The Challenges of Writing About Music

Writing the Music Paper

On this page: The Challenges of Writing About Music * Kinds of Music Papers * Prewriting Strategies * Writing Advice * Sample Papers * Tips From Your Professors * Using Sources * Resources and References * Research Links

The Challenges of Writing About Music

You have been asked to attend a musical performance at the Hopkins Center and write a review. You choose to go to an opera. After it's over, you meet two friends who have also been to the performance. The first says, "I thought it was terrific." The second says, "I thought it sucked." And the conversation grinds to a halt.

When you are writing a review, these kinds of comments don't really go anywhere. You can't argue with someone's private opinion. Your professor isn't going to be impressed by the fact that you cried at the end of the opera, but were dozing off in Act Two. He doesn't want a "Thumbs up/Thumbs down" sort of paper. You need to do more than simply react to your experience. But what should you do? Any paper for a Music course - whether it be a review or a research paper - must be analytical.

Analyzing music is difficult. First, because music evokes powerful emotional responses, you don't often pay attention to what it is about the music, exactly, that moves you so much. Second, even if you are able to get past your feelings to describe what you hear, simple description isn't enough. You must be willing to interpret the music and then support your interpretation with evidence from the piece.

Let's look at an excerpt from a good musical review. Notice how the writer selectively describes aspects of the Kunju Opera, thereby creating an argument. Notice, too, that the writer doesn't just provide a "roadmap" of the music; in other words, the writer doesn't merely recite the notes and instruments, but instead interprets and analyzes what the music is doing.

...Above all, the music of Kunju Opera Theatre reflects the innermost, even secret feelings of its characters. We understand early on in the opera that the music ---- frantic, disheveled, violent, serene, or mystical ---- is a perfect mirror into the actors' souls. For example, throughout the performance, whenever characters come to important realizations, we hear the dalo gong sound a deep, resonant sigh... Another example is heard in "Walking in the Garden," where the frantic percussion movements heard elsewhere in the piece give way to a softer, sweeter, more serene sound. The harmony created by the dizi flute, sheng organ, and erhu violin evokes Du's tranquil, soporific state as he walks through the garden...

The writer has made the argument that the music in this opera reflects the characters innermost, secret feelings. Note how the writer uses evidence to support the argument. In doing so, the writer progresses from mere opinion to well-supported analysis. Also, note how the language is fairly simple. In other words, the writer doesn't need to use technical terms to convey how music sounds.

Kinds of Music Papers

Music papers at Dartmouth tend to fall into two categories: reviews and research papers. However, these categories are very broad, and you're sure to find that expectations and forms will vary. For example, just because you've written a review in one Music class, don't assume that a music review assignment in another class will follow the same format. Moreover, if you've written a research paper in a Music course or another humanities course, don't assume that the professor's expectations will be the same on this new assignment. Make sure to consult with your professor if you have any questions about assignments.

Reviews tend to be short papers, 2 to 4 pages, in which you comment on the music of a performance or CD. In a review, you should focus on the form of the music. What sounds make up the music? How does the composer or performer fuse together these different sound elements? How do the different movements work together to create the music's overall effect? Remember to stay away from comments beginning with "I" that reflect only how the music affected you. Instead, question the music using criteria by which we judge excellence, and provide insight into those elements of excellence. (See Sample Papers.)

Research Papers can lead students almost anywhere on the musical map. In some classes, you might be asked to compare music in a given genre or across genres, or to compare composers or musicians. In another class, you might be asked to look at music within historical or social contexts - for example, noting changes in music and science in Soviet Russia after the revolution. (See Sample Papers.) Research papers tend to be 8--10 pages - but again, you should ask your professor about his expectations for length and format.

If you have trouble coming up with a topic for a research paper, please see "Coming Up With a Topic." The general advice given here is applicable to Music papers.

Prewriting Strategies

If you are not familiar with writing papers in the Humanities, you might