Topics in Music History and Culture: Music History Mysteries and Debates

This course explores debates, controversies, and paradigm shifts that have shaped the way we understand music history and why it matters in the present. Each case study will also immerse us in a variety of music and cultural contexts, from symphonies to the singing voice, and from Bach to Broadway. We'll learn to critically engage with debates within the humanities, as well as with a wide range of musics, and to think about how they can enrich our own experiences as musicians and listeners. Examples include: How much should the biography of a composer or performer matter for interpreting their music? Why does some music become "classic," and other music become marginalized-and what does it take to explore music beyond the canon? Who gets to decide what works of music "mean" as political or cultural statements, and can we ever settle that question? How did composers of the past expect their music to be performed, and should it matter in the present day? And, how should we approach works of music whose messages we consider highly problematic?
Course Attributes: AS HUM; EN H; BU Hum

Topics in Music History and Culture: Music History Mysteries and Debates

MUSIC 3016

Section 01