Fall 2017

History of Opera

Listed in: Music, as MUSI-220  |  Theater and Dance, as THDA-220

Faculty

David E. Schneider (Section 01)

Description

(Offered as MUSI 220 and HIST 220) History of Opera traces opera from its beginnings as a late-Renaissance experiment in re-creating Greek drama to its incarnations in works of the present day. Subjects covered will include genres such as opera buffa and opera seria, concepts such as bel canto, Gesamtkunstwerk, and verismo. The primary focus of the class will be on opera from the so-called common-practice period beginning with works by Mozart through those by nineteenth-century composers such as Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Bizet, and Wagner, and ending with Puccini in the early twentieth century. After an historical overview of operatic styles, we will have an in-depth look at a few operatic masterpieces (likely Bizet’s Carmen, Puccini’s La Boheme, and Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress). Students will be required to participate in group presentations on operas of their choosing.  In 2017-18 Music 220 may be used to fulfill the major requirement for a course in Western Music and Culture.

Requisite: MUSI 112 or 113 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 45 students. Fall semester. Professor Schneider.

MUSI 220 - L/D

Section 01
M 02:00 PM - 02:50 PM ARMU 212
W 02:00 PM - 02:50 PM ARMU 212
F 02:00 PM - 02:50 PM ARMU 212

Offerings

2024-25: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2017