusicological research. Through the study of musical ethnographies and by listening to specific musical examples, we will begin our musical journey by focusing on urban musical traditions of the Mediterranean. Starting from the west with the urban musical traditions of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain-Portugal), we will primarily focus on the musical genres of Andalusian flamenco and Portuguese fados. With Arab-ruled Spain as our area of reference, we will examine the music of the Jews (Sephardic) until 1492—the year of their definitive expulsion by the Catholic Monarchs—as well as the musical traditions they developed during their diaspora and settlement in different regions of the Eastern Mediterranean, with Thessaloniki being the dominant city of their relocation during Ottoman times. Next, we will focus on the polyphonic musical traditions of three islands in the Central Mediterranean: Corsica, Sardinia, and Malta. Subsequently, we will move to Italy and its diverse musical traditions that vary from north to south. We will highlight the polyphonic tradition of the Genoese trallaleros and the Griko traditions of Southern Italy. The course will conclude with a theoretical discussion on the core cultural and performative axes that characterize the monophonic and polyphonic genres of Southern Europe examined throughout the semester.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC284/

Music and Improvisation

Code: Μ250 | Winter Term

The term improvisation describes a wide range of practices and genres that vary among different musical traditions worldwide. A feature shared by these diverse traditions is the creation of music “in the course of performance”. The course examines improvisation from an ethnomusicological perspective and focuses on its diverse expressions and practices on cross-cultural level. Through a survey of different improvisatory genres and traditions (oral epic traditions from Africa and the Middle East, art musics of Asia, contemporary improvisation etc.) the course examines the limits between musical (re)composition and performance, the role of orality and literacy in the creation of music, the process of initiation and of learning of improvisatory techniques, the perceptions regarding freedom and creativity, as well as the social and cultural connotation of improvisation in musical communities that constitute their identities on the basis of improvisatory practices. The overall aim of the course in to introduce undergraduate students to the musical and conceptual diversity of improvisation and to the methodologies in studying improvisatory practices on cross-cultural level.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC388/

Music and Cinema: Anthropological Approaches

Code: ΜΜ86 | Summer Term

The course “Music and Cinema: Anthropological Approaches” studies the relation between music and the moving pictures through historical and anthropological perspective. It explores relevant issues such as scene music, music for silent and sound films (practices, functions and usages), contemporary theoretical and methodological models of film music analysis, film music genres, film soundtrack and performance theory, as well as the novel academic disciplines of anthropology of film music and film (ethno)musicology. The course is supported by audiovisual examples while students’ grades are calculated on the basis of a mid-term assignment, a final project paper and written exams.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC226/

Music and Globalization

Code: M342 | Winter Term

World Music under a two-fold approach: A. The relevant modern ethnomusicological approach in the light of an epistemological and ontological perspective. Investigation of concepts such as: globalization, folklore and ethnic in combination with more specific indicative parameters (economy-tourism, propaganda, etc.). B. A more specialized approach to selected music networks, using extensive audio-visual material.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC532/

Music transcription and analysis in ethnomusicology

Code: Μ148 | Summer Term

Music transcription and analysis constitute two of the most significant tools of Ethnomusicology for the investigation of the tone systems and morphology characteristics of oral musical idioms or traditions. The objective of the course is to teach students how to use the methods of transcription and analysis and familiarize them with the particular issues that arise from the notation of sound due to the particularities of different musical idioms.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/cources/MUSIC420/

Music, Dance and Politics

Code: ΜΜ131 | Winter Term

The course "Music, Dance, and Politics" examines the ways in which the performing arts of music and dance are intertwined with politics across different historical and cultural contexts. Methodologically, we will rely on ethnomusicological and anthropological fieldwork, as well as historical and sociological studies. The thematic units we will cover are the following: Music and social movements (Greece/the Indignant Citizens movement, Music and the Arab Spring, Music and the white power movement), music and the nation-state (Israel), music and resistance (Rap/Palestine), music and dictatorship (Greece/political exile, Chile/Pinochet—music as torture, flamenco/Spain), and music and political ideology (Raï/Algeria).The course "Music, Dance, and Politics" is an open elective for all students of the department and a compulsory elective for students tracking in the Ethnomusicology specialization.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC175/

Ottoman Musical Tradition

Code: Μ249 | Winter Term

The course examines the art musical tradition of the Ottoman Empire that developed initially under the patronage of the Ottoman Court and of certain Sufi brotherhoods and expanded since the 18th century into the major urban cities of the empire (Constatinople, Smyrna and Salonika), attracting into its circles musicians from the various non-Muslim communities (Rum/Greek Orthodox, Jews, Armenians). In addition, the course covers the transformation and integration of Ottoman urban music into the institutions for music education and performance that were founded by the modern Turkish state since its establishment (1923). The course juxtaposes the foundational myths to the available written sources on music and offers a historical outline of the major phases in the development of Ottoman music. The lectures cover an array of topics that include the patronage of musicians and musical performance, the principal forms, the musical, poetic and compositional models, and the system of teaching and transmission of the music repertoire. In addition, the course emphasises the ideological and aesthetic aspects of the transformation of Ottoman musical tradition in its modern form during the transition from the Ottoman Empire to the modern Turkish state. The overall aim of the course is to introduce undergraduate students to the special aspects of Ottoman musical culture and to the central aesthetic and political issues that pertain to the historical development of the musical genre.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC194/

Organization and Management of Ethnomusicological Archives

Code: Μ212 | Winter Term

The course “Organization and Management of Ethnomusicological Archives” explores the basic principles of (music) librarianship and organization of ethnomusicological material, from research to dissemination, in major thematic sections such as ethnomusicology and archives, ethnomusicology and museums, ethnomusicology and libraries, ethnomusicological records and taxonomic systems, modern databases in ethnomusicology etc. In this context, diverse tools related to the creation and management of various forms of data (written, oral, visual, audio and audiovisual) are presented and applied. The course is supported by further educational material and case studies while students’ grades are calculated on the basis of a mid-term assignment, a final project paper and written exams.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC326/

Contemporary popular music

Code: Μ170 | Summer Term

What is popular music, and how does it differ—if indeed it does—from music in general? What is its relationship to *laïkó* (urban popular) music, traditional music, and (Western) art music? Is it a phenomenon exclusive to major urban centers and modern Western societies? In this course, we will examine the specific aspects οφ music that the label "popular" allows us to identify and study, as well as the contribution of anthropology to the interdisciplinary—and particularly broad and well-developed—field of popular music studies. Through discussion of various examples—primarily ethnographic—drawn from contemporary popular music cultures (e.g., rock, pop, hip-hop, EDMCs, jazz, etc.), we will explore issues related to politics, identity, and everyday life, and examine how anthropologists engage—at both theoretical and methodological levels—with researchers from related disciplines such as history, sociology, and ethnomusicology.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC647/index.php

Seminar: Research methodology

Code: Μ184 | Winter Term

A compulsory course/seminar addressed to students of B.A. pathway “Ethnomusicology”. The course focuses on ethnographic methodology and field research, from the design of the research process to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of ethnographic material. Students become familiar with key techniques and practices of ethnographic research, including participant observation, interviewing, and musical participant observation, and develop the ability to reflect critically on their research experience, as well as an awareness of research ethics. The course culminates in the writing of an ethnographic report based on a small-scale fieldwork assignment conducted as part of the course.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC486/

