MUS2140

From Schubert to Strauss: music of the Romantic ideal

C J De Wilde

8 points
* 3 hours per week
* Second semester
* Clayton

Objectives At the successful completion of the subject, 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; 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; and the experience of giving an oral presentation in the manner of a scholarly society, with insight provided as to how such papers are assessed within this context.

Synopsis This subject 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.

Assessment Written (2500 words): 30%
* Oral presentation (20 minutes): 30%
* Mid-semester examination (1 hour): 10%
* Final examination (2 hours): 30%

Prescribed texts

Plantinga L Romantic music Norton, 1984
Plantinga L Anthology of Romantic music Norton, 1984