MUS 179
Paris, Music Capital of the Nineteenth Century Spring 2019
Division I
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During the nineteenth century, writers and artists represented Parisian city life to an unprecedented degree. While Balzac, Baudelaire, Cassatt, Flaubert, and Manet captured urban activity through word and image, composers such as Berlioz, Offenbach, and Verdi turned to the Parisian soundscape to articulate what it meant to be a modern, urban citizen. This course explores the ways in which social, political, and urban developments impacted musical life in the “City of Light.” By examining a diverse array of musical, literary, and visual sources, we will investigate how and why Paris became the epicenter of aesthetic movements such as romanticism, realism, and modernism. We will also pay close attention to how composers and musicians themselves dealt with rapid changes to the French metropolis by studying excerpts from newspaper criticism, memoirs, letters, song texts, and operetta libretti. Course readings will include testimonies of nineteenth-century Parisians as well as more recent work in art history, music, and urban studies. Knowledge of music notation and French is not required, but is a welcome bonus.
The Class: Format: lecture/discussion
Limit: 20
Expected: 15
Class#: 3888
Grading: no pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: based on participation, two 3-5-page response papers, and one 8-page final research paper
Extra Info: may not be taken on a pass/fail basis
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment Preferences: students with a demonstrated interest in music, art history, and/or French literature
Unit Notes: this course counts as an elective for French and French Studies majors
Distributions: Division I

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