Music History at SCE
Fredericka King
Stratis Minakakis‡
Hermann Hudde
‡ also College faculty
Certificate Programs
A Certificate of Merit is available in Music History. Check out our Certificates page for more information.
Classes
The History of Western Music I:
From the 9th through the early 18th Centuries
Fredericka King, Instructor
Thursdays 6:00 - 8:00 pm
2 Credits: $1500
Non-credit: $990
FALL SEMESTER ONLY
The recorded history of music in Christianized Europe begins with the notation of sacred chant in the 9th century. The development of that repertory over the next several centuries laid the foundations on which the composition of music, sacred and secular, was based for generations to come. We will trace in this class the course of music's development from its long gestation in the bosom of the Church through its phases of courtly and aristocratic patronage, stopping at the Enlightenment. The focus of study will center on the changes of musical style that occurred over time, and on the social-cultural circumstances that engendered those changes. Among the composers to be studied: Perotin, Machaut, Dufay, Josquin, Palestrina, Monteverdi, Lully, Corelli, Bach, and Handel. There will be a mid-term and final exam, and one written critique of an assigned reading.
The History of Western Music II: From the Enlightenment to Recent Times
Fredericka King, Instructor
Thursdays 6:00 - 8:00 pm
2 Credits: $1500
Non-credit: $990
SPRING SEMESTER ONLY
Many of the notions we hold today regarding music and its role in society are rooted in ideas that emerged in the Enlightenment of the 18th century. We will begin with a close study of those ideas and the music it fostered, then follow the rise of music to its preeminent role among the arts in the 19th century. Finally, we will explore the alternative paths composers pursued following the rupture with tonality and with conventional views on music at the start of the 20th century. Works from Bach to Babbitt will be included in our survey. There will be a mid-term and final exam, and one short writing assignment--optional for non-credit students.