THEA 141
Opera Fall 2018
Division I
Cross-listed MUS 141
This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

An introduction to the history of opera, from the genre’s birth c. 1600 to the present. At various points in its 400-year development, opera has been considered the highest synthesis of the arts, a vehicle for the social elite, or a form of popular entertainment. Opera’s position in European cultural history will be a primary focus of our inquiry. We will also study the intriguing relationship between text and music, aspects of performance and production, and the artistic and social conventions of the operatic world. The multidimensional nature of opera invites a variety of analytical and critical perspectives, including those of music analysis, literary studies, feminist interpretations, and political and sociological approaches. Works to be considered include operas by Monteverdi, Lully, Charpentier, Handel, Gluck, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi, Wagner, Bizet, Puccini, Strauss, Berg, Britten, Glass and Adams. This course may involve a trip to the Metropolitan Opera.
The Class: Format: lecture/discussion
Limit: 30
Expected: 20
Class#: 1898
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: evaluation will be based on a midterm, a brief paper, an 8-page paper, and a final exam
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment Preferences: none
Distributions: Division I
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
THEA 141 Division I MUS 141 Division I

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