30143 - History of Music (LM)

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course students will:

- know the major composers of the 19^th century and their works;

- know genres, styles and musical techniques of the History of 19^th century music

- recognize, by listening, structure, form, functions, historical-cultural significance of the musical works in the syllabus;

- contextualize music knowledge in the philosophical and literary culture and in its historical-social context.

Course contents

Knowledge and comprehension of the History Music implies three different levels:

(1) listening;

(2) reading a score;

(3) contextualizing the musical art work from an aesthetic and historical point of view.

This course provides a didactic articulation conforming to the student’s different levels of competence. For the purposes of simplicity, they can be summarised as follows:

(A) students specializing in Music;

(B) students of other specializations.

A) students are expected to govern levels 1, 2, and 3; (B) students are expected to govern levels 1 and 3. (B) students who wish to specialize in Music shall accordingly govern level 2 as well: this implies an additional examination to verify the ability of reading a score.

History of Music is the base for the citizen education, and for students of humanistic area. Special attention will be paid to music listening. Special attention will be paid to music listening. Today, more than ever, in a noisy society invaded by often cheap, trivial music, there is a need to learn techniques for listening consciously. It is necessary to learn how to distinguish the different types of music, understand their aesthetic value and be aware of the compositional processes behind them. A guide to listening, deemed as a guide to the pleasure of music (and of the silence which music presupposes), has a high educational value: a conscious listening activates the processes of perception, enhancing attention and heightening sensitivity; at the same time, it leads students to “listen to” silence as a privileged moment for reflection and for getting in touch with their inner sphere. In this perspective, History of Music is at the base of the citizen education and an indispensable source of culture for Humanities students.

Additional didactic activities will enrich the course such as concerts, conferences, seminars. Students may choose among them those most fitting to their interests and their cultural preparation. Introductory courses on an elementary music level will be planned for students without any notion of music.

This course’s lectures will treat, in summary, the following topics: in the first part, Ludwig van Beethoven; Romantic music; German music in the firts half of Nineteenth century and Franz Schubert; Hector Berlioz; first German opera and Carl Maria von Weber; in the second part, Felix Mendelssohn; Robert Schumann; Frédéric Chopin; Gioachino Rossini; Vincenzo Bellini and Gaetano Donizetti; Giuseppe Verdi; Giacomo Meyerbeer and the grand opéra, Georges Bizet; Richard Wagner; Franz Liszt; Johannes Brahms and Vienna at the end of century; nationalism and cosmopolitanism; Debussy end the music in French at the end of Nineteenth century.

INSTITUTIONAL COURSE

(a) Music of the 19^th century (A, B students)

(b) Music appreciation of a selection of works from 19^th century (A, B students)

(c) In-depth analysis of a selection of scores (with different approaches for students A and B)

 

Readings/Bibliography

- E. Surian, Manuale di Storia della musica, vol. III: L'Ottocento: la musica strumentale e il teatro d'opera (5a ed. rev., Milano, Rugginenti, 2014), and vol. IV: Il Novecento (3a ed. rev., Milano, Rugginenti, 2010), the chapters only 28 e 29 (escluding Stravinskij) [students A e B];

- Storia della musica, Torino, EDT, 2011 (2a ed. expanded, revised and corrected), vol. 8: R. Di Benedetto, Romanticismo e scuole nazionali nell'Ottocento, chap. II, § 7 (The Lied) and 8 (Schubert); chap. III, § 12 (Mendelssohn), 13 (Schumann), 14 (Chopin) e 15 (Liszt); chap. IV, § 17 (Liszt) e 19 (Brahms); and vol. 9: F. Della Seta, L'opera in Italia e in Francia nell'Ottocento, chap. II, § 5 (Rossini); chap. III, § 8 (Berlioz); chap. IV, § 10 (Bellini), 11 (Donizetti) and 12 (Verdi); and chap. V, § 16 (Verdi) [students A];

- M. Carrozzo - C. Cimagalli, Storia della musica occidentale, Roma, Armando, 1999, vol. II: Dal barocco al classicismo viennese, only chap. 31: “Beethoven”, and vol. III: Dal romanticismo alla musica elettronica, only chapters 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 e 40 (excluding the "approfondimenti") [studenti B];

- Lecture Notes a.y. 2017/18, avalaible at Harpo Copy shop (via Barberia, 9) [A and B students (B students will only need elementary technical-musical elements: cf. below)]. For the audio examples, students should visit the Musica e Spettacolo Library (Dipartimento delle Arti, via Barberia 4).

