The Golden Age of Piano Music

Catalog description

This course will survey some of the great literature for piano with a special emphasis on specific works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Weber, Chopin, and Brahms; we will explore piano repertoire from the 20 th and 21 st centuries as well. In addition to hearing performances of this music we will discuss our subjective responses to the music and also study the historical context and the architectural structure of the pieces, with an emphasis on sonata allegro form, minuet and trio form, and variation form. The course will include some discussion of the history of keyboard instruments, the great pianists, and some basic music theory. The piano in the context of duets, chamber music, and the concerto will also be discussed, and both student and faculty guests will come in to demonstrate this ensemble music. The course is designed to be integrated into the specific concert offerings at the University each term, and attendance at certain concerts of music for piano is mandatory. Near the end of the term we will devote some time to the music of today and the keyboard outside of the realm of classical music. Students will give presentations on a piece of their choosing (that includes keyboard of some type) and discuss it for the class in terms of the language learned during the course of the semester.