MUS2140 - From Schubert to Strauss: Music of the romantic ideal

Leader(s): Craig De Wilde

Offered

Clayton First semester 2009 (Day)

Synopsis

This unit is a survey of European musical styles and compositional trends from c.1820 to 1900. Representative source works will be analysed and the major musical figures of the period will be discussed. Topics to be studied include the Romantic period aesthetic, vocal genres (art song, opera, choral music), piano music (character piece), chamber music (string quartet, string quintet, piano trio), orchestral music (symphony, concerto, symphonic poem), and the debate between absolute and programmatic instrumental music.

Objectives

At the successful completion of the unit, students should have a general knowledge of the major trends in nineteenth-century composition - in particular, the ways in which these trends relate to one another in a broad sense, and the opportunity to delve into specific areas of nineteenth-century music in some depth, providing further insight into the styles, composers and works important to the specific area in question.

Assessment

Essay (2000 words): 40%
Mid-semester examination (1 hour): 20%
Final examination (1.5 hours): 40%

Contact hours

2 hours (1 x 2 hour lecture) per week