Music 312 is designed to introduce the student who already owns a basic knowledge in music, to focus on one of the most characteristic aspects of European culture: VOCAL music. This term, we will cover samples of the repertory from a very important, and "very Italian" vocal genre, that is to say OPERA, from its premises and beginnings till today. We will see how the use of human voice is constantly changing its musical functions, style and techniques depending on key-factors like time, place, and local culture.
We will possibly go beyond these boundaries in order to explore larger influences depending on either liturgical, vernacular or extra-European folk roots.
Prerequisites:
Basic Musicianship and/or one Music Appreciation Course
Additional requirements:
REQUIRED LISTENINGS: Operatic scores, VHS, CDs and tapes of the teacher, on reserve at the IES Office.
Method of presentation:
Lectures, video watching, Score Analysis, CD Listening, CD Rom, Field Studies at Opera / Concert events
Required work and form of assessment:
Research Paper (15%)
Attendance (20%)
Midterm (25%)
Final (40%)
content:
The course will be taught in a sequence that will lead towards more advanced procedures of musical and cultural. This course requires constant attention and a critical reaction to all the music we hear, the texts we read, the videos we watch and the performances we attend. Therefore, attendance is required.
The course-packet readings should be read during the semester in order to gain a historical perspective of all the topics covered. Students will have the opportunity to deepen one or more operatic topics of their choice by filing a research paper. The teacher will inform students about the existing resources at local libraries, museums, archives. Deadlines for submitting these personal works will be announced in class.
Short quizzes may be given periodically: these are primarily designed for my own benefit, to ensure that I am teaching you clearly and cogently, but they also give you an idea about what is required of your examinations.
1. Beginnings of Opera
Reading: Grout, II; Kerman, II
Listening: Selections from operas of Monteverdi, Purcell
2. Genres of opera in Europa in 18th century
Reading: Grout, III, 13-16; Kerman, III-IV
Listening: Selections from operas of “Scuola napoletana”, Händel, Gluck.
3. Opera during classic era in Wien
Reading: Grout, III, 17-IV, 1; Kerman: V;
Listening: Selections from Haydn’s, Mozart’s and Beethoven’s operas
4. The 19th century in Italy
Reading: Grout, IV, 21, 24; Kerman, VI;
Listening: Selections from Rossini’s, Bellini’s, Donizetti’s, Verdi’s and Puccini’s works
The 19th century in Germany
Reading: Grout, IV, 22-24; Kerman, VIII
Listening: Selection from operas of Weber, from operas and dramas of Wagner and samples from R. Strauss’s Salome
Mid-term examination
The 19th century in French and Russia
Reading: Grout, IV, 19-20, 24-25;
Listening: Selections from Berlioz’s, Gounod’s, Bizet’s, Musorgskij’s and Cajkovskij’s operas
The turn of the centuries: Expressionist and Impressionist Opera
Reading: Grout, V, 26; Kerman, VII
Listening: Selections from operas of Schönberg, Berg, Bartók, Debussy, Ravel
Newclassics operas in 20th century
Reading: Grout, V, 27; Kerman, IX
Listening: Operas by R. Strauss and Stravinskij
The 2nd part of 20th century: new musical theatre of vanguard
Reading: Oxford History of Opera by Roger Parker, Chapter IX
Listening: Selections from Zimmermann’s, Stockhausen, Nono’s, Bussotti’s and Berio’s works
Monographic Part: Analysis of Turandot by Puccini/Alfano
Reading: Bibliography shall be published later
Listening: Excerpts from opera
Monographic Part: Analysis of Turandot by Puccini/Berio
Reading: Bibliography shall be published later
Listening: Excerpts from opera
Meeting: Riccardo Chailly, principal conductor of Orchestra Verdi di Milano and first performer of “New Turandot” speaks on its final completed by Luciano Berio
Final examination Covering the whole program
Required readings:
Donald Jay Grout, A Short History of Opera
Joseph Kerman, Opera as Drama; Listen
Librettos and synopsis from La Scala's program-notes
Donald Jay Grout, A short history of opera, Columbia University Press, New York and London 1965.
Joseph Kerman, Opera as Drama, University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles 1988 (revised edition).
Marco Uvietta, Puccini’s Turandot, in AA.VV., Turandot, Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam 2002.
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Francesco Maria Colombo conducted hundreds of symphonic concerts and operatic productions in Italy, US, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Germany, Spain, Hungary, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Corea, Japan, and performed as concert pianist at the same time. He was juror at Busoni and La Fenice Piano Competitions. He celebrated the Italian bank holiday in 2010 by offering a symphonic concert to the President of Italian Republic. He conducted 20 discovery-concerts with the Orchestra Verdi in Milan, dedicated to XX Century, tv-broadcasted in Italy for three years. He conducted the world first recording of De Sabata's "Mille e una notte" (Universal). As a musicologist he published countless essays for all the main musical institutions in Italy (Scala, Rai, Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Maggio Musicale etc), and he served for 10 years as culture columnist and music critic for the main Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera. He curated and prefaced books for Einaudi, Longanesi, Mondadori, among them the German-Italian edition of Thomas Mann's Tonio Kröger.
