MUS 113(F) Free Music, Free Speech: Experimental Musics of the 1960s
This course examines the musical developments of the 1960s in relation to dominant social themes concerning freedom of expression, racial and gender equality, youth counterculture, and social activism. Composers and musicians of this decade aspired to greater expressive freedom by transgressing conventional genre distinctions and exploring new sonic, textual, and electronic sources, furthermore presenting these soundscapes theatrically in venues outside the traditional concert hall. What was the relationship of musical change to social change, and to what extent did musical artists assume a social responsibility that brought these activities into closer association? We will examine how composers and musicians in the United States and Europe talked about their music and how they transformed their ideas into meaningful sonic practices. Examples are drawn from experimental music (John Cage, Yoko Ono, Frank Zappa), free improvisation (Ornette Coleman, Scratch Orchestra, Sun Ra), psychedelia (The Doors, Brian Wilson, Pink Floyd), and minimalism (La Monte Young, Terry Riley).
Format: lecture/discussion, two meetings per week. Evaluation based on two short papers and longer final paper.
No prerequisites or musical experience necessary. Enrollment limit: 12.
Hour: KIM