EAR TRAINING

Learning Objectives and Expected Learning Outcomes

Learning Objectives

Acquisition of theoretical and practical skills in listening, recognising and reproducing musical structures. The course aims to develop analytical musical hearing through progressive exercises in sight-singing, melodic and harmonic dictation, integrated with the foundations of tonal harmony, counterpoint and chord construction. The course is designed to develop the ability to immediately connect auditory perception with theoretical understanding and conscious musical production.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and understanding:
Students will understand and recognise, by ear, melodic and harmonic intervals, major and minor scales, triads, seventh chords, diatonic harmonic progressions and modulations to closely related keys. They will acquire knowledge of the fundamentals of counterpoint and harmonic notation (figured bass and Roman numeral analysis).

Applying knowledge and understanding:
Students will be able to transcribe one- and multi-part melodic and harmonic dictations; realise given harmonic progressions on the piano; and harmonise a simple melody by applying correct techniques of voice leading, doubling and resolution.

Making judgements:
Students will develop critical awareness in the aural analysis of classical repertoire and will be able to evaluate and justify their harmonic and contrapuntal choices in relation to the stylistic context.

Communication skills:
Students will master the technical terminology related to ear training, harmony and counterpoint, and will be able to describe and verbally analyse perceived musical structures.

Learning skills:
Students will acquire analytical tools for the independent study of repertoire, with particular attention to identifying and extracting harmonic and melodic structures.

Research Areas

Ear training, musical perception, tonal harmony, counterpoint, repertoire analysis, solfège, musical dictation, applied composition.

Course Contents

The course includes subjects such as Basic and Advanced Ear Training, Spoken and Sung Solfège, Melodic and Harmonic Dictation, Chord Theory and Tonal Harmony, Fundamentals of Counterpoint, Repertoire Analysis for Listening, and Guided Applied Composition.

Course Prerequisites and Contents

Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of music notation and rhythmic reading. Elementary familiarity with major and minor scales. Previous knowledge of harmony or counterpoint is not required, as these elements are progressively developed throughout the course.

Course Contents

The course provides essential perceptual, theoretical and practical skills for professional activities in the field of music and performing arts. The course is organised into six progressive modules:

Module 1 — Perceptual Foundations

Part I

• Recognition and transcription of melodic and harmonic intervals (simple and compound)
• Tonal and atonal melodic dictation
• Inverted triads (melodic dictation and harmonic perception)
• Root-position seventh chords (melodic dictation and harmonic perception)
• Cadences: perfect, plagal, imperfect and deceptive cadences
• Scales and modes
• Transcription of atonal sequences
• Dictation (minimum 8 bars) of a two-part excerpt from a composed work
• Polyrhythmic exercises

Part II

• Atonal melodic dictation
• Inverted seventh chords (melodic dictation and harmonic perception)
• Chord progressions (triads and seventh chords)
• Recognition of harmonic functions
• Transcription and harmonic analysis of a phrase from the repertoire
• Seventh-chord cadences (harmonic dictation)
• Three- or four-part dictation from a composed work
• Performance of a short polyrhythmic piece

Module 2 — Chord Theory and Basic Harmony

Construction and recognition of triads (major, minor, diminished and augmented) and their inversions. Seventh chords (dominant, half-diminished and diminished). Introduction to figured bass notation and Roman numeral analysis of scale degrees, with their respective tonal functions (Tonic, Subdominant, Dominant).

Module 3 — Counterpoint

Counterpoint is introduced as the logical foundation of voice leading. Study of Fux’s five species: note against note, two notes against one, four notes against one, suspensions and resolutions, and florid counterpoint. Rules of voice movement; two- and three-part counterpoint.

Module 4 — Four-Part Harmony and Progressions

SATB chorale writing and doubling rules. Cadences (authentic, plagal, half and deceptive cadences). Diatonic progressions and the circle of fifths. Secondary dominants and diatonic modulation to closely related keys.

Module 5 — Advanced Ear Training

Aural recognition of chords within a harmonic context. Melodic dictation based on harmonic progressions. Recognition of modulations by ear. Comparative aural analysis of repertoire excerpts (Bach, Mozart, jazz standards, pop music).

Module 6 — Applied Composition

Listening and musical form: period, phrase and subphrase. Harmonisation of a given melody and realisation of a given bass line. Free composition in binary or ternary form.

Reference Texts

• Fish, C., Ear Training in Action — fundamental text for ear training
• Various Authors, Elements for the Study of Ear Training — progressive solfège and dictation exercises
• Kostka, S. – Payne, D., Tonal Harmony — recommended core textbook for tonal harmony
• Dionisi, R. – Zanolini, B., L’Armonia — harmony reference text in Italian
• Piston, W., Harmony — modern harmony reference text
• Fux, J.J. (trans. Mann), The Study of Counterpoint (from Gradus ad Parnassum) — practical counterpoint
• Rameau, J.-P., Treatise on Harmony — historical reference for classical harmony
• Bach (Chorales), Mozart, Chopin, Jazz Standards, selected study scores — aural and formal analysis

Teaching Methodology and Assessment

Teaching Methods

Lectures introducing theoretical concepts, supported by examples on the board or interactive display, guided listening activities and visual analysis of musical scores. Practical workshop activities including piano exercises, collective solfège practice, harmonic progression realisation and ear training exercises. Frequent use of collective ear training activities through classroom listening and response exercises, with melodic and harmonic dictations corrected collaboratively.

Repertoire analysis through comparative listening of classical works in order to identify harmonic and melodic structures. Creation of a progressive portfolio of written assignments (particularly dictations) as a tool for self-assessment.

Assessment Methods

Melodic Dictation and Harmonic Dictation.

Course Guiding Principle

Every theoretical element must be immediately connected to listening and musical production. Theory follows the ear rather than preceding it. The piano is used as a universal tool for verification, and the repertoire analysed ranges from classical music to jazz and pop, ensuring a contextualised and cross-disciplinary learning experience.