Seminar: Methodology of writing

Code: Μ185 | Summer Term

This a mandatory course addressed to students following the "Ethnomusicology" direction of the Music Studies Undergraduate Program. In this seminar, ethnography is pursued as the main methodology of ethnomusicological and cultural anthropological writing. The ethnography of writing seminar complements the seminar in ethnographic research (Seminar I). Students learn how to write an ethnographic essay by following some strict rules of discourse analysis and discourse synthesis. They critically comment on relevant material from published ethnographic treatises and compile a seminar paper based on ideas, observations and data that correspond to all the individual stages of the seminar.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC503/

Greek folk musical instruments

Code: ΜΣ74 | Summer Term

The aim of the course is to familiarize students with the width and variety of Greek folk musical instruments. The first part of the course includes a general introduction to the uses and symbolisms of traditional instruments, through examples derived from various historical periods and musical cultures, in relation to myth and ritual, gender and social class, cultural networks, tradition and modernity. The second part presents the main systems of classification and the “families” of folk instruments, and underscores their differentiations from the instruments of the “classical” orchestra. The most important instruments and combinations ('zygies' and 'kompanies') from land and sea Greece are presented and analytically investigated in categories: memvranofona, aerofona, hordofona, idiofona, sound objects). The course will also include live performances (examples of techniques of play and basic repertoire from various areas) by invited eminent folk musicians, and film shows on the techniques of instrument's construction. A conducted tour to the Museum of Greek Folk Instruments will also take place.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC187/

Theory and Practice of Greek Traditional Music

Code: Μ287 | Winter Term

The course is intended for students who wish to acquire essential knowledge of the basic terms, symbols, concepts and functions of the Greek traditional music theory. Starting with the notes, the rhythm, the expression and continuing with the intervals, the scales and the chords, students are encouraged to consolidate what they have learned through singing, instrumental use, acoustic exercises and composition.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC518/

Harmonization Techniques in Greek Rebetika and Laika Music

Code: Μ336 | Summer Term

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC541/

Sound Technology

Introduction to music psychology

Code: ΜΜ37 | Summer Term

The course provides an introduction to contemporary Music Psychology from the perspective of systematic musicology, approaching music as a subject of empirical and interdisciplinary investigation. Particular emphasis is placed on psychological research methodology and on how scientific questions concerning musical experience and behaviour are formulated and investigated. Core topics in cognitive music psychology include music perception, attention and memory, the organisation and categorisation of musical information, musical expectation, the relationship between perception and musical structure, and contemporary approaches in the neuroscience of music. The course also addresses the psychology of musical emotions, connections between psychology and music analysis, and applications of music psychology to health, well-being, and music therapy. The relationship between theory, empirical research, and musical practice is further explored through practical activities, including a workshop on understanding and managing music performance anxiety. Assessment is based 50% on weekly assignments completed throughout the semester and 50% on a final examination.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC404/

Physics and music acoustics

Code: ΜΣ19 | Winter Term

Physics and Music Acoustics is an introductory course in understanding the physical structure of sound, its objective and subjective characteristics, as well as the acoustic phenomena that govern the production of sound in musical instruments. The course aims at introducing students to the basic concepts of oscillations and soundwaves through the understanding of oscillations in music systems (string, pipe, membrane, rod) and acoustic phenomena that govern the propagation of sound in space. Finally, the course examines basic chapters of Psychoacoustics and Room Acoustics.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC302/

Acoustic treatment of indoor spaces for music and multimedia events

Code: ΜΜ05 | Summer Term

This course focuses on methods for the treatment and improvement of the acoustic characteristics of indoor spaces, with an emphasis on spaces designed for music and/or multimedia usage. Students will have the opportunity to apply methods and techniques in order to improve the acoustics of closed spaces, through the use of specialized applications and software. The study of indoor acoustics will be based on a combination of theoretical sources, acoustic measurements, and computer software/tools. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to recognize the acoustic characteristics of various spaces of interest, and propose improvement interventions depending on their use.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC484/

Room acoustics

Code: ΜΟ56 | Winter Term

The course offers an introduction to room acoustics, laying the foundations for an in-depth understanding of the acoustic phenomena. Focusing on the study of in-door / closed spaces, it aims to introduce students to methods and techniques that will help them a) predict potential acoustic problems in spaces under construction/renovation, and b) identify and solve problems related to acoustics in existing spaces of interest. To achieve this, students will rely on a combination of theoretical sources, acoustic measurements, and software. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to recognize the acoustic characteristics of various areas of interest, and propose improvement interventions depending on their use.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC376/

Acoustic Ecology and music creation

Code: Μ303 | Summer Term

Creative Technology

Code: Μ230 | Winter Term

This unit introduces students to programming environments in order to apply novel sound design techniques for the manipulation of audio using algorithmic processes. It discusses contemporary aesthetic trends and aids the students to apply their skills for the creation of novel works incorporating both instrumental and electronic sources. Students are assessed via a portfolio, and student-work is presented and discussed in class in order to stimulate dialogue between all participants.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC451/

Introduction to music technology

Code: ΜΟ90 | Winter Term

This course offers an introduction to Music Technology. It aims to introduce students to the selected topics in this research domain. Through this course, students are exposed to the following subjects: Anatomy and analysis of audio signals, analog and digital audio, Fourier analysis, basic principles of audio signal processing, audio compression, human voice and hearing production mechanisms, MIDI and OSC protocols, basic principles of sound engineering and music production, electronic score production, room acoustics.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC358/

Introduction to electroacoustic music

Code: ΜΜ49 | Winter Term

This unit presents the basic aesthetic trends of electroacoustic music from 1950s onwards. It discusses the technological means of each period, the composers, and analyses notable works from the repertoire. It focuses on practical audio techniques, enabling students to have hands-on experience and become familiar with the software for generating and manipulating sound. Upon successful completion of this unit, students will acquire the theoretical tools for understanding the experimental electronic music of the 20th and 21st centuries and will be able to use this knowledge for the creation of contemporary artworks.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC450/

Introduction to music programming

Code: Μ232 | Summer Term

The course is an introduction to the fundamentals of music programming. using the Max/MSP programming environment. While it is aimed at beginner programmers, it gives more experienced users the opportunity to utilize and expand existing knowledge. During this course, students come into contact with basic methods of algorithmic problem solving and the programming of music/audio applications. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to program musical algorithmic routines for composition, processing, and audio/midi reproduction.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC622/

Introduction to Audio Engineering I

Code: ΜΟ84 | Winter Term

The module presents the types of microphones according to how they convert sound into electricity and their polar patterns. Stereo recording techniques with laboratory practice are presented at the laboratory’s studio. The types of loudspeakers and the types of boxes that they are placed in to become speakers are presented. The course material aims to introduce students to the basic concepts of sound recording, through its main tools, microphones and speakers and their use. The aim of the course is for students to understand the specifics of microphones and speakers, and to use them through an aesthetic criterion depending on the type of music they will want to record.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC308/

Introduction to Audio Engineering II

Code: ΜΟ85 | Summer Term

The module presents advanced sound recording techniques both in the studio and for live music with laboratory practice, as well as processing, mixing and mastering for a complete and comprehensive knowledge of the subjects of sound recording. The course material aims to deepen students in special concepts and techniques of sound recording. The aim of the course is the understanding by the students of the special techniques and the effective use of them for a perfect aesthetic result.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC309/

