Links

theory tutorials and drills: academic sites

http://www.auburn.edu/~schafwr/theorybasics.html
Auburn University's theory department has provided several pages of traditional paper-based drills (and answers) covering intervals and chords. Required knowledge for entry level college students. Also, Dr. Schaeffer's links page is at http://www.auburn.edu/~barbed2/MusicEd/MusicTheory.html [broken link]

http://www.murraystate.edu/qacd/cfac/music/MUS109entry.htm
Murray State University’s (Kentucky) online theory and ear training course. There are ten chapters which include tests created with Javascript and Quicktime. Required knowledge for entry level college students.

http://www.arts.ilstu.edu/~staylor/music203/index.html#assignments[broken link]
Interactive theory quizzes (free, use Javascript) from Indiana State University. Required knowledge for entry level college students.

http://theory.esm.rochester.edu:16080/th161/materials/0overview.html[broken link]
Good dictation exercises using species counterpoint, from Eastmann School of Music.

theory tutorials and drills: commercial sites

http://www.dolmetsch.com/theoryintro.htm
Comprehensive set of music pages covering theory and more (a great deal about the Dolmetsch family). Maintained by Dr. Brian Blood. (Along with Merlot, certainly the most interesting link listed on this page.) This site also sells recorders, early music instruments, & sheet music.

http://http://www.ars-nova.com
Ars Nova Software sells Counterpointer, a counterpoint training program. It looks very comprehensive.

http://www.teoria.com/
Music Theory Web has about a half a dozen (free) interactive applications written in Flash.

http://www.emusictheory.com/practice.html
eMusic Theory provides 8 simple music drills, delivered as Java applets. For example, the interval drill presents a random note on a stave, names an interval, and requires the user to enter the note which completes that interval. The user is timed and a percentage of correct answers is displayed.

http://www.musictheory.net/
Ricci Adams’ music theory pages have free Flash applications, covering intervals, chords, etc.

http://users.dragnet.com.au/~donovan/mb/music.html
Musicianship Basics@ has free Java applets for pitch recognition on a keyboard, on a stave with treble clef, a stave with bass clef, and one for recognition of notes and common symbols.

http://www.oconnormusic.org/music.htm#educate[broken link]
The O’Connor Music Studio has some interesting links and articles, and it has a free chord demonstrator application.

http://www.mibac.com/
Music Instruction By A Computer. Commercial software for teaching music theory and ear training.

http://www.musicdials.com/theory.html
This site has a page about chords, which includes some charts.

http://www.ars-nova.com/practica.html
Commercial software which allows vocal input (i.e. tests the user’s ability to sing intervals).

sites with some information about Fux

http://www.hoasm.org/XID/Fux.html
Brief (two paragraphs) biography of the man.

http://wwwsoc.nii.ac.jp/msj4/bulletin/v43/kiso-e.html
A few more paragraphs about his work.

http://newolde.tripod.com/fux.htm
Links to an essay on Fux, online MIDI renditions of some of his compositions, & links to other recordings of Fux's compositions.

University of Texas at Austin
Has some information for its counterpoint class contrasting Fux with other theorists.

links to Palestrina sites

http://www.grainger.de/music/composers/palest.html
links to recordings, books, sheet music, pictures.

http://www.naxos.com/composer/palestri.htm
Two paragraph biography

http://www.dovesong.com/positive_music/archives/renaissance/palestrina.asp
Short biographical essay, and link to online .mp3 recordings.

http://www.geometry.net/detail/composers/palestrina_giovanni.html
A page with a half dozen short biographies of Palestrina, and links to books.

books

The Study of Counterpoint from Gradus Ad Parnassus, at Amazon.com.

The Study of Fugue from Gradus Ad Parnassus, at Amazon.com. In addition to Fux's text, this book includes sections from other classic texts on fugue, by Marpurg (who wrote the preface to the 2nd edition of J.S. Bach's Art of Fugue), Martini (who taught Mozart), & Albrecthsberger (who taught Beethoven).

Preliminary Exercises in Counterpoint by Arnold Schoenberg, at Amazon.com. Like Models for Beginners in Composition & Structural Functions of Harmony this book was developed by Schoenberg while teaching at the University of California.

Counterpoint : The Polyphonic Vocal Styles of the Sixteenth Century by Knud Jeppesen, at Amazon.com

Counterpoint by Walter Piston, thoroughly examines contrapuntal technique in the 18th & 19th centuries; one of the important standard textbooks.

more counterpoint books at Amazon.com

The AB Guide to Music Theory by Eric Taylor. Very good basic theory books; Part I covers all the rudiments thoroughly, Part II covers basic harmony & counterpoint, instruments, modes & modern developments.

miscellaneous links

http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/harmony/pyth.html
Comprehensive article (set of pages) about the mathematical basis of Pythagorean tuning.

http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/harmony/13c.html
Good article on 13th century polyphony and its treatment of dissonance.

http://www.contrapunctus.com/contrapunctus.htm
The Counterpoint Site - more counterpoint information.

http://www.merlot.org
Merlot is a collection of links to online learning materials for a variety of subjects; the links are reviewed by Merlot's panel of academics.

my resume

singer/songwriter Padraig Parker (order his new CD from his web-site).