Time Schedule:
Gwynne K. Brown
MUHST 497
Seattle Campus
Topics vary each quarter. Prerequisite: 2.0 in MUHST 210; 2.0 in MUSIC 303; 2.0 in MUSIC 306.
Class description
We'll be looking at five operas from the first third of the 20th century from a variety of angles: text setting, musical style and structure, historical context, drama, characterization, and meaning, with a special focus on the question of how each work explores questions of morality. The five operas are: Richard Strauss, _Elektra_; Alban Berg, _Wozzeck_, Giacomo Puccini, _Turandot_; George Gershwin, _Porgy and Bess_; Kurt Weill, _The Threepenny Opera_.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Lecture and discussion (including some student-directed).
Recommended preparation
Some familiarity with the basics of opera will be helpful.
Class assignments and grading
Daily reading and listening assignments, to be discussed in class. One term paper.
