Time Schedule:
George S Bozarth
RELIG 490
Seattle Campus
Topics vary with each offering.
Class description
"The Golden Age of Church Music" is how these eight centuries of European history have been characterized. Our explorations will take us from the cloistered monasteries and convents and the towering urban catherdrals of medieval France, to Renaissance Rome and Venice, the fermenting lands of the Lutheran Reformation, the Rome of the Counter-Reformation, the lavish churches of the vibrant Baroque, and the city of music, Vienna in the late 18th century. On the way we will meet such fascinating musical figures as the medieval visionary Hildegard of Bingen, the Franco-Flemish master Josquin des Prez (whose music was Luther's favorite), the Catholic religious dramatist Carissimi, the Lutheran titan Bach, the ever-popular Handel of the +Messiah+, the fun-loving Haydn of +The Creation+, and the genius Mozart, whose Requiem inspired millions world-wide on the first anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Classes will be conducted as a senior seminar of lecture/discussions and will be richly illustrated with recorded musical examples and slides. Assignments will include both reading and listening.
Recommended preparation
Previous music background is not required; we will learn what we need about music, as we go.
Class assignments and grading
Grades will be based on class participation and several written projects.
