College of Creative Studies

Current Course Offerings
Spring 2007

The course in Vernacular Harmony constitutes an attempt to provide a critical and cumulative assessment of the harmonic conventions cultivated by twentieth century composers of American vernacular music. By vernacular, the instructor refers principally to folk, blues, jazz and jazz derived styles, and their precursors. Such styles include ragtime, blues, and music of most American musicals, country music, gospel music, post-1950 popular commercial styles, reggae, and the twentieth century jazz styles. While these styles differ in major ways, it is the assertion of the instructor that they are all governed by a common harmonic language. Specifically, the aims of the course are: 1) To introduce a theoretical system that explicates American vernacular harmonic practices from the late nineteenth century until now in a logical yet practical and intelligible manner; 2) to show the theoretical (creative) possibilities suggested by theses practices that may not heretofore have been extensively explored; 3) to illustrate, via musical examples and subsequent analysis, that vernacular harmonic conventions can and should be taught as one harmonic theory, and 4) to present, when possible and appropriate, vernacular harmony in a manner that illuminates its derivative and analogical relationships to traditional European harmonic practices, and concurrently, to explicate the differences that exist between the two traditions.
Required Text(s):
Stewart, Earl L., Vernacular Harmony Workbook



Instructor(s): Earl Stewart
Time(s): Monday and Wednesday., 12:30-2:00 pm
Place(s): Old Little Theatre, Rm. 154


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