Rev, 7/97, 5/00, 8/01, 8/06, 2/07 , 9/08, 1/09, 10/09
Sequence: see the outline at the Music Graduate Office web-site.
Critically Important Notes:
a) Candidates should plan to submit reading copies of the dissertation by November 1 for fall graduation or March 1 for spring graduation. Before submitting your reading copies to the graduate office, the dissertation should be approved for circulation by your research chair; in other words, it should be essentially finished and carefully proof-read. Be sure to carefully read the Style Guide and prepare your score in accordance with it.
b) Candidates are advised that approval of the dissertation by the research committee during the summer is not possible.
c) Dissertations (or portions thereof) with a duration of 15 minutes or less will be considered for performance with an IU orchestra, band, or New Music Ensemble. To have a dissertation placed in the pool for performance consideration, composers MUST:
- turn in sample parts (one wind, one percussion, one string) to their committee chair for approval BEFORE the dissertation is submitted for binding.
- format their dissertation so that it is usable (readable) by a conductor. It will not be acceptable for performance if the music is sized extremely small to avoid having to make page by page vertical adjustments in staves.
- make a PDF version of the score available online, either at your own website, or by sending it to the chair to post on the IU composition department server. A web page listing all dissertations available for performance is maintained and sent to prospective conductors. This page is not 'published' as part of composition department website, so will not be found through casual browsing.
- turn in a performance-ready full set of parts BEFORE July 1 ahead of the academic year the work is scheduled for.
d) Works involving chorus, concerto soloist or with durations exceeding 15 minutes will NOT be programmed.
Binding
You have three options for hard binding the two final scores:
(1) You may deliver the document to Smith Bookbindery and arrange to have the bound copies sent to the Music Graduate Office once they are complete::
Smith Bookbindery
112 W. 10th St.
Bloomington, IN 47404
phone: (812) 332-2743
(2) You may send the documents to the Music Graduate Office (Merrill Hall 011, 1201 E 3rd St, Bloomington, IN 47405) and have Smith Bookbindery pick up and return them for a fee (contact Smith Bookbindery for details).
(3) You may have the documents hard bound elsewhere and sent to the Music Graduate Office after binding.
One copy of the dissertation will be shelved in the circulation stacks in the Music Library; the other will be held in the Music Library archives.
Paper
Archival quality buffered paper of approximately 60-70# weight must be used.
Appropriate paper can be found on campus at Copies and More, which has two campus service centers for students – at the IMU, on the Mezzanine level, and at Eigenmann Hall, across from the bookstore. Students may submit their compositions in pdf files, either via email (copyeig@indiana.edu, for the Eigenmann store; copyimu@indiana.edu, for the IMU store), or by dropping them off in person on a flash drive. The latter would provide an opportunity to examine the paper beforehand. The stores carry a limited amount (approximately 200 sheets at any given time) of 11x17 inch natural white archival paper that is approximately 65#. The paper can be ordered with 3-4 days turnaround time, so do not wait to the last minute. The cost is approximately 99 cents per sheet for 1-499 pages; 90 cents per sheet for 500-999 pages; 85 cents per sheet for 1000 pages and above. Sometimes students team up on paper orders to save cost.
Standards of Notation
The composition department recognizes the two works listed below as standards of notational practice; you should refer to either one of them when in doubt about correct procedures, and should consult your committee for advice.
Stone, Kurt. Music Notation in the Twentieth Century: A Practical Guidebook. New York: W. W. Norton, 1980.
Read, Gardner. Music Notation: A Manual of Modern Practice. Second Edition. Boston: Crescendo Publishers, 1969. (paperback edition: New York: Taplinger Publishing Company, 1979)
Master Copy (Original)
The master copy (original) should be (a) generated by a high quality computer notation program in combination with laser printing, or (b) copied in ink on vellum.
Methods of Reproducing the Score
Copies may be reproduced by either (1) laser printing, (2) photocopying of high quality, or (3) the Diazo [Ozalid] method (copies must be sharp and clear, black-on- white. Blueprint is unacceptable.). Regardless of the method used, the music must be reproduced back-to-back (i.e., on both sides of each page).
Margin Requirements for Deposit Copies
Right-hand pages: 1.5-inch margin on the left side; 1-inch margin on the right side, and at the top and bottom.
Left-hand pages: 1.5-inch margin on the right side, and 1-inch margin on the left side, and at the top and bottom.
Sequence of Pages and Pagination
All right-hand pages carry odd numbers; all left-hand pages carry even numbers. Page numbers may be printed on the page in either one of three ways: (a) within the margin at the upper right corner of right-hand pages, and the upper left corner of left-hand pages; (b) within the margin space at the bottom of each page, centered; or (c) within the margin space at the top of each page, centered.
The first page of score should be a right-hand page. Observe the following sequence of initial pages and page-numbers:
1st sheet: official title page, right-hand (reverse side: blank)
2nd sheet: signature page, right-hand (reverse side: blank)
3rd sheet: your actual title page, right-hand. On the reverse side: instrumentation and performance information, text if any.
4th sheet: first page of score, right-hand. On the reverse side: second page of score.
Your actual title page (the 3rd sheet) is considered page 1, though the number should not be printed on the page; the reverse side (instrumentation and performance information) is page 2, also not printed on the page. The first page of score is therefore page 3, which is printed on the page.
If there are, however, additional pages of performance information and/or text, these are consecutively numbered without printing the pagination, and the first page of score will of course carry a number higher than 3.
Vocal Works with Text
If the dissertation is vocal and employs a text, include the text in its original format as part of your performance information, prior to the first page of score. An extensive text may obviously require additional pages. If the text is under copyright, the copyright-holder's permission for use must be obtained. Include the statement of permission on the page with the text itself.
First Page of Score
On the first page of score the work's title should be printed in the space above the uppermost staff, and is traditionally centered. The composer's name should be printed above the uppermost staff, against the right-hand margin. Copyright information should be printed in the space beneath the lowest staff.
Although it is not an official academic requirement, you are strongly urged to copyright your work.
Program Notes
The dissertation should be accompanied by program notes, with a minimum length of 500 words. These notes should be written for a general audience; they should not involve a detailed analysis, but should prepare an educated layman for a performance of the work. The program notes should be placed last in both copies of the dissertation, and should be numbered separately; page dimensions should correspond to those of the score.
Format of Title and Signature Pages
For each of these pages the format of the models below should be followed. If pages are larger than the 8.5 x 11-inch size of the models, only the general proportions need be followed.
Models of the Official Title Page and Signature Page for the D.M. Dissertation in Composition (PDF)
Word Version (formatting might change, so be sure to match the look of the PDF file above)