GRMUS H630 — Vienna: Music in Cultural Context, Part I (1815-1890)

2 credits
Summer
Aaron Wunsch

Vienna was home to many great composers, but what role did the city’s social, political, and artistic culture play in their lives and music? Class discussions will place Viennese musical works in cultural context in order to shed new light on their interpretation. The class will examine the composers who lived in Vienna during this period: Beethoven, Schubert, Rossini, Paganini, Schumann, Clara Wieck, Liszt, Brahms, and Bruckner. Multimedia presentations on historical events, social changes, political movements, art, architecture, and concert life will frame the discussion of selected works, and students will research and present works of their choice in cultural context under the guidance of the instructor.