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Seasons
46. Early 20th-Century Modernism
November 1, 2023
This lecture explores early 20th-century modernism with an examination of the life and music of Claude Debussy. We discuss the increasing French cultivation of the French language in the arts, both visual and musical. We observe and analyze the music of Claude Debussy, a French-language-inspired music that represented an extraordinary break with the past in compositional and expressive content.
45. An Introduction to Early 20th-Century Modernism
November 1, 2023
Survey musical and expressive trends from the Baroque era through the late 19th century. With an expressive language pressed to the breaking point, with a new scientific and technological world at hand, and the thrill of a new century about them, will the best young composers be content to work within the same melodic and harmonic language as their great-great-grandfathers?
44. Russian Nationalism
November 1, 2023
Russia's entry into the greater European community as a result of the defeat of Napoleon and the Decembrist Revolution of 1825 are discussed, as is the growing conviction that the language and native music of Russia were capable of the highest artistic expression. The music and ideas of the Russian Five are discussed, with special emphasis on Rimsky-Korsakov and his Russian Easter Overture.
43. Romantic-era Musical Nationalism
November 1, 2023
This lecture examines the trend of folkloric musical nationalism during the second half of the 19th century with a brief history, followed by a discussion of musical exoticism. Ultimately, the lecture turns to Franz Liszt, perhaps the most representative instrumental virtuoso/composer of the 19th century, and his composition Totentanz.
41. The Concert Overture, Part 1
November 1, 2023
We return to the realm of instrumental music, specifically late 19th-century orchestral program music. We will define and discuss major genres of 19th-century orchestral program music and Shakespeare's importance to 19th-century music. We introduce the life and personality of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky and conclude with an in-depth examination of his Overture-Fantasy to Romeo and Juliet.
37. 19th-Century Italian Opera
November 1, 2023
In this lecture, early 19th-century Italian opera is examined as a popular art, the product of a highly profitable media industry. The style of this opera is called bel canto; its essential composers were Gaetano Donizetti, Vincenzo Bellini, and Gioacchino Rossini. Rossini's opera Il Barbieri de Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), is used as an example of the bel canto style.
35. The Program Symphony
November 1, 2023
Hector Berlioz's Symphony Fantastique combines his four great loves: the drama of Shakespeare, the musical storytelling of opera, the symphonic genre of Beethoven, and himself. We examine the gestation of the symphony, the fixed melodic idea that is heard in each movement and that represents the "beloved image," and the final two movements.
34. Formal Challenges and Solutions in Early Romantic Music
November 1, 2023
This lecture explores a paradox encountered by many early Romantic composers: the spontaneity and creative freedom of the composer being at odds with the preordained musical form. This lecture discusses the formal solutions embraced by composers who chose to abandon Classical form, and focuses on two miniatures. Works by Franz Schubert and Fr
33. Introduction to Romanticism
November 1, 2023
This lecture introduces the Romantic era and examines the legacy of Beethoven's vision of music as self-expression. Finally, we introduce and examine four Romantic trends that will be studied in detail over the next few lectures.
32. Beethoven's Symphony no. 5 in C Minor, op. 67, Part 2
November 1, 2023
Lecture 32 continues describing Beethoven's mature compositional innovations and artistic beliefs through the example of his Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67 (1808). We rapidly but vigorously examine his Symphony No. 5, paying special attention to his idiosyncratic use of Classical musical form and his remarkable motivic development.
30. The French Revolution and an Introduction to Beethoven
November 1, 2023
In comparing Haydn's Symphony No. 88 and Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, we emphasize the fact that Beethoven's symphony does not reflect a period style but is, rather, a self-referential art work. We explore Beethoven's early life and progressive hearing disability to understand the sources of his rage, alienation, and independence.
28. Classical-era Opera
November 1, 2023
Explore the development of Classical opera buffa: the ideal operatic genre for the Classical era's more realistic plots, more "natural" music, and more common characters, over the Baroque era's formulaic nature in opera seria and the domination of these operas by singers and virtuosic singing. Finally, we will sample Giovanni Battista Pergolesi's opera La Serva Padrona.
27. The Solo Concerto
November 1, 2023
We discuss the perfection of the violin family and the invention of the piano during the Baroque era, primary instruments for the concerto repertoire during the Classical era. We discuss the invention of the piano and compare the sound of an early piano to a harpsichord. The first movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major is examined.
26. The Symphony
November 1, 2023
This lecture explores the Classical symphony as both an orchestral genre and a social phenomena. The Baroque antecedents of symphony are described and discussed; a Baroque, Italian-style overture by Handel is compared directly to an early Classical symphony by Johann Stamitz. We then examine the tremendous influence of opera on the genre of symphony.
18. The Viennese Classical Style, Homophony, and the Cadence
November 1, 2023
This lecture seeks to further build listening skills and vocabulary regarding cadence, or musical punctuation. The four cadence types are defined, demonstrated, and discussed. We examine the geographical and social importance of the city of Vienna for the origin of the Classical style.
