MUSC 243 - Music of the 19th Century

Institution:

Wesleyan University

Subject:

Music

Description:

This course is a survey of European music from the Romantic period, circa 1800-1900. Works from this period extend the boundaries of musical expression. Instrumental forms enact monumental dramas in works by Beethoven. Lyricism, longing, alienation, and madness find voice in songs by Schubert and Schumann. Lyricism joins with dance in piano pieces by Schumann and Chopin. The singing voice itself is fetishized in operas by Rossini. Music is linked with nationalist mythology in Wagner's music dramas and with nationalist politics in Verdi's operas. Music by Brahms is nostalgic, melancholic, and transcendent. Music tells stories in the programmatic tone poems of Liszt and Strauss. The foundations of tonality disintegrate at the end of the century as music reaches for ever-more-intense forms of expression. This course will explore both the what and the how of musical expression in the 19th century. In the United States, these trends are reflected, amplified, and occasionally denied. We will get to know representative works by the major composers of the century and works from each of the most significant genres. We will explore the notion of musical narrative and how musical meaning combines with that of words. We will develop our own interpretations and find out how other listeners, from the 19th century and beyond, have interpreted and understood this vibrant repertoire.

Credits:

1.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.wesleyan.edu

Phone Number:

(860) 685-2000

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Semester

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