Undergraduate Courses

First Nights (Homewood)

This course is a study of five famous pieces of music, both as timeless works of art and as moments in cultural history. Close attention is given to techniques of musical listening and to the details of the first performance of each work, with a consideration of the problems involved in assembling such a picture. Works studied are Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, Handel's Messiah, Beethoven's Symphony no. 9, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, and Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps. A series of additional pieces commissioned especially for the course from Peabody composers concludes the semester. No previous knowledge of musical notation or terminology is required. This course meets on the Homewood campus and requires registration through the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. (0,3) Giarusso

Music and Evolution (Homewood)

This course examines the bio-cultural evolution of music in light of recent interdisciplinary research on the social bases of human cognitive evolution and explores its implications for current debates in musicology, ethnomusicology, psychology of music, and human cognitive evolution. This course meets on the Homewood campus and requires registration through the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. (0,3) Tolbert

History of Music I

A study of music from classical antiquity through the Renaissance period. Fall and spring. (2) S. Weiss

History of Music II

A study of music from the baroque period through the end of the 18th century. Fall and spring. (2) Giarusso/Sprenkle

History of Music III

A study of music in the 19th century. Fall and spring. (2) P. Weiss/Gingerich

History of Music IV

A study of music since the beginning of the 20th century. Fall and spring. (2) Talle

Senior Seminar: Bach at the Keyboard

This course examines J. S. Bach's keyboard music, both from the composer's perspective and from that of his 18th-century audience. In addition to familiarizing students with the music, the course will attempt to find answers to questions such as: Who cared about this music during the composer's lifetime? What uses did they find for this music? Who was in the audience for Bach's own performances? How were his performances different from those of other virtuosos of his time? Students will leave this course with a thorough knowledge of the content of Bach's works for solo keyboard and the history surrounding their composition and performances in the 18th century. The knowledge will be broadly applicable to performing works by Bach in other genres (especially solo suites for violin and cello and other chamber music) as well as works by his contemporaries. Prerequisites: Music History I-IV. Permission of the instructor required. (2,0) Talle

Senior Seminar: Issues in Ethnomusicology

This seminar explores basic ethnomusicological concepts as demonstrated in case studies of specific music traditions. The primary objectives of this course are to develop analytical skills in listening, writing, and talking about music, and to understand music as deeply embedded in socio-cultural contexts. Course activities will include class discussions, weekly reading and writing assignments, listening and viewing assignments (most will be presented in class), and a fieldwork project that will expand and develop ideas presented in class. Prerequisites: Music History I-IV. Permission of the instructor required. (0,2) Tolbert