Audio Engineering and Music Production of music ensembles

Code: Μ300 | Winter Term

In this Module, the organization of musical ensembles in various musical idioms such as classical, traditional, ethnic and popular music is presented. These ensembles are examined within their musical content, but mainly at the level of sound engineering and integrated music production. All stages of preparation and implementation of the production are presented. Also parameters and differences concerning their production are analyzed, depending on the musical idiom, both in a studio recording environment and in a live concert environment.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC457/

Theories of computational music analysis of the 20th/21st centuries

Code: Μ204 | Summer Term

The course focuses on major theories and methods of music analysis developed during the twentieth century that have significantly shaped contemporary analytical thought. Approaches examined include Schenkerian analysis, Jean-Jacques Nattiez’s semiotic and paradigmatic analysis, Lerdahl and Jackendoff’s Generative Theory of Tonal Music, and Allen Forte’s Pitch-Class Set Theory. Students become familiar with the theoretical and methodological foundations of each approach and apply the respective methods to selected musical works, with particular emphasis on twentieth- and twenty-first-century repertoire. Particular attention is given not only to analytical outcomes, but primarily to the analytical process and methodology itself: students are encouraged to compare different approaches, examine their underlying theoretical assumptions, and critically assess their possibilities and limitations. A central aim of the course is therefore to develop critical thinking about the nature and purposes of music analysis and an understanding of how different analytical methods may illuminate different aspects of the same musical work. More recent developments are also introduced, including mathematical music theory, geometric representations of musical relationships, and Tonnetz-based approaches. Assessment is based 50% on weekly assignments completed throughout the semester and 50% on a final open-book take-home examination, completed over a two-day period.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC403/

Music production for the media

Code: Μ301 | Winter Term

In this module, the world of creative media and their relationship with the music industry is presented. All the modern tools (software και hardware) available to the contemporary musician to create music for cinema, games, radio, television, advertising, etc. are presented, as well as techniques for the interaction of music with the moving image. Additionally, Sound Design, Foley ADR, are some of the techniques that will be presented in this module. The role of the contemporary composer for Media is also presented in relation to the other specialties of the music industry with which he is called to collaborate (producers, caretakers, directors, etc.).

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC475/

Dissertation preparation and writing

Code: Μ323 | Summer Term

This module helps the students prepare a solid final-year thesis at the end of their studies. Emphasis is placed firstly on the literature review and the state-of-the-art, based on the student’s research questions, Also, in our direction, students are required to set up a practical part with a choice of methodology, and different ways of analysing results. Thus the thesis follows the structure and philosophy of a small master's thesis. Emphasis is also placed on scientific writing and the APA style (https://apastyle.apa.org/) which is followed in our interdisciplinary field.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC623/

Seminar: Music and audio interactions in video games

Code: Μ257 | Summer Term

The seminar concerns students who have selected of Music Technology as a specialization in their studies. It touches upon issues of human-computer interaction, data sonification and audification, sound localization, and virtual, augmented, and mixed reality.

Seminar: Music and artificial intelligence (Computational musicology)

Code: Μ233 | Winter Term

The course examines the relationship between music and Artificial Intelligence from the perspective of systematic and computational musicology, with particular emphasis on the use of contemporary computational methods for the representation, analysis, understanding, and creation of music. Topics include musical representations, computational music analysis, pattern recognition and music data mining, machine learning and generative AI, as well as issues related to musical creativity and creative human–machine interaction. The course is primarily theoretical and does not require prior programming knowledge; however, students are given the opportunity to engage with practical aspects of the subject through optional exercises and projects. The final assignment may take the form of a theoretical essay, a computational application involving code or pseudocode accompanied by a written discussion, a musical or computational analysis, or a creative application of Artificial Intelligence accompanied by a critical and well-documented commentary. The topic of the final assignment should be relevant to the subject matter of the course and is determined in consultation with the instructor.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC364/

Seminar: Vocal singing acoustics and technologies

Code: Μ183 | Summer Term

The seminar Vocal Singing Technologies is a course where basic chapters of anatomy, physiology and acoustic function of the singing voice are being taught along with technologies that support the analysis, processing and composition of the vocal signal. Basic chapters of recording, processing, analysis, composition and interaction technologies of the vocal singer are examined. We also examine the related literature in an interdisciplinary manner: evolutionary musicology, and aesthetics. The course material aims to introduce students to the basic concepts of the acoustic function of the voice in singing based on the processing and synthesis of the vocal signal. Finally, we refer to the perception of the subjective characteristics of the voice based on the science of Psychoacoustics.

Interdisciplinary Approaches to Vocal Styles in Singing with New Technologies

Code: Μ365 | Winter Term

The course approaches the singing voice as the outcome of a complex physiological, aesthetic, and technical process, highlighting the need for the integration of theoretical knowledge with experiential practice. Particular emphasis is placed on the study of vocal styles found in different musical traditions, such as: a) Operatic (for students of ‘classical’ singing), b) Byzantine, c) Traditional, urban, and folk singing, d) Popular (pop and rock), e) Jazz, f) Musical Theatre. The course also explores the use of new technologies as tools for analysis and support of vocal performance. It focuses on an interdisciplinary perspective of the voice, combining anatomical-physiological, acoustic, technological, and artistic viewpoints of the vocal phenomenon. The teaching approach is based on the interaction between theoretical training and practical application. The methodology incorporates technological tools and voice analysis software, in combination with actual singing practice through experiential techniques and traditional methods of vocal instruction.

Music industry

Code: ΜΜ15 | Summer Term

The course Music Industry presents the evolution of music creation based on the evolution of sound technology in the field of discography and the diffusion of music information. These developments over the last 100 years have created an ecosystem of industrial dimensions, exploiting music creation for the benefit of creators and record companies. The course focuses on music industry history, copyright, music networks, music dissemination and retrieval technologies and new trends in the music industry in the post-digital age.

Music radioart production

Code: Μ255 | Winter Term

In this course, theoretical and practical approaches are developed for the creation of an original independent radio show with musicological content. Techniques for the architecture of music shows and radio dramas are also examined in terms of speech, voice selection, music selection, interview content, music investment techniques, and the emergence of a particular musical style. During the course, students are introduced to techniques of sound recording, processing, balancing and preparation of the broadcast material using the special facilities of the studio 310 of the Department.

