MUS 115(F) Introduction to Twentieth-Century Music
Twentieth-century Euro-American art music involved a persistent exploration of
the limits of musical possibility. Encounters with this music often challenge our
ears and musical minds and require us to reconsider fundamental conceptions of
music itself. Throughout the course, we will investigate in what ways the basic
elements of music (e.g., harmonic organization, rhythm, timbre, instrumentation
and performance conventions) were extended and revolutionized. Topics and
styles to be discussed include: atonality, expressionism, twelve-tone techniques,
neoclassicism, electronic and computer music, stochastic music, minimalism,
and neoromanticism. We will also consider the music of this century in relation
to contemporary developments in the other arts and to popular musical styles.
The syllabus will include works by such composers as Debussy, Mahler,
Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Webern, Bartók, Weill, Milhaud, Shostakovich, Ives,
Copland, Babbitt, Stockhausen, Messiaen, Boulez, Berio, Cage, Górecki, Glass,
Gubaidulina, and Tower.
Format: lecture/discussion. Evaluation will be based on two tests, two short
papers, and a final exam.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 12).