| Instructor: | Dr. Daniel Shanahan |
|---|---|
| Office: | Room 129 (basement), Kerchof Hall (Math Building; on C parking lot across from Clark Hall) |
| E-mail: | dts9h@virginia.edu |
| Office hours: | MW 2-3pm; R 2:30-4:30 and By Appointment |
| Course: | MUSI3030 |
| Credit: | 3.0 credits |
| Term: | Fall 2013 |
| Time: | TR / 12:30-1:45pm |
| Place: | Old Cabel Hall, B012 |
| Class Number: | 16336 |
| Text: | Richard Taruskin, Music in the Nineteenth Century (Oxford, 2009; paperback, ISBN 0195384830) |
| Course Web Page: | |
| http://shanahdt.github.io/MUSI3030/ | |
This course surveys European music in the nineteenth century. We will cover a wide array of composers (Beethoven, Wagner, Liszt, Schumann, Berlioz, and Verdi, among others), genres (solo instrumental, art song, instrumental chamber music, symphony, opera), nations and regions (France, Germany and Austria, Italy, Russia, North America), and topics (salon culture, virtuosity, folk music, orientalism, musical meaning, etc.).
As we will be reading scores throughout the semester, the ability to read scores is essential. Theory 1 (MUSI 3310) strongly recommended as a prerequisite.
For music majors: This course fulfills either the first historical requirement or an elective requirement.
Enrollment deadlines: The last day in the College to add a course is Tuesday, September 10th; the last day to drop a course is Wednesday, September 11th; the last day to withdraw from a course is Tuesday, October 22nd.
The following texts are required and are available either at the UVa Bookstore or through online sellers.
Richard Taruskin, Music in the Nineteenth Century (Oxford, 2009; paperback, ISBN 0195384830)
Carl Dahlhaus, Nineteenth-Century Music (University of California Press, 1991; paperback, ISBN 0520076443)
Piero Weiss and Richard Taruskin, Music in the Western World (Schirmer, 2007; paperback, 2nd edition, ISBN 053458599X)
Note that while I encourage building a library of such important musicological texts, I will work to put as much of these suggested readings on either the course website or Collab, along with musical scores. For the listening assignments, I will direct you either to a streaming database to which the UVa library subscribes, or good quality recordings on YouTube. Links will also be made available on the course website.
NOTE: If you have difficulty locating material for this course, please let me know immediately by email.
The course website can be found at http://shanahdt.github.io/MUSI3030/. This site contains lectures, course materials, supplementary readings, quizzes and assignments for self assessment, and helpful links. It is intended to complement, rather than replace, Collab.
I am available and interested in talking with you about the course, the course material, and strategies to enhance your learning. We can usually have brief discussions after class, and I am able to answer questions by e-mail (dts9h@virginia.edu) at any time. Additionally, I am always happy to meet during an office hour. If this does not work for you, I am happy to set up an appointment at a time that is mutually acceptable for more lengthy discussions.
| Attendance and Participation | 20% |
| Weekly Question Sheets | 10% |
| Biweekly Listening Comparisons | 10% |
| Quiz 1 | 15% |
| Quiz 2 | 15% |
| In-Class Presentation | 5% |
| Final Paper Outline and Bibliography | 5% |
| Final Paper | 20% |
You are expected to attend every class. After 2 absences I start to lower your grade. (I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences, except in extreme instances and supported by appropriate documentation.) Your participation grade is dependent upon your contribution to the class discussion. To earn maximum points for class discussion, try to contribute regularly and thoughtfully.
There will be questions on the readings due every week. Answer these questions as succinctly as possible–usually one or two words per answer will suffice. Please submit these in hard copy, pledged. (See Honor section below).
Every other Week you will be asked to write 1-2 pages (about 500 words, double-spaced in 12-point font, with page numbers) in which you compare two or three similar pieces assigned for that day. I will provide an example of such a comparison as a model for your own essays. Please submit these in hard copy, pledged. Since this assignment is biweekly, the class will be divided into two halves–Groups A (even weeks) and B (odd weeks)–and you will submit your assignment according to your grouping. Since the odd weeks outnumber the even weeks by one on our schedule, the members of the odd-week group (Group B) do not have to submit a comparison for one week of their choice.
