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Home School of Music Course Descriptions Music Course Program: The History of Opera in Italy
Home School of Music Course Descriptions Music Course Program: The History of Opera in Italy | Music Course Program: The History of Opera in Italy |
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Description The course explores operatic masterpieces from the first Italian opera of Monteverdi through Puccini. Students will study works such as "Orfeo" by Monteverdi, "Don Giovanni" by Mozart, "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" by Rossini, "La Traviata" by Verdi, "La Boheme" by Puccini and many more. There will be a historical focus as well as analysis of language (libretto) and study of musical scores for musical elements such as form, harmony and rhythm that directly reflect the dramatic action on stage. Students will be required to listen to recordings and will have access to opera librettos for further study outside the classroom. Special attention will be paid to the relationship of the music to the texts and librettos, that are also related to art forms (literature, painting/sculpture and architecture in particular). Midterms/Exams/Final Project Students will prepare a final paper on one of the subjects learned in the class, or a critical analysis of an opera performance. Midterms and exams are at the discretion of the instructor and will be discussed during the first week of classes. Texts: D.J. GROUT, H.W. WILLIAMS, A short history of opera, New York: Columbia University Press, 2003; W. WEAVER, The golden century of Italian opera from Rossini to Puccini, New York: Thames and Hudson, 1980; J. ROSSELLI, The Opera Industry in Italy from Cimarosa to Verdi. The Role of the Impresario, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984; D. KIMBELL, Italian Opera, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991; J. ROSSELLI, Music and musicians in nineteenth-century Italy, London: B.T. Batsford, 1991; L. BIANCONI, “Italy”, in New Grove Dictionary of Opera, London: Macmillan, 1992. |