Songs Writing

Recommended Prerequisites

NA

Teaching Methods

Theoretical and participatory components, encouraging students to state their thoughts and to submit song proposals. Songs by students will be discussed and analysed by their songwriters, thus selecting a sort of "greatest hits" based on the musical taste of the group. As a rule, each class will begin with a presentation titled How I write my songs. At a later moment in the class, drawing on the teacher’s presentation, students will be encouraged to write their own songs. The teacher will “fuel” this songwriting desire and monitor the trial-and-error process behind the writing of a song.

Learning Outcomes

Acknowledge the distinctive nature of “songwriting”, which is a complex activity requiring literary and musical skills. Learn about the origin of the "song” form, beginning in Ancient Greece with the oral transmission of poetry (the Greek “lyrics") all the way to the medieval troubadours and the different types of troubadour poetry, their evolution and transformation into the contemporary song form. Learn about the structure and sections of a song, such as verse, stanza, chorus, bridge, hook, riff, etc. Adjust the verse to the metrics. Use melody, harmony and musical form to strengthen the emotional content of the poem; minor and major keys. Master the “correct length” of each song. Analyse and dissect songs by songwriters. Identify musical quotations, a device frequently found in the parodic tradition of Brazilian literature, also employed by troubadours, and commonly used by the Tropicália movement to induce ironic and iconoclastic effects using the "cut and paste” technique.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

The distinctive nature of “songwriting” as a complex task;

The evolution of the song form from its origins to the present time;

Song structure and sections;

Song structure and meaning;

Analysis of songs.

Head Lecturer(s)

Adriana da Cunha Calcanhotto

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Periodic assessment includes the following: two written papers on the topic chosen for the class; students are required to attend 75% of the classes: 100.0%

Bibliography

CALCANHOTTO, Adriana. (2016). Pra que é que serve uma canção como essa? Rio de Janeiro: Ed. Bazar do Tempo.

CALCANHOTTO, Adriana. (2003). Algumas letras. Vila Nova de Famalicão: Quasi Edições.

CAMPOS, A. de (2016). Música de invenção 2. São Paulo. Ed. Perspectiva.

CICERO, A. (2017). A poesia e a crítica. São Paulo. Companhia das Letras.

HOWARD, J. (1991). Aprendendo a compor. Cadernos de música da Universidade de Cambridge. Rio de Janeiro. Jorge Zahar Ed.

MAMMÌ, L.; NESTROVSKI, A.; TATIT, L. (2004). Três canções de Tom Jobim. São Paulo: Editora Cosac Naify.

MAMMÌ, L. (2017). A fugitiva: ensaios sobre música. São Paulo. Companhia das Letras.

RENNÓ, C. (2014). O voo das palavras cantadas. São Paulo. Dash Editora.

SEVERIANO, Jairo, HOMEM DE MELLO, Zuza. A canção no tempo. vol 1: 1901-1957. São Paulo. Editora 34. 1997.