Z401: The Music of The Beatles

Dr. Glenn Gass

Indiana University -- School of Music

An in-depth, song-by-song look at the music, lives and times of this extraordinary group and songwriting partnership. Offered at Indiana University since 1982, the course focuses on the Beatles' music and is aimed at heightening student listening skills as well as fostering a deeper appreciation for the Beatles' remarkable recordings. The music is supplemented by a multimedia course companion that provides biographical information, audio and video clips and a closer look at the Beatles' songwriting and recording process.

Fall 2012

Tues & Thurs 7:15 - 9:15 in Ballantine Hall 013

Instructor: Dr. Glenn Gass, Sycamore 139, 855-9460; Email: GASS@INDIANA.EDU

Grading Assistant: Dylan Samson, samsond@umail.iu.edu

Required text: "Can't Buy Me Love" by Jonathan Gould

Recommended Text: "The Beatles" by Hunter Davies

Listening: The Beatle albums are on reserve at the School of Music Library and at the Media Center in the Main Library

Click here for instructions on using the on-line reserve listening at the School of Music Library

Listening via Variations2 is also available for use at home (click here for information and for software downloading and installation instructions).

Students will be responsible for knowing all of the Beatle albums, along with the singles collected on the two Past Masters cd's.

Students are strongly encouraged to buy all of the Beatle CD's and have them in your permanent collection.

Attendance is REQUIRED & will be a part of your grade, determined by attendance forms and quizzes.
Your course grade is derived from your test scores, pop quizzes and attendance.

The exams will be a mix of listening identification and short answer and essay questions

No make-ups will be given without a documented and officially sanctioned excuse. Instead, students who must miss an exam will take a comprehensive makeup exam at the end of the semester, following the final exam. This option is also available to students who wish to use the makeup to take the place of a lower exam score (it cannot hurt your grade).

The grading scale is fixed and must remain so in a class this size in the interest of fairness. All requests to "round up" a score or receive extra credit will be regretfully declined. The grading scale is:

A+ = 98%; A = 93%; A- = 90%
B+ = 88%; B = 83%; B- = 80%
C+ = 78%; C = 73%; C- = 70%
D+ = 68%; D = 63%; D- = 60%

Fall 2012 test dates:

TEST ONE: September 20 (Please Please Me, With the Beatles, Hard Day's Night & Beatles For Sale; Gould though chaper 23)

TEST TWO: October 25 (Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper; Gould ch. 24 - 38)

TEST THREE: Tuesday, December 11 at 7:15pm in BH 013 (final exam)

(Magical Mystery Tour, Yellow Submarine, White Album, Let It Be, Abbey Road; Gould ch. 39 - end)

Note: the singles from Past Masters will also be included on the exams for the appropriate period.

LAPTOPS, Texting, Twittering, have proven to be too detracting and will no be allowed in class.

Grades will be available via the Oncourse Gradebook.

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Beatles In London: Summer IU Office of Overseas Studies course

Music in General Studies homepage

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Beatle Sites in England:

• Glenn's Guide to the Beatles' England website: Beatle sites in London and Liverpool

• A video tour of Beatles sites in London and Liverpool

• A shorter Beatle tour is also posted on YouTube.com
  

• Two Beautiful Boys, Mathew and Julian:

Some WWW Beatle links:

• Glenn's interview with Beatle biographer Hunter Davies

• Bill Harry's Merseybeat online. Feedback and suggestions welcome and appreciated.
  
• Another guide to Beatle Locations in London
  
• Info on guided walking tours of Beatle sites in London.
  
• A Liverpool Beatle locations site
  
• The official BEATLES website
  
• George's All Things Must Pass. website
  
• Beatles Discography and Day-By-Day website.
• The Beatles Lyrics webpage
  
• Beatle lyrics from rare-lyrics.com
  
• Beatles Number 9 website, a great site for archived interviews, books excerpts, history etc.
  
• The massive Beatles Index site.
  
• Beatle discography site.
  
• Beatles triva quiz site.
  
• Beatle Fan Club Christmas Records.
  
• Beatlelinks
  
• The Internet Beatles Recording Index: a fantastic central point for cross-indexed information about every song
  
• Steve's Beatle Page, with lyrics and song info
  
• Beatlelinks.net: Beatle Internet Resource Guide
  
• The Bootleg Zone, with detailed information about Beatles recordings (and many other bands)
  
• Songsofbeales.com: song lyrics and info
  
• Forever: A Tribute to the Beatles (Beatles Tribute Band)
  
• Give Peace a Chance, a John Lennon Tribute site.
  
• Harmony Central, for chords and other music info for Beatle songs.
  
• The Complete Beatles UK Discgraphby
  
• The Usenet Guideto Beatle Recording Variations
  
• The Beatles Ultimate Experience website
  
• The official Abbey Road Studios website
  
• Beatle City from Merseyworld.com, with Liverpool guides, song lyrics, etc
  
• Beatle song lyrics
  
• Another song lyrics site
  
• Beatles Website, with song links, guitar chords, biographical info, etc.
  
• Beatles London News and Information Service
  
• Help! info website
  
• Beatles Karaoke(!)
  
• Operation Big Beat anniversary celebration, November 2001.
  
• Liverpool Beatlescene International Fan Club
  
• Beatles 64 Liverpool site
  
• Ottawa Beatles Site
  
• Subscribe to the World Beatles Forum, a great newsletter from Canada
  
• RollingStone.com Beatle website
  
• Beatles Portal on PopTopix
  
• The University of Liverpool Institute of Popular Music.
  
• The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
  
• A good Hamburg and Astrid site
  
• Helena's site of links
  
• Beatles screensavers
  
• David Rowley's " Story of the Beatles Songs"
  
• Liverpool Books Online
  
• Visit the on-line Beatles Karaoke(!) site
  
• The Ultimate Beatles Archives
  
• Join the Beatles newsgroup (rec.music.beatles)
• Alan W. Pollack's Notes On series
  
• The British Export webpage (a Beatles tribute band).
  
• Lennon-McCartney website
  
• Wonderwall website
  
• The July 6, 1957 page
  
• "Help! In the World"page from Spain
  
• Misc Saki posts and facts
  
• Links to some worldwide Beatle homepages
  
• Here, There & Everywhere Beatle links
  
• A great site from Japan, with information on Japanese Beatle releases
  
• The Internet Beatle album (click on song titles)
  
• A good John Lennon site
  
• Beatle magazines and related periodicals
  
• Beatlefest homepage
  
• Some Beatle reference books
  
• University of Liverpool Beatle info site
  
• A virtual tour of Mathew Street, Liverpool
  
• The online Mathew Street Beatles Store
  
• Liverpool tourism info, with maps, etc.
  
• A guide to the real Blue Jay Way
  
• A good page exploring the Paul Is Dead myth.
  
• The butcher cover page (click here to see the butcher cover)
  
• A listing, with pictures of Beatle stamps from around the world.
  
• Paul McCartney 1984 Playboy interview
  
• An account of meeting the Beatles in 1968.
  
• 1989 Good Day Sunshine tour with Beatle site photos
  
• A Beatle travel guide
  
• Liverpool Productions Magical Mystery Tour to England
  
• Glenn's Beatle concert ticket stub, Washington DC, 1966