Music 312 is designed to introduce the student who already owns a basic knowledge in music, to focus on one of the most characteristic aspects of European culture: VOCAL music. This term, we will cover samples of the repertory from a very important, and "very Italian" vocal genre, that is to say OPERA, from its premises and beginnings till today. We will see how the use of human voice is constantly changing its musical functions, style and techniques depending on key-factors like time, place, and local culture.
We will possibly go beyond these boundaries in order to explore larger influences depending on either liturgical, vernacular or extra-European folk roots.
Basic Musicianship and/or one Music Appreciation Course
REQUIRED LISTENINGS: Operatic scores, VHS, CDs and tapes of the teacher, on reserve at the IES Office.
Lectures, video watching, Score Analysis, CD Listening, CD Rom, Field Studies at Opera / Concert events
Research Paper (15%)
Attendance (20%)
Midterm (25%)
Final (40%)
The course will be taught in a sequence that will lead towards more advanced procedures of musical and cultural. This course requires constant attention and a critical reaction to all the music we hear, the texts we read, the videos we watch and the performances we attend. Therefore, attendance is required.
The course-packet readings should be read during the semester in order to gain a historical perspective of all the topics covered. Students will have the opportunity to deepen one or more operatic topics of their choice by filing a research paper. The teacher will inform students about the existing resources at local libraries, museums, archives. Deadlines for submitting these personal works will be announced in class.
Short quizzes may be given periodically: these are primarily designed for my own benefit, to ensure that I am teaching you clearly and cogently, but they also give you an idea about what is required of your examinations.
1. Beginnings of Opera
Reading: Grout, II; Kerman, II
Listening: Selections from operas of Monteverdi, Purcell
2. Genres of opera in Europa in 18th century
Reading: Grout, III, 13-16; Kerman, III-IV
Listening: Selections from operas of “Scuola napoletana”, Händel, Gluck.
3. Opera during classic era in Wien
Reading: Grout, III, 17-IV, 1; Kerman: V;
Listening: Selections from Haydn’s, Mozart’s and Beethoven’s operas
4. The 19th century in Italy
Reading: Grout, IV, 21, 24; Kerman, VI;
Listening: Selections from Rossini’s, Bellini’s, Donizetti’s, Verdi’s and Puccini’s works
Reading: Grout, IV, 22-24; Kerman, VIII
Listening: Selection from operas of Weber, from operas and dramas of Wagner and samples from R. Strauss’s Salome
Mid-term examination
Reading: Grout, IV, 19-20, 24-25;
Listening: Selections from Berlioz’s, Gounod’s, Bizet’s, Musorgskij’s and Cajkovskij’s operas
Reading: Grout, V, 26; Kerman, VII
Listening: Selections from operas of Schönberg, Berg, Bartók, Debussy, Ravel
Reading: Grout, V, 27; Kerman, IX
Listening: Operas by R. Strauss and Stravinskij
Reading: Oxford History of Opera by Roger Parker, Chapter IX
Listening: Selections from Zimmermann’s, Stockhausen, Nono’s, Bussotti’s and Berio’s works
Reading: Bibliography shall be published later
Listening: Excerpts from opera
Reading: Bibliography shall be published later
Listening: Excerpts from opera
Meeting: Riccardo Chailly, principal conductor of Orchestra Verdi di Milano and first performer of “New Turandot” speaks on its final completed by Luciano Berio
Final examination Covering the whole program
Donald Jay Grout, A Short History of Opera
Joseph Kerman, Opera as Drama; Listen
Librettos and synopsis from La Scala's program-notes
Enrico Girardi, Guida all’Ascolto dell’Opera, Feltrinelli Edition
Donald Jay Grout, A short history of opera, Columbia University Press, New York and London 1965.
Joseph Kerman, Opera as Drama, University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles 1988 (revised edition).
Marco Uvietta, Puccini’s Turandot, in AA.VV., Turandot, Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam 2002.
Francesco Maria Colombo conducted hundreds of symphonic concerts and operatic productions in Italy, US, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Germany, Spain, Hungary, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Corea, Japan, and performed as concert pianist at the same time. He was juror at Busoni and La Fenice Piano Competitions. He celebrated the Italian bank holiday in 2010 by offering a symphonic concert to the President of Italian Republic. He conducted 20 discovery-concerts with the Orchestra Verdi in Milan, dedicated to XX Century, tv-broadcasted in Italy for three years. He conducted the world first recording of De Sabata's "Mille e una notte" (Universal). As a musicologist he published countless essays for all the main musical institutions in Italy (Scala, Rai, Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Maggio Musicale etc), and he served for 10 years as culture columnist and music critic for the main Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera. He curated and prefaced books for Einaudi, Longanesi, Mondadori, among them the German-Italian edition of Thomas Mann's Tonio Kröger.