Course Description
Survey the development of Western classical music from the Christian plainchants
of the late Roman Empire to the 1607 premier of Claudio Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, music's
first great opera. Learn of developments in melody, harmony, and musical notation, as
well as many genres, both sacred and secular, including chansons, motets, madrigals, and
the mass ordinary.
Experience the music of over a dozen composers including Hildegard of Bingen,
Guillaume de Machaut, Josquin des Prez, and Giovanni Palestrina. Learn of medieval
troubadours and their songs of courtly love, how Renaissance humanism affected 16th
century music, and how changes in Late Renaissance music led to the Baroque era.
Understand how historical events like the rise of the Carolingian Empire, the Hundred
Years' war, and the Reformation and Counter-Reformation affected music history.
Audio recordings and performance videos compliment instructor talks. Class
discussion is encouraged.
Course Syllabus
Day 1 - Music of the Middle Ages c. 400 - 1400
Day 2 - Renaissance Music c. 1400 - 1600
