History of Orchestral Music

Catalog description

In this course, students will examine the repertory of orchestral music from the mid-eighteenth century to the early twentieth century. The symphony will be the focus; other orchestral genres such as the symphonic poem and music drama will be considered when pertinent to the development of orchestral music. Students will focus on score study and listening in order to develop skills of musical and stylistic analysis with reference to orchestral music, emphasizing aspects such as instrumentation, orchestration, texture, and form to show the evolution of orchestral music into the twentieth century.