Byzantine Musicology

Code: ΜΣ03 | Winter Term

In the mind of whoever listens for the very first time to this specific kind of music, i.e. the so-called Byzantine Music, a main question is always arising: what is Byzantine Music finally? Of course, Byzantine Music is the traditional ecclesiastical music of Greek Orthodox Church; nowadays, one can listen to this kind of music in every church all over Greece. But, it isn’t only a Greek music; one can also listen to the same music in all orthodox churches all over the world. That’s why Byzantine Music, not only during the last years but lots of years (even centuries) ago, is adapted into lots of other languages. So, one can listen to the specific sound of Byzantine Music not only in Balkans (i.e. in Albania, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, even in Russia), but also in Europe (in German, French, Finnish and – of course – English language); one can listen to Byzantine Music even in the Arabic or Asian world (and it’s so interesting to listen how Byzantine Music sounds through, for example, Arabic or Korean language). But, beyond all the above, the aforementioned question is rather a philosophical than a musicological one: what Byzantine Music is? One can speak for hours about the tradition, the history, the theory, the technique, the specific musicological rules and the details about the signs and the intervals and the melody of Byzantine Music. Because, Byzantine music is the modal and monophonic Greek music. It extends over two millennia, from the first century of Christianism’s expansion up to the present day. Since the mid-tenth century, Byzantine music is exclusively transmitted by means of a complete and self-contained notation system stemming from Greek alphabet. The relevant musicological research knows and study it through approximately seven thousand musical manuscripts, containing the creations of more than a thousand Byzantine and post-Byzantine composers. One, however, has to undoubtedly focus on the sound of Byzantine Music; and what that sound is? The sound of Byzantine Music is a similar one to “the voice of a soft breeze”, as it is characteristically written to a well-known Old Testament scene, which one can to recall through the following commentary by the Greek author Alexandros Papadiamantis: “… Elias the Prophet witnessed the divine epiphany not in the violent wind, nor in the earthquake and the fire, but in the voice of a soft breeze. And the voice of the soft breeze is the voice of mild Jesus, the voice of the Gospel. This is the reason why the melodist says ‘Let us chant for the sake of mild Jesus.’ And that is why in the Church we must chant with mild voices, with the voice of a soft breeze, and not with loud and discordant voices similar to the violent wind and the earthquake through which God did not reveal Himself ”. So, Byzantine Music is the sound of the soul of somebody who believes in God; somebody who loves God; somebody, in general, who loves people and life. It’s the sound of a full of love heart, the sound of love, the sound of heart, the sound of a sensitive soul; a clear, soft and smooth sound, which can deliver the people in another emotional world, full of nice and real feelings. This is the reason why – as time goes by – Byzantine Music becomes more and more popular all over the world; because it’s something unique, something full of the truth of life, something emotional; a music which can touch the soul of everybody and drive them into another beautiful world.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC249/

Echoi and Eastern Modal Systems

Code: ΜΜ112 | Summer Term

The Byzantine Music or “Psaltiki” and the Greek traditional music in general is part of a wider group of musical traditions of the Eastern Mediterranean which have common musical features. One of the greatest targets of the course is the perception of the theoretical analysis in terms and principles that originated in the ancient Greek music theory, evolved during the Byzantine era and disseminated by the interaction with the neighbouring cultures (Arabs, Persians, Ottomans, Slavs, etc.). The most important and extensive part of the Greek theory is the modality, which, in Byzantine Chant tradition that survived until nowadays, is expressed by the so-called Echos. In this course essential elements of the Theory of Psaltic and the Greek traditional music, as well as a basic description of the principal Echos are taught. Notes by the professor provided. The course also uses acoustic psaltic examples.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC267/

Historical overview of Byzantine Music

Code: ΜΜ98 | Summer Term

A relatively detailed overview of the course of church music from the first christian times until today. Distinction of two periods in the history of church music: pre-notation and notation. Highlighting the important elements that characterize the pre-notation period, through literary and other historical testimonies. Genesis and evolution of byzantine notation. Musical manuscripts. The genera of byzantine melopoeia and their evolution. Composers and codicographers. Life and work of the main composers and teachers of psaltic art. Modern musicological research. Practical musical examples through live and recorded chants.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/DI288/

Notation of the chanting art

Code: ΜΜ119 | Winter Term

The course aims to the presentation of the Byzantine Notation from the mid-10th century to the present day. After the reference to the relevant literature, the following units are discussed: Terminology; the descriptive character of the Byzantine notation; the periods and different evolutional phases of the notation; the process and the criteria of periodization; first period (950-117): early Byzantine notations (Ekphonetic notation, Theta notation, Chartres et Coislin notations, Slavonic notations); second period (1177-1670): Middle Byzantine notation; third period (1670-1814): Transitional phase of the Byzantine notation: from the Middle to the Analytical notation; fourth period (1814-present day): the so called New Analytical notation; other notational types. The course is supported by presentation and study of several examples of Byzantine and post-Byzantine musical manuscripts.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC175/

Byzantine and Latin Chant relations

Code: ΜΜ70 | Summer Term

The course focusses on the interrelation between Byzantine and Latin Church music. The following units are discussed: Byzantine and Latin modal systems: convergence and divergence points. The liturgical-musical manuscripts and the related Offices in Byzantium and the West. Byzantine influences on the Latin liturgical Chant (South Italy). Influences of the Latin Chant on the Byzantine one in Venetian ruled areas (Crete and Cyprus): the historical frame; local tradition and ritual; religious identities; compositional and liturgical practices; liturgical texts; compositional features; specific ritual practices.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC264/

Byzantine and post-Byzantine Melopoeia

Code: ΜΟ41 | Winter Term

Nowadays, one – obviously – understands what a composer and a chanter means: the composer is the one who has the “creative state” and therefore the “capability to construct a chant, by inventing and writing new chants that are pleasing to his audience”, whereas the chanter is just the one who is called to “recite this chant”, to sing, to perform “various long known psalmodies”. Precisely what results from Chrysanthos’s relevant writings in his Great Theory of Music [§ 389]: “Melopoeia is the power to create melos. We create melos not just by chanting different long known psalmodies, but also by inventing and writing our own new mele pleasing to the listeners. Melopoeia, therefore, differs from melos-singing because the latter is the recitation of melos, while melopoeia is a poetic state”. Nevertheless, one realizes that many more latent skills are needed in both cases, which may be misunderstood or unknown to people nowadays: the real chanter should also be characterized by other special talents just as the real composer should have a full knowledge of and should constantly follow some specific rules. Nowadays, all these have been weakened; the criteria have been relaxed for a long time now. It is common, today, to characterize someone as a composer or chanter without much thought. At all events, one needs to be much more careful and (even) more cautious in both cases. By the 15th century, monk Gabriel had already thought that it was advisable to “picture the perfect chanter” [verses 696-726]. He set, therefore, six criteria, which “should be met by any chanter who does not want to contradict his reputation” [verses 585-6]. Three of them are connected with the use of the notation: A knowledge of the musical notation’s “dictation” | A capability to write music without the use of any reference book | An immediate (and flawless) transcribing of any music heard. Whereas, only two of them refer to the chanter’s vocal capabilities: tonally correct vocal placement | euphony. Moreover, it is remarkable that the ability to compose new melodies is included among the talents of a chanter. Manuel Chrysaphes [verses 176-96], agrees with Gabriel’s observations; he is additionally describing both the chanter and the composer [verses 197-212], by saying: “The man who is skilled in the science and capable of using these aforementioned six categories as the art requires, is now a perfect teacher: let him compose and write and teach and, make judgments, let him discourse on his own and others’ works, especially the latter. For he will create his own compositions following the art while others will pass judgments on them, since partiality prevents an unbiased judgment and he is inevitably partial to his own works regardless of their true quality. If he does not possess knowledge of these categories and is unable to use them, then he should be silent, because it is better and surer than not being silent. Or, if he does not wish to be silent – and this is entirely his own decision – he should not try to criticize the work of other composers, knowing that he will not be able to persuade even a fool such as himself to take on his attitudes willingly and to think as he himself thinks”.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC248/