17. The Enlightenment and an Introduction to the Classical Era
November 1, 2023
This lecture introduces the Age of Enlightenment and its impact on musical style. The dramatic difference between the music of the late Baroque and Classical eras is brought into high relief
16. Ritornello Form and the Baroque Concerto
November 1, 2023
Focus now on ritornello form and the Baroque concerto. We first differentiate between chamber and orchestral music. Next, we discuss the degree to which the opera house was responsible for the development of the orchestra, as well as genres such as overture, suite, and concerto. The three types of high Baroque concerti are also defined and discussed.
15. Passacaglia
November 1, 2023
We introduce the concept of instrumental musical form
14. The Lutheran Church Cantata
November 1, 2023
This lecture continues the examination of Baroque sacred music, focusing now on the Lutheran church cantata, which evolved as a musical commentary on a particular Bible reading. We also examine the operatic ideals of the Lutheran librettist Erdman Neumeister, and Johann Sebastian Bach's Cantata No. 140.
13. The Oratorio
November 1, 2023
his lecture introduces the oratorio and Lutheran Church cantata, and briefly discusses and defines the Baroque Mass, Magnificat, Passion, and sacred Motet as well. The oratorio is then examined in detail, from its modest beginnings as a musical setting of some Biblical text through its growing popularity as an operalike entertainment.
11. Baroque Opera, Part 1
November 1, 2023
We discuss the evolution of opera from the late Renaissance through the early Baroque. Believing that ancient Greek drama was entirely sung, members of the Florentine Camerata sought to create their own music dramas, and, in doing so, they invented opera around the year 1600. These lectures discuss two early operas and demonstrates their musical content.
10. Fugue
November 1, 2023
Drawing on fugues by Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel, this lecture introduces and examines the parts of a fugue: the exposition, subject restatements, and episodes. This lecture also seeks to define and discuss the various tuning systems used up to and during the Baroque era.
9. National Styles
November 1, 2023
This lecture describes the rise of German music during the Baroque. The Protestant Reformation put a new emphasis on the German language in worship, and the music with it followed the idiosyncratic cadences of the German language, as opposed to Latin/Italian. We also explore the Lutheran view of music and composition as a spiritual act, a view that altered the history and nature of German music.
8. Style Features of Baroque-era Music
November 1, 2023
In this lecture, we build listening skills and a descriptive vocabulary and discuss style and features of Baroque music. Essential musical elements as pulse, meter, scales, and harmony are examined in light of the Baroque predilection for scientific investigation, systemic organization and codification.
7. An Introduction to the Baroque Era
November 1, 2023
This lecture introduces the brilliant and exuberant Baroque era. We differentiate between the measured elegance of Renaissance music and the extravagant emotionalism of Baroque music. Special attention is paid to the scientific and investigative spirit of the Baroque and its impact on the arts of the era.
6. The Madrigal
November 1, 2023
This lecture focuses on the madrigal, the most important genre of Italian secular music of the late Renaissance. Examine the heightened poetic content of the madrigal and the Petrarchian revival. Then examine the role played by word-painting in the genre of the madrigal. Three madrigals are examined for the progressive development of the genre.
5. The Renaissance Mass
November 1, 2023
This lecture introduces the mass as the most important compositional genre of the Renaissance. The mass itself is defined and the ceremony is discussed in detail, in particular the nature and content of the Proper and Ordinary. We then examine the Renaissance musical setting of the Ordinary of the mass and the three types of Renaissance masses.
4. Introduction to the Renaissance
November 1, 2023
This lecture examines the impact of the rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman culture on Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. Important Renaissance trends are defined and discussed. The ancient Greek ideal of music as a humanistic art powerfully influenced the music of the Renaissance, an influence that is examined both theoretically and musically (through the works of Josquin des Prez).
3. The Middle Ages
November 1, 2023
This lecture focuses on the changing role of music in the medieval world. First we examine the liturgical plainchant and its musical characteristics. The rebirth of Europe during the High Middle Ages and the attendant development of polyphony are examined. Finally, we explore the violent disruptions of the 14th century and their affects on the arts and music of the time.
2. Sources
November 1, 2023
This lecture introduces the ancient world as a 4,000-year period of extraordinary cultural richness and variety. We discuss the cyclical, rather than linear, nature of art and music. Ultimately, this lecture focuses on the role of music in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds and concludes with a brief examination of the role of music in the early Christian Church.
1. Music as a Mirror
November 1, 2023
This opening lecture introduces themes, concepts, and terminology that will be used throughout the series. Important definitions and distinctions are discussed, including: concert music, classical music, popular music, and Western music. Lastly, using Ludwig van Beethoven as an example, the composer is discussed as a person describing some aspect or aspects of his life and world in his music.
Description
Professor Robert Greenberg takes you inside magnificent compositions by Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Verdi, Wagner, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, and more. After this course, you will never listen to music the same way again.
How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, 3rd Edition is a series that ran for 1 seasons (31 episodes) between November 1, 2023 and on The Great Courses
Where to Watch How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, 3rd Edition
How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, 3rd Edition is available for streaming on the The Great Courses website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, 3rd Edition on demand at Amazon Prime and Amazon.
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Premiere DateNovember 1, 2023
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