The Romantic Generation (MUSC 105)
We use the word "Romantic" rather vaguely these days when it comes to music, applying the term to everything from Frank Sinatra to Boyz II Men. In MUSC 105, you'll have the opportunity to understand the original item--the first full flowering of musical Romanticism in the works of five composers born at the beginning of the nineteenth century: Berlioz, Chopin, Liszt, Mendelssohn, and Schumann. Through their new visions of music's expressive possibilities, these amazing figures revolutionized the way listeners respond. Their focus on poetic and narrative strategies, and their ingenuity in inventing new ways of structuring music, prefigure essential features of our music culture.
Through intensive explorations of individual works, we focus on the extraordinary scope of each composer's imagination. Which will be your favorites? Berlioz's scary Damnation of Faust (we could call it "The Blair Witch Project") or the magical gondola ride of Chopin's Barcarolle? Liszt's haunting evocation of Petrarch's poetry or Mendelssohn's vivid setting of Elijah's battle with the prophets of Baal? Or Schumann's heartbreaking Fantasy, which is a certain music professor's favorite piano piece of all time? Jump on the gondola and find out!
"Capable of captivating a large class for fifty minutes."
--former student, on a course evaluation form
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