Byzantine music and Western notational systems

Code: ΜΜ72 | Winter Term

The course focusses on the transcription of the Byzantine chant to other notational systems. Several units are included, as the relation between different systems of notation between East and West, the possibility and/or necessity of transcription of Byzantine chant in staff notation, the problems connected. The course is completed by several exercises of trancrition.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC263/

Theory and Praxis of Psaltic Art I

Code: ΜΜ66 | Winter Term

The theoretical principals used by the Psaltic are the main subject being taught at this course, with emphasis on basic terms such as modality, intervals, production and discriminations of multi-modal subcategories, theory of the main Echos. As a fundamental enchiridion is suggested the Mega Theoreticon by Chrysanthos, and complementary notes are provided.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC254/

Theory and Praxis of Psaltic Art II

Code: ΜΜ71 | Summer Term

In succession of the course THEORY AND PRACTICE OF THE PSALTIC ART I, this course examines thoroughly the modal analysis of the Echos and their Elements. A wide and rich range of examples and references to parallel modal Easterly Systems are used. Notes by the professor are provided.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC268/

History of Byzantine Μusic I

Code: ΜΜ124 | Winter Term

Historical stations of psaltic art from the 10th century until today, as defined by great events and realizations, characteristic phases and gradual changes in writing, form and style, but also pioneering creators. Presentation of the life and work of the main composers up to the 15th century, with the collection of various testimonies from the manuscript sources. Practical musical examples, through recorded chants, followed by comments on their melodic form. Student research in musical manuscripts and catalogs of music codes. Collection and classification of the compositions of the composers of the examined period.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC294/

History of Byzantine Μusic IΙ

Code: ΜΜ125 | Summer Term

The period of conservation and music decentralization. The musical action in Crete and Cyprus during the 15th and 16th century. Preparation and new great glimpse of psaltic art (1580-1720/30). Musical reconstruction, reform processes, melodic and semantic renewal. Attempts to replace the standard notation system with other pentagrams or alphabets (1730-1820). Recent history (1820-present). Practical musical examples, through recorded chants, followed by comments on their melodic form. Student research in musical manuscripts and catalogs of music codes. Collection and classification of the compositions of the composers of the examined period.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC298/

Secular Repertory in Byzantine Parasemantike

Code: ΜΜ111 | Winter Term

By using the notation of the Byzantine Music, an important volume of secular repertory was set down, apart from the Psaltic pieces. This repertory mostly concerns the so-called Learned (“savant”) Music of Constantinople, in Arabo-persian forms, and so far it counts more or less 4.500 pages of records on the manuscripts of Psaltike, and almost 2.500 pages of printed editions. Moreover , the school ditty repertory was set down towards the end of the 19th century, and a considerable amount of records particularly in the 20th century regards the Greek folk song. This material, except for its importance concerning both the study of the Greek music History and the relation between the Psaltiki and the secular species of music, is nowadays a prominent source for the peripheral tradition of the Eastern Mediterranean, in terms of antiquity and data availability. In the class there will be a presentation of the most important sources as well as specific issues which come in, such as Historical Musicology,Theory and “Exegesis” of secular compositions from the Old Parasemantice. Notes by the professor are provided.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC253/

Worship and music in Byzantium

Code: ΜΜ59 | Winter Term

Genesis and evolution of christian worship. Liturgical types. Euchologia and Typika. Typical layouts in musical manuscripts. Liturgical and music books. The basic music codes according to the three genres of music and the liturgical books in which the content of the music books is scattered. Liturgical-musicological examination and commentary on the Liturgies of the Byzantine type and the two richest in hymnography akolouthiai of the monastic Typikon. The byzantine Typikon of the Great Church and its akolouthiai. Chanting interactions between the monastic and asmatikon Typikon. Liturgical and psaltic terminology.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/DI287/

Palaeography of Byzantine Notation I

Code: ΜΟ48 | Winter Term

The course aims to the study of Byzantine notations from the mid-10th century onwards and of the various stages of their evolutional process. The following units are presented: Byzantine notations symbolic character; philosophy and principals; terminology; origin of the Byzantine notations; Byzantine and Western neumatic notations; Early Byzantine Notations (ca. 950-1177): Lectionary or ‘ekphonetic’ notation, Chartres/Coislin notation, Theta notation, Slavonic notations; characteristics-evolution-transcriptions. Middle Byzantine notation (1177- ca. 1670): From ‘adiastematic’ to ‘diastematic’ notation; Byzantines’ teaching booklet (‘Protheoria’); Middle Notation descriptive character; interval signs/great signs - formulae; Byzantine treatises.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC285/

Palaeography of Byzantine notation II

Code: Μ198 | Summer Term

The course focuses mainly on the Middle Byzantine Notation studying the following units: Byzantines’ “oral” parts of the musical teaching (interpretation of the formulae, modes); the formulaic character of the Byzantine chant; the relation between the shape, the name and the function of the formulae and the liturgical text. The phenomenon of ‘kallopismos’ (embellishment/re-treatment) of chants as a renewal of the Byzantine chants (15th-17th c.); evolution of the Middle notation through the phenomenon of embellishment; study and comparison of the evolutional phases of embellished chants based on musical manuscripts of the period. Transitional notation of ‘exēgēsis’ (ca. 1670-1814); evolutional phases; relation between different ‘exēgēseis’; “exēgēsis” and transcription.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC329/

Pre-Theory (‘Protheoria’) of the Byzantine Music I

Code: ΜΜ105 | Winter Term

The so-called pre-Theory (‘Protheoria’) of the Byzantine Music is a sort theoretical text addressed to those who want to learn the Art of Chanting; it is enriched with relative pedagogical musical exercises and methods of learning individual musical phrases; it is also accompanied with some very interesting schemes aiming to support the teaching of the theory of the Art; studying such a text, without overlooking the musical practice itself (both in the version of its written and – especially – oral aspects), one can ascertain that all the aforementioned musical material meet as a whole at a triptych of great importance; a triptych the aspects of which do not appear to be associated at the up to date registered relative bibliography; particularly, this triptych includes: the text (either in its oral or written version), i.e. the theoretical description of a musical phenomenon, that could be considered as the version of musicology), the shape, i.e. a symbol, which describes – graphically – the same musical phenomenon itself, and of course the music, mainly at the type of several notated exercises, through the performance of which not only the appropriate chanting preparation can be achieved but also the more specified analysis of every musical phenomenon; actually, this triptych is a sequence of data that can complete each other, data which (even if it is not always provided and moreover, in most cases, it isn’t implied either) contributes to a substantial knowledge of Byzantine Music theory and practice.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC250/

Pre-Theory (‘Protheoria’) of the Byzantine Music II

Code: ΜΜ106 | Summer Term

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC280/

Psaltic Art and Hellenic Demotic Music

Code: ΜΜ99 | Summer Term

The musical relationship between the two fields has been noted many times in the past. Having considered briefly the points of contact between the two areas (language, variety of intervals, modality, synthesis’s techniques, anthropological factors etc.) and the main differences (use of instruments, secular or not character, a variety of local traditions etc.), the depth and the extent of this relationship with the criterion of modal analysis is further explored. Focusing on basic divisions and branches of Oktaechia, representative pieces of folk music of the major local Greek traditions are respectively modally analyzed. Relevant audio material and recordings are utilized.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC240/

