Offered
Not offered in 2008
Synopsis
This unit focuses on the history and repertoire of opera, including minor forms such as operetta and Singspiel and the popular musical. Opera is a highly complex form, enlisting in its service music, drama, poetry, acting, dance, stage-design, and costuming. The primary concentration will be on the music element of this combination, though attention will be paid to other elements of this dramatic experience.
Objectives
On successful completion of the unit, students should have an understanding of the complexity of the relationship between a dramatic text and its musical setting in the theatre as well as a number of methods of analytical inquiry which can be applied specifically to theatrical music.
Assessment
Written (4 short assignments): 10%
4 short class papers (15 minutes each): 10%
Essay (4000 words): 40%
Examination (3 hours): 40%
Contact hours
3 hours (2 x 1 hour lectures and 1 x 1 hour seminar) per week
