MHMUS 425 — Eighteenth-Century Works, Sources, and Contexts

3 credits
Spring
Frederic Fehleisen

Prerequiste:MHMUS 311 . This course explores three major 18th-century works—J. S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Handel’s Messiah, and Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro—and the documentary evidence that defines their musical and cultural contexts, thus offering students opportunities to expand their artistic knowledge, develop new skills, and enrich their outlook. In each case, students will analyze the composer’s manuscripts, early handwritten copies, and prints, as well as survey recent scholarly literature. During these explorations, students will learn to “read” handwritten sources and printed editions, and how to find their way through changing versions that were created by the composers. Requirements will include several short papers and analytical studies of sources, and, in the case of the first two works, students will have the unique opportunity of working with both autograph scores and complete sets of original performing parts.