Special Topics in Music History: Introduction to 20th century music

General Foundation

Through this course, students are expected to: * Develop a personal understanding and critical appreciation of the changes brought onto musical life, and onto music's relationship with everyday life, during the 20th century • Familiarise themselves with a broad spectrum of repertoire from the last 100+ years • Broaden their general knowledge and appreciation of knowledge fields that are related to music, including fine arts, literature, social history and philosophy • Develop basic skills for individual study and research, as well as for group discussion on key topics

The course is aimed primarily at prospective composition students (for whom it is compulsory) but can also be taken up by any student who would like to get acquainted with the heterogeneous musical legacy of the last century, and to be able to articulate informed judgments concerning terms such as "avant-garde", "modern", "contemporary", "experimental" or "post-modern" music. We will primarily focus on listening and discussing renowned as well as more obscure works which opened up new paths for composers and performers alike, and which made their mark on the troubled history of the last century or were defined by it. COURSE OUTLINE 1. Introduction: The world before and after the 20th century 2. The breakdown of tonality 3. Texture & Timbre 4. Time & Rhythm 5. Structure & Form 6. «New Music» 7. Noise 8. In dialogue with the other arts 9. Space & matter 10. New technologies & new practices 11. Ideology & Politics 12. The Music Industry

17-06-2013