Seminar: Specific issues of Byzantine musicology

Code: Μ195 | Summer Term

The seminar is related to the course intitled "Byzantine and Latin Chant relations". Several groups of Cretan liturgical compositions are examined in the frame of this seminar course, in order to study, investigate and understand the specificities of the Cretan repertory. The seminar is intended for students to practice the research methodology through limited groups of the sui generis Cretan compositions. It is separated in the following units : finding, gathering and assesement of the relevant literature; study of the sources – clustering of the compositions in smaller groups according to the composer and the period; transcriptions and analysis of the related compositions; commentary; writing a limited essay based on the research accomplished.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC330/

Seminar: Methodology of cataloging musical manuscripts

Code: Μ125 | Summer Term

A critical overview of the relevant bibliography; the occasionally suggested methods of cataloging musical manuscripts. Towards the formulation of an innovative methodology of cataloging musical manuscripts; a detailed description of such a methodology and its practical adaptation on specific musical codices. The purpose of this seminar is to support the writing of an essay with an analytical cataloging of specific musical manuscripts along with its detailed codicological and musicological commentary.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC257/

Byzantine musical culture and contemporary musical composition I

Code: Μ310 | Winter Term

The content of this course is focused on the work of Michael Adamis and Dimitris Terzakis, two top-tier composers who created contemporary musical idioms founded on the musical culture of Greek tradition. By keeping in line with the same study and supervision means as in Protheories (discourse, schematic illustration, music), yet with a focus on a creative outlook on the Byzantine musical material, which aspires to fertilize and expressively justify the contemporary musical thought, we will study various theoretical phenomena brought to prominence by the compositions and texts of the aforementioned contemporary Greek composers. The palimpsest technique as a narrative musical technique, the melodic formulas («θέσεις») as a useful element of improvisation and organized compositional practice, the use of microintervals and the analysis of their functionality, the phenomenon of diploparallage as an element of differentiation of intervallic qualities and, at the same time, as a subtle means of ensuring motivic cohesion (through the preservation of the melodic framework’s direction), the notion of system, but also in general the new, compatible terminology emerging from the new musical reality (e.g. poly-clonal monophony, poly-melodic technique, voice orchestration, micromelos technique, etc.), are some of the phenomena that are to be analyzed.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC480/

Byzantine musical culture and contemporary musical composition ΙΙ

Code: Μ315 | Summer Term

Following the course "Byzantine musical culture and contemporary musical expression I", creative approaches of composers of the younger generation are examined, whose works support a musical idiom assimilating dynamogenic crystallizations of the Byzantine musical tradition with a particular sophistication and discretion. At the same time, through a focus on specific works by composers of the Greek National School of Music (Petros Petridis, Antiochos Evangelatos, etc.), the way in which Byzantine musical material is elaborated will be commented on, in order to explore the compositional intention and the binding proximity of the contemporary compositions with Byzantine melos. Special reference will also be made to Festliches Praeludium (op.100), for mixed choir and church organ, by Egon Wellesz, and to works by composers of the “Holy Minimalism" (John Tavener, Arvo Pärt, Giya Kancheli et al.).

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC482/

Byzantine Choir I

Code: Μ261 | Winter Term

In the broader ecclesiastic tradition (mainly in Scripture) but also in the relevant literature (especially in the sources of Liturgical, Typical or even Canon Law) there are numerous testimonies about the action of choir performance. Nevertheless, any thorough researcher of the history of choral music might, with reason, claim that the practice of choir performance constitutes nothing less than a “hidden mystery”. Issues such as the practical organization, the specific structure, the proper teaching and the systematic directing of a choir of chanters, or even the technique of choir performance, remain (in their details) musicologically undefined. However, the following detailed account (by monk Gabriel, a Byzantine theorist of Psaltic Art) on the ideal way of kalophonic (i.e. monophonic) psaltic performance presents us with something of specific musicological (but also purely psaltic) interest [verses 610-95]; in this account are also incorporated some useful pieces of information about the assistants of the soloist, revealing some specified practical instructions concerning the formation of a musical ensemble, albeit a reduced one, i.e. a rudimentary chanters’ choir: “It is also important to have with you one or two assistants, but definitely no more than that; otherwise, this would not be a kalophony, but a choral ensemble. But this can be achieved only if the voices are nice and fitting. Now, if the voice of the chanter is not of that kind, he must hire assistants. All chanters have to be familiar with each other and to study in advance each other’s’ parts; in this way, their voices will be in accord and the chant will sound more melodious. You should never take as an assistant a person with an unpleasant voice; indeed, it is better for you to chant alone than accompanied by such a person, because in that case you will lose your own melodic charm. Now, the voice of the discordant and the cacophonous is either stony and faster than it should normally be, or feeble and distorted. And if somebody’s voice is stony, it rises higher than is normal even against his will, whilst if it is feeble, it unwillingly goes lower. Such a person should be shunned, since their predicament is not confined to themselves alone, but is transmitted to all of us, making our voices drift either higher or lower…” The scarcity of primary sources prevents us from perceiving the historical background of the technical details of choir performance; it is this very scarcity that reveals the true nature of Psaltic Art: the singular way of the functioning of its constitutive elements (such as notation, sounds, rhythm, etc.) creates practical particularities precisely of that kind that must be dealt with very carefully during choir performance. These particularities cannot always be recorded theoretically in all detail; nevertheless, a second reading of the selected theoretical testimonies, clearly delivers a rough sketch of the details of any attempt for choir performance.

Byzantine Choir II

Code: Μ241 | Summer Term

Topics in polyphonic music of the Eastern Orthodox Church I

Code: Μ311 | Winter Term

The course is structured around two different creative directions that we find in the polyphonic ecclesiastical idiom. In the first direction, we will engage in a discussion around the polyphonic versions of monophonic (Byzantine) meli. We will analyze individually, but also comparatively, choral works by contemporary Greek composers, which constitute polyphonic processes of Byzantine meli in their own right but are not necessarily intended to be incorporated into the liturgical/worship act. In other words, the compositional intention focuses mainly on the expansion of the choral repertoire, without showing strong claims for its inclusion in churches where the polyphonic idiom prevails. The second direction concerns polyphonic ecclesiastical meli intended for liturgical use. The narrative flow of this thematic axis will move linearly, following the historical development of this particular compositional proposal and artistic implementation. The starting point will be compositions by Manuel Gazes, Ioannis Plousiadinos, Parthenios Sgoutas and Hieronymos Tragodistes of Cyprus. Then, the focus will be shifted to the conducting of the polyphonic male choir of the Royal Palace chapel by Alexandros Katakouzinos, a historic event that constitutes the beginning of the polyphonic ecclesiastical idiom in newly established Greece. At the same time, the famous “musical issue”, which emerged in the early 19th century, will be commented on. In this context, theoretical treatises and artistic approaches of iconic personalities (e.g. Ioannis Sakellaridis, Elisaios Giannidis, etc.) will be studied, which address the issue of the harmonization of Byzantine music.

Topics in polyphonic music of the Eastern Orthodox Church ΙΙ

Code: Μ316 | Summer Term

Following the course “Topics in polyphonic music of the Eastern Orthodox Church I", we will examine polyphonic approaches of the Hymnology by composers who were active within the environment of the US Greek Orthodox Church. Composers such as Tikey Zes, Frank Desby and Peter Michaelides are an important core of this creative expression. The way of drawing melodic elements from the Byzantine tradition and the disassociation from it, the particular elaboration of voices, and the use of the church organ, are key issues for analysis and further commentary.

