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| Unit name |
20th-Century Opera: From 'Tosca' to Turnage |
| Unit code |
MUSIM0037 |
| Credit points |
20 |
| Level of study |
M/7
|
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
|
| Unit director |
Professor. Fairclough |
| Open unit status |
Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department |
Department of Music |
| Faculty |
Faculty of Arts |
Description including Unit Aims
This unit covers the entire span of 20th-century opera, from Puccini’s Tosca (1900) to Nicolas Maw’s Sophie’s Choice (begun 1999). It looks at the way in which opera acts as a mirror of society, reflecting the political, philosophical and artistic currents of its own time. The unit will encompass issues of criticism, history and analysis: students are expected to listen to, and gain a good working knowledge of, all the operas studied, some in greater depth than others, to develop an understanding of major currents in 20th-century musical opera, and to begin to relate the works themselves to broader social, political and cultural trends.
This unit aims:
- To show how operas relate to their social, political and cultural context
- To give students a good overall awareness of 20th-century opera
- To build students’ confidence in working with large-scale scores and dramatic forms
- To build students’ overall knowledge of 20th-century music in Europe
Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module, students are expected to:
- Demonstrate awareness of major 20th-century composers and key operatic works
- Show fluency in discussing several of the works examined in class
- Have a good grasp of 20th-century political and cultural trends in Europe and the USSR
- Have developed their communication, writing and analytical skills
- (Specific to Levels H and M) Engage with, and perhaps critique, the theoretical constructs that underpin different scholarly interpretations of music of this period
- (Specific to level M) Make, defend and critique arguments orally
- (Specific to level M) Apply existing analytical strategies to works not discussed in class, with flexibility and creativity
- (Specific to level M) Demonstrate the capacity for independent research.
Teaching Information
10x2-hour classes combining elements of lecture and seminar, taught jointly to students at levels I, H and M.
Assessment Information
- One essay, independently devised and researched, of 4000 words (75%). This will demonstrate the intended learning outcomes (1), (2), (3), (5), (7) and (8) through (4).
- One individual 15-minute presentation on an independently-researched topic, distinct from that of the essay (25%). This will demonstrate the intended learning outcomes (1), (2), (3), (5), (7) and (8) through (4) and (6).
Reading and References
- Mervyn Cooke, ed. The Cambridge companion to twentieth-century opera (2005)
- Richard Taruskin, Defining Russia Musically (1997)
- Paul Griffiths, Gyorgy Ligeti (1983)
- Lawrence Kramer, Opera and modern culture :Wagner and Strauss (2004)
- John Williamson, The music of Hans Pfitzner (1992)
- Alexandra Wilson, The Puccini problem :opera, nationalism and modernity (2007)
- Carl S. Leafstedt, Inside Bluebeard's castle :music and drama in Béla Bartók's opera (1999)
- Mervyn Cooke, The Cambridge companion to Benjamin Britten (1999)