Placed at about a third of the way through the course, Quiz 1 will comprise mainly short-answer questions selected from the Question Sheets and listening identifications from the assigned listenings. This Quiz will be administered during class.
This Quiz will have the same design as Quiz 1, but it will occur at about two thirds of the way through the course.
You’ll pair up with another student to orally present your Listening Comparison at some point during the semester. Since you’ll be presenting together, you may submit either one written comparison for the two of you or two separate comparisons. We will be assigning days to presenters on the second day of class (Thursday, August 29th), so if you have a preference for either a partner or a particular day or both, please come to class with your preferences in mind. I cannot guarantee that you will get your first choice, but you should feel assured that I’ve tried to make all listening assignments equally interesting. Please include audio-visual elements in your presentation: listening excerpts, handouts, slideshow, etc. When listening to presentations by other students, be respectful and attentive, take notes, and be prepared to ask follow-up questions. The half of the class that belongs to the same Comparison Group is likely to be especially lively contributors to the discussion, since they’ll just have completed the same exercise.
The ability to listen to a piece of music actively is one of the most important skills one can acquire. It is important to listen to each piece multiple times. Try not to become distracted, and listen in a quiet environment. If you wear headphones, try to use ones that properly convey the full range of sounds (earbuds are horrible at this). If you use speakers, make sure you’re listening on something better than the built-in speakers on a computer (even ~40-$50 computer speakers can provide a decent sound). Always follow along with a score or libretto (when applicable).
Your final, 8- to 10-page paper will be due at 5pm on Monday, December, 9th. I will meet with each of you individually during the week of Monday, November 11th, to discuss possible paper topics. Sign-up will be on Collab the previous week. Please come to our session with at least two possibilities in mind. You are also required to submit a 1-page, single-spaced outline and a 1-page, single-spaced bibliography by the beginning of class on November 21st. I expect to find at least 6 distinct and substantial sources in your bibliography. (A wikipedia article is not a substantial source, nor is a blog.) Be succinct in your outline and judicious in your choice of sources for your bibliography. Since research methods and materials are specific to the topic you choose, we will strategize about them during our individual meetings in early November.
Since we will be discussing the answers immediately in class, Question Sheets and Biweekly Comparisons will not be accepted for a grade if they are submitted after the beginning of the class in which they’re due. For the final paper and its preparation (the outline and bibliography), the grade will be lowered five points (for example, 93 to 88) for every day they are late.
| Week | Topic | Assignments and Readings Due |
|---|---|---|
| 1.T (8/27) | Introduction | |
| 1.R (8/29) | Beethoven | Sign up for Listening Comparison Presentations. Due:Read Taruskin, “The First Romantics” on Collab. Listen to Beethoven, Symphony No.3 in E-flat major (“Eroica”) Answer Question Sheet No. 1 |
| 2.T (9/3) | Beethoven, continued | Read Hoffman, “Beethoven’s Instrumental Music” (on Collab). Due: Listen comparatively to Beethoven’s op.13 (“Pathetique”) and op.111. Feel free to compare one entire sonata to the other, or corresponding movements to one another. Group A Listening Comparison Due |
| 2.R (9/5) | Rossini | Read Taruskin, pp.1-36 Listen to the Overture and Act I from Beethoven’s Fidelio Answer Question Sheet No.2 |
| 3.T (9/10) | Rossini, continued | Listen comparatively to the Overture and Act I from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and the Overture and Act I from Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia Group B Listening Comparison Due |
| 3.R (9/12) | Schubert | Read Taruskin, pp.61-87 and pp.135-155 Listen to three pieces by Franz Schubert:
|