More specifically:

A students (specializing in Music)

For the final examination, A students are expected to know the general outline of History of Music in the 19^th century. Recommended readings are: E. Surian, Manuale di Storia della musica, vol. III: L'Ottocento: la musica strumentale e il teatro d'opera (5a ed. rev., Milano, Rugginenti, 2014), and vol. IV: Il Novecento (3a ed. rev., Milano, Rugginenti, 2010), only chap. 28 and 29 (excluded Stravinskij). The following topics will be in-depth analysed in Storia della musica, Torino, EDT, 2011 (2a ed. expanded, revised and corrected), vol. 8: R. Di Benedetto, Romanticismo e scuole nazionali nell'Ottocento, chap. II, § 7 (The Lied) e 8 (Schubert); chap. III, § 12 (Mendelssohn), 13 (Schumann), 14 (Chopin) e 15 (Liszt); chap. IV, § 17 (Liszt) e 19 (Brahms); e vol. 9: F. Della Seta, L'opera in Italia e in Francia nell'Ottocento, chap. II, § 5 (Rossini); chap. III, § 8 (Berlioz); chap. IV, § 10 (Bellini), 11 (Donizetti) and 12 (Verdi); and chap. V, § 16 (Verdi).

Students are required to be prepared on all the volumes above.

A students are expected to study in detail the Lecture Notes a.y. 2017/18, available at Harpo’s (via Barberia, 9). Basic notions of the Italian versification are required (cf. www.dar.unibo.it/it/attivita-didattica/laurea-e-laurea-magistrale; link for further information, History of Music).

A students are expected to:

- demonstrate their knowledge of the topics treated in the handbook on the History of Music by Surian as well as in Storia della musica EDT;

- demonstrate their knowledge of the materials included in the Lecture Notes and related Appendix, a.y. 2017/18, available at Harpo’s (via Barberia, 9). Students may get some help from Suggestions for listening and analyzing, available at Harpo’s and also on the web site of the Dipartimento delle Arti (www.dar.unibo.it/it/attivita-didattica/laurea-e-laurea-magistrale; link for further information, History of Music);

- to demonstrate a knowledge of the fundamentals of the Italian versification (www.dar.unibo.it/it/attivita-didattica/laurea-e-laurea-magistrale; link for further information, History of Music);

- to report on a music event (lecture, meeting, conference, etc.) they have recently attended to (candidates shall bring along the relevant programs);

- to report on five concerts or performances of Western art music they have recently attended to (candidates shall bring along the relevant concert programs).

To pass this test, students shall: historically contextualize the songs; describe the overall structure or focus only one part (e.g. Sonata, Symphony, or individual movements); critically evaluate the execution: in this regard, they are invited to carefully prepare the listening from a structural, formal and historical-critical point of view before the concert.

B students (other specializations)

For the final examination, B students are expected to know the general outline of History of Music in the 19^th century. Recommended readings: M. Carrozzo - C. Cimagalli, Storia della musica occidentale, Roma, Armando, 1999, vol. II: Dal barocco al classicismo viennese, only chap 31: “Beethoven”, and vol. III: Dal romanticismo alla musica elettronica, chap. 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 e 40 (excluding "approfondimenti").

B students are expected to study in detail the Lecture Notes a.y. 2017/18, available at Harpo’s (via Barberia, 9). Basic notions of Italian versification are required (cf. www.dar.unibo.it/it/attivita-didattica/laurea-e-laurea-magistrale; link for further information, History of Music).

B students are expected to:

- demonstrate their knowledge of the topics dealt with in the handbook by Carrozzo-Cimagalli;

- demonstrate their knowledge of the materials included in the Lecture Notes a.y. 2017/18, available at Harpo’s (via Barberia, 9). Students may get some help from Suggestions for listening and analyzing, available at Harpo’s and also on the web site of the Dipartimento delle Arti (www.dar.unibo.it/it/attivita-didattica/laurea-e-laurea-magistrale; link for further information, History of Music). B students are only required to perform a general-historical outline of authors and compositions; In this case, the final examination will essentially be focused on listening;

- acquire the rudiments of the Italian versification (www.dar.unibo.it/it/attivita-didattica/laurea-e-laurea-magistrale; link for further information, History of Music);

- report on a music event (lecture, meeting, conference, etc.) they have recently attended to (candidates shall bring along the relevant programs);

- report on five concerts or performances of Western art music they have recently attended to (candidates shall bring along the relevant concert programs). To pass this test, students shall: historically contextualize the songs; describe the overall structure or focus only one part (e.g. Sonata, Symphony, or individual movements); critically evaluate the execution: in this regard, they are invited to carefully prepare the listening from a structural, formal and historical-critical point of view before the concert.

N.B. (i): Students who need to make up for exams and who choose 19^th century music, are required to follow this syllabus.

N.B. (ii): DAMS students of other specializations who chose Music shall integrate their final examination with an additional interview based on the Lecture Notes a.y. 2017/18, available at Harpo’s (via Barberia, 9).

N.B. (iii): Students from other Degree courses or Universities, whose previous exams in History of Music have been validated, shall nevertheless take an additional interview on a syllabus agreed with the teacher.