Byzantine Notation Orthography

Code: ΜΜ104 | Summer Term

In order for one to write down through Byzantine Notation, much information is essential. Scholars could speak most extensively about them, based on the written, but primarily the oral tradition of the Byzantine Music. It is a matter of the essentials of Byzantine notation. It has to indicatively be noted that the interest of the researcher should, of course, be focused on two elements: firstly, on the signs that support the repetition of each syllable of the poetic text and secondly on the signs that extend the timing of the chanted syllable of any musical text. Word and melos, poetry and music, are the essentials of Byzantine music. Thus, there exist concrete signs that are inserted into any musical text, signs that serve to enlarge the texts, not only the poetic (repetition of the syllable), but also the musical (augmented, extended time). These signs are the essentials of Byzantine notation. Analytically, regarding the repetition of the syllable, the following signs are used in Byzantine Notation: kentemata, hyporrhoe & bareia, while for the extension of time the following signs are respectively used: tzakisma (or klasma) & diple [oxeia]. There exist, of course, other combinations of two or more energies worthy of attention (that are always applied at the point where the syllable of a poetic text is repeated), as, for example, the antikenoma with the aple or the syndesmos (which was called the heteron parakalesma). The observations that indicatively are pointed out, have no other aim than to broadly describe the way one could desirably use the Byzantine Notation in order to write down any melody.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC256/

Music Pedagogy

Music Education I

Code: ΜΣ79 | Winter Term

The subject covers a wide area within music education. Learning and teaching theories and their application in music teaching represents the core of this subject. Emphasis is placed on the music teacher’s role, as well as the music curriculum and Music’s place in Greek education. Practical examples of lesson planning and music activities for different ages and educational levels are presented throughout the semester. Teaching approaches include lecture, workshops, projects and collaborative learning in small groups, in order to connect theory with practice throughout the semester. Group visits to selected schools for music lessons and classroom observations are organized whenever it is possible. This class is mandatory for the acquisition of the pedagogical and teaching accreditation.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC209/

Teaching Practice I

Code: Μ206 | Winter Term

This is one of the two subjects through which students complete their teaching practice in schools. During the fall semester students follow a number of obligatory classes at the University where they review concepts and issues related to music teaching and learning through practical applications. They develop practical skills related to lesson planning, observation, reflection, planning for creative music activities, etc. This subject is assessed through a literature review-based essay. This class is mandatory for the acquisition of the pedagogical and teaching accreditation.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC301/

Teaching Practice II

Code: Μ207 | Summer Term

This is the second subject that students need in order to complete their teaching practice in schools. Parallely to the University classes, students select the schools in which they will complete their observation and teaching. In collaboration with the University professor and selected music teachers/mentors in public and private schools, they are obliged to complete 9 hours observation and 1 hour teaching in a primary school, 9 hours observation and 1 hour teaching in a secondary school and 9 hours observation and 1 hour teaching in a special Music School. Students are assessed through a portfolio which includes observation forms (for each hour of observation in each school), reflection journal for each hour of observation, lesson plan and self-assessment). This class is mandatory for the acquisition of the pedagogical and teaching accreditation.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC301/

Music therapy I

Code: Μ312 | Winter Term

Introductory module aimed at assisting students to acquire knowledge of the basic principles and concepts of music therapy. The module includes the presentation of historical, cultural, and other factors that contributed to the formation of music therapy into a contemporary health profession. Students are introduced to the function of music as an agent of therapeutic change mainly through theory and experiential learning. It is recommended to undertake the course "Music in the Community" prior to Music therapy I. Successful completion of the "Music Therapy I" module does not constitute training in music therapy.

Music therapy II

Code: Μ317 | Summer Term

This module builds up on the knowledge obtained in Music Therapy I. It offers an overview of music therapy basic concepts and principles. Successful completion of the module does not constitute training in music therapy. Students, during this semester, will be introduced into different music therapy approaches and models. They are also expected to reflect on the qualitative characteristics of musical interaction that, in the context of the therapeutic relationship, can potentially function as an agent of change for various population groups. The students are encouraged to explore conventional and alternative ways of musical expression using the voice, body, musical instruments and instruments that utilize new technologies and develop basic improvisation skills necessary for future music therapy studies.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC478/

STEAM Education and Emerging Technologies in Music Pedagogy

Code: Μ348 | Winter Term

The course combines the principles of STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) with the pedagogical use of emerging technologies, focusing on the enhancement of music learning and practice through interdisciplinary approaches. The thematic areas include classroom-based music creation and production practices, the design of teaching scenarios within the framework of the Maker Movement, and the pedagogical integration of emerging technologies. More specifically, the course examines the integration of creative coding, the use of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality environments (VR/AR/MR), interactive interfaces, and artificial intelligence systems in music education. Particular emphasis is placed on connecting these technologies with instructional design, creativity, experimentation, and music-making practices. Teaching is delivered through lectures, laboratory exercises, interactive activities, and group projects, linking theoretical frameworks with practical application. Throughout the course, students design and develop educational activities and digital STEAM-based music education artefacts using appropriate emerging technologies.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC571/

Integrative approaches in music teaching

Code: ΜΟ83 | Summer Term

The contemporary trend for integration in teaching and learning is explored through theoretical and philosophical views as well as practical applications in Greece and the world. Different opinions, problems, strengths and weaknesses are identified with specific examples of models and applications of integration in music and the other arts in USA, UK and Europe. Particular emphasis is placed on the current curriculum for music in primary and secondary education in Greece and its integrative characteristics. This class is mandatory for the acquisition of the pedagogical and teaching accreditation.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC229/

Music in the early years

Code: Μ298 | Summer Term

Recently, the technological and research advances enable us to gain more information about our development from pregnancy. Our hearing ability is already developed in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy and research shows that its utilization after birth becomes important for the subsequent musical development. This course will address issues related to musical abilities in early years (up to 5 year-old), the role of music, the theory of music learning (musical aptitude, musical ability), music teaching approaches (Orff, Kodaly, Dalcroze, Gordon), the characteristics of infant/children "song" and its categories, the planning of activities for this age group and methods of organising a music “lesson” with parents and infants and kids.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC447/

Theory, Research and Practice in Instrumental Music Teaching and Learning

Code: Μ335 | Summer Term

The course aims to bring students into contact with a series of theoretical and practical issues related to the pedagogy of the one-to-one instrumental lesson and is structured around three areas. The first deals with selected contemporary topics of Sociology and Psychology of Music Pedagogy and the ways in which these are a starting point for the discussion of various topics, such as the benefits of learning a musical instrument, musical "talent", practice and motivation, the development of specific cognitive functions, music performance anxiety (MPA). The second focuses on the role, special characteristics and musical identity of the music educator/instrumental teacher, while developing critical thinking, reflection and re-examination of personal experiences through short exercises and activities. The third critically analyzes the official framework of individual instrument lessons in Greek Music Schools, based on the new school curriculum. It also includes optional observation of instrumental lessons at music middle/high schools. The course is supported by workshop-type meetings and practical activities regarding various teaching strategies in the context of different musical traditions.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC516/

Music Ensembles with Digital Media and Conventional Musical Instruments in Formal and Informal Contexts

