Music 220 - History of Opera

(Offered as MUSI 220 and HIST 220) History of Opera traces opera from its beginnings as a late-Renaissance experiment in re-creating Greek drama to its incarnations in works of the present day. Subjects covered will include genres such as opera buffa and opera seria, concepts such as bel canto, Gesamtkunstwerk, and verismo. The primary focus of the class will be on opera from the so-called common-practice period beginning with works by Mozart through those by nineteenth-century composers such as Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Bizet, and Wagner, and ending with Puccini in the early twentieth century. After an historical overview of operatic styles, we will have an in-depth look at a few operatic masterpieces (likely Bizet’s Carmen, Puccini’s La Boheme, and Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress). Students will be required to participate in group presentations on operas of their choosing.  In 2017-18 Music 220 may be used to fulfill the major requirement for a course in Western Music and Culture.

Requisite: MUSI 112 or 113 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 45 students. Fall semester. Professor Schneider.