Request for a kind of meta text: book/paper on how music theory texts as a text type should be written?

[realsmoky]

Dear music theory lovers!

I am writing a master thesis on translation of music theory texts. Right now, I am searching for a text (book, paper, article, whatever) in which the text type "music theory" is analyzed. It should preferably be able to answer the question "How should a text that focuses on music theory be written, what are the conventions in a text that focuses on music theory".

So, with other words, I need a work that deals with music didactics or music pedagogy, but with a focus on how music theory texts are to be written or that describes the conventions already present in such texts.


Thanks!

[BertKoor]

"How should a text that focuses on music theory be written, what are the conventions in a text that focuses on music theory".

I don't think such a textbook really exists. Consider this a friendly bump.

I think your tutors want you to do the hard work. Pick three respected theory text books (good luck on that already) Then find simularities and flaws, try to shred them to pieces didactically. So you don't make the same mistakes towards your future pupils.

Perhaps you then find the reason why The Ultimate Condensed yet In Depth Music Theory Textbook for Each Audience (with extra chapter - The Making Of) is not written yet.

[KBSoundSmith]

Dear music theory lovers!

I am writing a master thesis on translation of music theory texts. Right now, I am searching for a text (book, paper, article, whatever) in which the text type "music theory" is analyzed. It should preferably be able to answer the question "How should a text that focuses on music theory be written, what are the conventions in a text that focuses on music theory".

So, with other words, I need a work that deals with music didactics or music pedagogy, but with a focus on how music theory texts are to be written or that describes the conventions already present in such texts.


Thanks!

As noted above, no such pointed resource exists. However, there are still plenty of resources you can draw from (and from which others have drawn) to inform didactic choices.

First, look into varying instructional methods (e.g., Orff method) as you'll find several approaches that either explicitly or implicitly talk about how musical instruction (including theory) should be taught. Several of them should be interesting.

Second, after you've done that, take note that many of the methods that have stuck were invented by composers (e.g., Orff...). But, many of these methods were developed with children and grade-school classrooms in mind, not necessarily for college level or one-on-one instruction.

Third, book suggestions. Again, the ones you want are written by composers who were also teachers. They often had very particular ideas in mind when teaching, and they often (but not always) include some pedagogical theory as to why the text is presented as it is (or you can read the text and infer). Off the top of my head...

Practical Manual of Harmony, by Rimsky-Korsakov
Theory of Harmony, by Arnold Schoenberg
The Craft of Musical Composition (Book 1), by Paul Hindemith
Simple Composition, Charles Wuorinen

Most of them have several books, many of which include interesting insights as to their approaches to both teaching and composition. Don't limit yourself to just the titles I listed by them, but that should give you a start. You might then compare them to more recent college classroom textbooks, such as Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music, by Gauldin, jazz texts, etc etc.

Of course, other approaches exists, those by people more known as theorists than composers. E.g. Schenker, Forte, etc. which have their use as well and are worth looking into.

But push comes to shove, get as many theory texts as you can, compare the background and goals of the authors, and analyze the books.

[Michael L]

It's sad you are asking strangers on a blog to help write your Master's Thesis.
Perhaps you should write about a topic that you and any friends IRL know more about?

[jancivil]

I wouldn't like to state it with that much color, but it strikes me as odd to see. Writing for postgraduate degrees is not trivial, one's work has to be defensible and the lack of research capacity tends to show.

[BertKoor]

Never mind, this was a single-shot poster. Logged in again a day later and never returned. Although...

Is that you, vurt?

[realsmoky]

It's sad you are asking strangers on a blog to help write your Master's Thesis.
Perhaps you should write about a topic that you and any friends IRL know more about?

Yeah, because asking someone for help with finding a few resources on a very specific topic that I am researching for the sake of writing a single paragraph within a chapter of a thesis consisting of multiple chapters = someone write my thesis for me because I know nothing about the topic.

___

I would like to thank everyone for your help and effort!

[Michael L]

I would like to thank everyone for your help and effort!

I hope you got more help on the three other forums you posted.

[jancivil]

Frankly the way the question is worded does look like you don't have any more clue than the rest of us, the odd thing I mention is imagining there is some template somewhere; for example, having read, say, those books KB Soundsmith cited, how do we get to that supposition? We've no model, doesn't follow. It's highly peculiar for those of us who have read methinks.
I recommended excising that from your paper, it's not adding value that's for sure.