MUS 136(S) Bach and Handel: Their Music in High Baroque Culture
An exploration of the lives and music of the two leading composers of the High
Baroque: Johann Sebastian Bach and George Friedrich Handel. Their
contrasting life experiences and musical preoccupations will be set within the
social and cultural framework of the period: Bach as a provincial composer,
servant to minor German aristocrats and the Lutheran church, virtuoso organist
and pedagogue; Handel as a cosmopolitan celebrity and entrepreneur, creator of
operatic and instrumental entertainments for English royalty.
Evaluation will be based on several quizzes, short papers, and a final exam.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 12).