MUS 12
"Wherefore Art Thou?": Musical Explorations of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Last Offered n/a

This course is not offered in the current catalog

Class Details

The story of star-crossed lovers is surely the Shakespearean story best established in popular culture. Besides the romance and tragedy which it first brings to mind, the play Romeo and Juliet mixes low comedy, combat, songs, clowns, intrigue, and social commentary. Such a popular play has invited numerous and diverse musical treatments for over two centuries, with composers seizing on various facets of the play according to their times and temperament. We will begin with a reading of the play itself, and then examine diverse treatments of the narrative including the dramatic symphony by Berlioz; selected scenes from romantic operas by Bellini, Gounod, and Delius; the orchestral overture by Tchaikovsky, the ballet by Prokofiev, incidental music by Duke Ellington, and the Broadway musical West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein. We will also consider film adapations of the story, including the 1936 version directed by George Cukor and the 1996 film directed by Baz Luhrmann, with special attention to the cinematic use of music.
The Class: Format: wsp project
Limit: 20
Expected: 20
Class#: 0
Grading:
Requirements/Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on class attendance and participation; and a 10-page paper
Extra Info: meeting time three two-hour morning meetings per week
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment Preferences: preference to first-years and sophomores
Materials/Lab Fee: Cost to student $20 reading packet.

Class Grid

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