| 4.T (9/17) | Schubert, continued | Listen comparatively to music settings of Goethe’s “Erlkonig” by Schubert, Zelter, and Reichardt. Listen to Schubert’s Die schone Mullerin (song cycle) Group A Listening Comparison Due |
4.R (9/19) |
Grand and Gothic Opera | Read Taruskin, pp.187-205 and 219-230 Listen to:
Answer Question Sheet 4 |
| 5.T (9/24) | Grand and Gothic Opera, continued | Read Taruskin, pp.179-186 Listen comparatively to:
Group B Listening Comparison Due |
| 5.R (9/26) | Virtuosity | Quiz 1 |
| 6.T (10/1) | Virtuosity, continued | Read Weiss/Taruskin, pp.289-295 and pp.308-313 (on Collab) Listen comparatively to three versions of Liszt’s study in C minor, first composed in 1826 (from his Etude en 12 and revised in both 1837 (12 grandes etudes) and 1851 (Etudes d’execution transcendante Listen to a selection of studies by Paganini (for violin) and Liszt (for piano). Selections are on Collab. Group A Listening Comparison Due |
| 6.R (10/3) | Schumann and Berlioz | Read Taruskin, 289-341 Listen to:
Answer Question Sheet 5 |
| 7.T (10/8) | Schumann and Berlioz, continued | Read Weiss/Taruskin, 296-300 and 303-308 (on Collab) Listen to:
Group B Listening Comparison Due |
| 7.R (10/10) | Chopin, Gottschalk, and Orientalism | Read Taruskin, pp.343-386 Listen to:
Answer Question Sheet 6 |
| 8.T (10/15) | Reading Day | |
| 8.R (10/17) | Chopin, Gottschalk, and Orientalism, continued | Read Taruskin, pp.386-410 Listen to:
Group A Listening Comparison Due |
| 9.T (10/22) | Liszt | Read Taruskin, pp.411-428 Listen to:
Answer Question Sheet 7 |
| 9.R (10/24) | Liszt, continued | Read Taruskin, pp.438-442 Read Weiss/Taruskin, pp.324-329 (on Collab) Listen comparatively to any two of Liszt’s 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies Group B Listening Comparison Due |
| 10.T (10/29) | Dvorak and Smetana | Read Taruskin, 443-463 Listen to:
Answer Question Sheet 7 |
| 10.R (10/31) | Dvorak and Smetana, continued | Halloween (Topical Costumes Encouraged) Listen comparatively to:
Group A Listening Comparison Due |
| 11.T (11/5) | Wagner I | Read Taruskin, pp.479-520 Listen to the instrumental preludes to three Wagner Operas:
Answer Question Sheet 8 |
| 11.R (11/7) | Wagner I, continued | Read Taruskin, pp.528-562 Listen comparatively to:
Group B Listening Comparison Due |
| 12.T (11/12) | Wagner II | Quiz 2 |
| 12.R (11/14) | Wagner II, continued | Read Wagner, “The Artwork of the Future” (on Collab) Listen comparatively to two love duets:
Group A Listening Comparison Due (How does each composer engage both singers and orchestra to represent nighttime ecstasy?) |
| 13.T (11/19) | Italian Opera | Read Taruskin, pp.564-615 Listen to/watch La Traviata Answer Question Sheet 9 |
13.R (11/21) |
Italian Opera cont. | Final Paper Outline and Bibliography Due Read Taruskin, pp.639-658, pp.658-674 Listen comparatively to two “mad scenes”:
Group B Listening Comparison Due (How does each composer depict psychological unrest in the vocal and instrumental writing?) |
| 14.T (11/26) | Brahms | Read Taruskin, pp.675-702 and pp.716-729 Listen to Brahms, Symphony No.1 Answer Question Sheet 10 |
| 14.R (11/28) | Brahms, continued | Read Eduard Hanslick, “On the Musically Beautiful” (excerpt) Listen comparatively to two Brahms Intermezzi:
|
| 15.T (12/3) | Final Week | Final Class and Party Your final, 8- to 10-page paper is due on Monday, December 9th. |
I trust every student in this course to comply with all of the provisions of the UVA honor system. I will ask that you pledge and sign all assignments and quizzes. Your signature on the these affirms you have not received nor given aid while taking your exams, nor accessed any notes, study outlines, old exams, answer keys, or books while taking an exam and that you have not obtained any answers from another student’s exam. Your signature on the papers affirms that they represent your original work, and that any sources you have quoted, paraphrased, or used extensively in preparing the paper have been properly credited in the footnotes or bibliography.
This syllabus is available in alternative formats (PDF, HTML, epub) upon request. In addition, if you may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability, you should contact me immediately. Students with special needs can contact UVa’s Office of Disability Support Services (ph: 276-328-0265, email: wew3x@uvawise.edu) with any questions. I will make every effort to accommodate special needs.