Code: Μ349 | Summer Term

The course focuses on the organization and pedagogical use of music ensembles that combine digital media, innovative technologies, and non-conventional forms of musical interaction with conventional music-education instruments. Within this framework, students engage with music software, augmented reality technologies, body-tracking systems, haptic and interactive interfaces, and artificial intelligence applications, alongside instruments such as the ukulele, recorder, ocarina, and Boomwhackers. The course examines issues related to organizing and coordinating such music groups, implementing differentiated teaching approaches, and selecting appropriate strategies for arranging and integrating digital and conventional media into music education according to the specific teaching context. Particular emphasis is placed on creating inclusive learning environments and adapting musical practices to participants' abilities, needs, and varying levels of experience. The course explores expanded forms of musical creativity, collaboration, and innovation, as well as new modes of musical expression through the lens of contemporary digital and multimodal music literacies. Teaching combines theoretical and practical approaches, laboratory exercises, experiential music-making activities, and group projects, enabling students to apply different strategies for organizing, arranging, and teaching mixed music ensembles in practice.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC588/

Music Education II

Code: ΜΟ60 | Summer Term

This subject includes an overview of music teaching methods from ancient times until today with an emphasis on 20th and 21st century approaches. More particularly the methods of Kodaly, Dalcroze and Orff are described in detail with practical examples and activities. The importance and impact of various music teaching methods throughout the centuries for today’s music classroom are explored. Teaching approaches include lecture, workshops, projects and collaborative learning in small groups, in order to connect theory with practice throughout the semester. Group visits to selected schools for music lessons and classroom observations are organized whenever it is possible. This class is mandatory for the acquisition of the pedagogical and teaching accreditation.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC216/

Music in special education

Code: Μ318 | Summer Term

The aim of the module is to assist students to familiarize themselves with various applications of music in special education. Through experiential learning, students explore how music can assist adults and children with learning difficulties and disabilities to develop not only their music potential but also other non-musical skills. Reference is made to individual learning difficulties with an emphasis on how musical experience can contribute to inclusive practices. Within this framework, students are informed about music technology tools (apps, software, etc.) that contribute to removing obstacles to the development of musical creativity regardless of the type or severity of the disability.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC476/

Music in the community

Code: Μ237 | Winter Term

Community Music focuses on the use of participatory music-making in non-formal and inclusive settings, with aims extending beyond artistic creation to encompass individual and collective well-being, social connection, and participation. Alongside the theoretical component of the course at the University, students undertake the planning and facilitation of music groups within community settings, such as hospitals, refugee accommodation facilities, mental health and addiction recovery services, NGOs, and other social and cultural organisations. The theoretical component addresses topics from music psychology and neuroscience, music therapy and mental health, as well as theoretical, ethical, and philosophical perspectives on community music. Students are also trained in group facilitation techniques and receive systematic guidance and support throughout their practical work. Assessment is based 50% on practical work in community settings, comprising ten visits during the semester, and 50% on a written assignment.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC166/

Group music play in formal and informal contexts

Code: Μ297 | Winter Term

The organisation of a music group either in a formal or an informal setting offers significant advantages to its participants. Regardless of their previous musical knowledge and experience, the cognitive development and the sense of "belonging" are fundamental features, that the teacher or the facilitator should take into account. Through the lens of differentiated and integrated instruction, the main issues that will be examined are the following: approaches of organizing and managing musical groups in formal and informal frameworks, orchestration ideas of a song or any other music part, body percussion techniques and performing musical instruments such as ukulele. All these elements will facilitate any group in becoming an “orchestra”.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC446/

Multimodal Analysis of Popular Songs in Music Education

Code: Μ352 | Summer Term

Popular music constitutes a complex, multidimensional, and polysemic cultural field. The course approaches popular music through multimodal analysis, with particular emphasis on the interconnected domains of production, distribution, and consumption. It examines issues related to mass culture, musical and social identities, everyday life and social relationships, artistic personas and vocal expression, musical genres, song structure, and technology's role in the creation, mediation, and reception of popular music. Using the tripartite framework of description–analysis–interpretation, students examine representative examples of popular songs and explore the multiple connotations and sociocultural contexts that emerge through the interaction of music, lyrics, image, and performance. The course places particular emphasis on understanding popular songs and music videos as multimodal texts. The course aims to provide students with theoretical and analytical tools they can incorporate into future teaching practices in formal and informal learning environments, enabling them to develop educational approaches that take into account students’ musical experiences, preferences, and contemporary cultural literacies.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC589/

Seminar: Methodology and Research Methods in Music Education

Code: Μ367 | Winter Term

A compulsory seminar within the Music Education specialisation, this course introduces students to the fundamental principles and practices of research methodology in the field in an accessible way. Students become familiar with key aspects of designing and conducting small-scale field research through guided reading and discussion of research literature, practical activities, and collaborative exercises. Core research methodologies and methods of data collection are presented and discussed through engagement with the research literature in Music Education. Using specific and accessible examples, students gain practical experience in analysing research data, thereby developing their analytical and critical skills. The course also addresses issues of research ethics and ethical conduct in accordance with current international standards and practices. By the end of the course, students will have developed a sound familiarity with research in Music Education, as well as the foundational knowledge and skills required to undertake an undergraduate research dissertation and/or to further develop their research interests in the field at a later stage.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC640/

Seminar: Contemporary Issues in Music Education (Review of the Scientific Literature and Academic Writing)

Code: Μ366 | Summer Term

This is a compulsory course/seminar intended for students of the 5th Specialization "Music Education." The seminar focuses on the overview and practical application of the general principles of organizing and writing an academic paper in the fields of education and music education. It also focuses on the literature review and on writing the literature review section as part of an academic paper. Areas that are studied include historical, theoretical, and research approaches to music education and music didactics. The seminar includes hands-on workshops on searching bibliographic sources, in collaboration with the Library of the School of Philosophy and the Lilian Voudouri Music Library. Digital tools and open-access applications are also presented for searching, organizing, studying, and writing bibliography, as well as for writing a literature review

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC641/

Design and Development of Music Educational Content

Code: Μ347 | Winter Term

The course provides students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required to design, develop, and evaluate music educational materials within contemporary digital environments in music pedagogy. It examines fundamental principles of educational technology, learning theories, and instructional design approaches, with particular emphasis on their connection to educational needs, learning objectives, and the specific processes involved in music teaching and learning. In practice, the course focuses on using digital tools and software to design and develop interactive and multimedia-based music educational objects and resources. Students engage, among other activities, in creating infographics, educational videos, and interactive applications, as well as developing educational activities and augmented reality environments. The course places particular emphasis on organizing and presenting musical content in multimodal formats, interaction design, and pedagogical evaluation of the materials produced. The development of educational materials is adapted to different teaching contexts and fields of application, enabling students to connect instructional design with diverse educational needs and music pedagogical practices. Teaching is delivered through lectures, laboratory exercises, group assignments, interactive activities, and presentations, systematically linking theoretical frameworks with the practical design and development of music educational materials.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC572/

Digital Tools and Technology in Music Education

Code: Μ344 | Winter Term

The course aims to bring students into contact with the central theories of learning and teaching using digital technology in Music Pedagogy. A range of digital technology tools are presented for use in music education settings. The course is experiential and practical in nature. The activities and applications during the lessons aim to connect theory and practice with the ultimate goal of the students themselves using the tools to design their own activities and creative musical learning experiences.

eclass: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/MUSIC568/