N.B. (iv): until a.y. 2006/07 the courses of ‘Storia della musica I and II’ covered three different historical periodswithin a three-year arch: Middle Ages and Renaissance; 17th and 18th centuries; 19th and 20th centuries. Students who wish to take ‘Storia della musica II’ are required to discuss a program different from that of ‘Storia della musica I’, regardless of the numbering of the course (‘Storia della musica I or II’). This provision applies to the current academic year as well.

N.B. (v): Students of the Degree course in Foreign Languages and Literature who have included in their study plan History of Music with less than 12 credits shall agree a syllabus with the teachers.

N.B. (vi): In order to request validation of History of Music exams taken in other universities (for instance during an Erasmus exchange programme), students shall first submit the syllabus to the teacher.

Teaching methods

Lectures, laboratories based on listening.

Assessment methods

The final examination consists of a written part to be discussed with the teacher; candidates may choose to complement the result of their written part with an interview. In any case, the written part, the discussion and the optional interview will take place within the same day.

Teachers will consider the difficulties faced by foreign students in writing the text of the exam.

The written part will include:

- a question, the answer to which shall contain the correct chronological order of three music compositions: 3 points;

- an open-answer question, requiring a short definition of a notion, genre, style, form (including metrical forms), or the description of a concert or musicological event: max 3 points;

- an open-answer question on the first half of the 19^th century: max 8 points;

- an open-answer question on the second half of the 18^th century: max 8 points;

- an open-answer question on the listening of a piece from the Lecture Notes: max 8 points.

The students find an example of written part on the Teaching Materials website.

The time available is 100 minutes.

Candidates are required to have their institutional password and username (ex.: xxx@studio.unibo.it) to access the on-line exam platform.

N.B. (i): as to the listening part, A students (specializing in Music) are expected to have acquired a detailed knowledge of the author and composition, which they will analyse from a formal-stylistic point of view; B students (other specializations) are expected to make a general-historical outline of the author and composition.

N.B. (ii): all students (A and B) who need to make up for exams will take the final examination in accordance with these provisions.

It will be assessed as excellent the performance of those students achieving an organic vision of the course contents, the use of a proper specific language, a structural and historical-contextual understanding of the pieces studied, the originality of the reflection as well as the familiarity with the tools of analysis of the History of Music from the Eighteenth Century.

It will be assessed as discrete the performance of those students showing mostly mechanical or mnemonic knowledge of the subject, not articulated synthesis and analysis capabilities, a correct but not always appropriate language, as well as a scholastic study of History of Music from the Eighteenth Century. It will be assessed as barely sufficient the performance of those students showing learning gaps, inappropriate language, lack of knowledge of the instruments of History of Music from the Eighteenth Century. It will be assessed as insufficient the performance of those students showing learning gaps, inappropriate language, no orientation within the recommended bibliography and inability to analyse the History of Music from the Eighteenth Century.

Supplementary didactic activities

In a.y. 2017/18 the following didactic activities are planned (some promoted by the Department’s Center “La Soffitta”, and by the musicological society “Il Saggiatore musicale”):

· Elementary courses in musical literacy (for beginners);

· Concerts in the Auditorium of the Laboratori delle Arti, piazzetta P. P. Pasolini 5/b;

· Conferences;

· Seminars (please refer to ‘attività F’).

A detailed calendar of these activities will be communicated during the course; more details are available at the information point of the Dipartimento delle Arti (via Barberia 4) and on the relevant web sites.

Thesis

For Students of the old system (4- or 3-years) and the new system (3 years):

Students who intend to prepare the thesis in History of Music are required to agree with the supervisor an appropriate subject. They will then prepare a short outline of the project (with bibliographic references) and submit it to the supervisor. Once the project has been approved, students will start working on the thesis and report periodically on the study progresses to the supervisor which will designate a second advisor (obligatory for the 4-year system). If the supervisor is not reported about the research within a six-months period, he/she will be free to assign the same subject to a different candidate. The 3-years thesis is different from the old one only for a smaller size (40-50 type-written pages of 30 lines per 60 characters a line).

The pre-requisite for being assigned a thesis is an in-depth knowledge of the Lecture Notes about the criteria for writing a musicological text edited by the teacher and provided on student request.

Useful links

– Biblioteca del Dipartimento delle Arti – sezione Musica e Spettacolo: http://www.dar.unibo.it/it/biblioteca/sezione-di-musica-e-spettacolo/index.html

– “La Soffitta” – Centro di promozione teatrale: http://www.dar.unibo.it/it/ricerca/centri/soffitta

– Associazione culturale «Il Saggiatore musicale»: www.saggiatoremusicale.it

– SagGEM (Gruppo per l'Educazione musicale del «Saggiatore musicale»): http://www.saggiatoremusicale.it/home/il-saggem/

Office hours

See the website of Anna Scalfaro