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Topics in 19th Century Music (354-0-2)

Topic

French Opera

Instructors

Jesse Rosenberg
847/467-2033
j-rosenberg1@northwestern.edu
Specialist in 19th- and 20th-century Italian opera, with articles published on Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, and Verdi; papers read at national and international conferences on opera and film music history. Research interests in musical aesthetics and the convergence of music with fields such as literature, poetry, and theology. Contributor, New Grove Dictionary of Opera (Macmillan, 1992), Pipers Enzyclopädie des Musiktheaters (Pipers, 1996), New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (Macmillan, 2000). Outstanding Dissertation Award and Excellence in Teaching Award, New York University. Faculty Honor Roll, Northwestern University.

Meeting Info

RCMA Lower Level 111: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

By the late 18th century, the field opera in Paris had been largely conquered by non-French composers such as Gluck, Piccinni, Sacchini, Salieri, and Cherubini. This foreign "occupation" continues well into the 19th century, but by the second half of that century begins to yield to a vigorous new school of French composers who created a series of extraordinarily successful works. Some of these (Bizet's Carmen) are still popular today, others have faded somewhat (Gounod's Faust, Massenet's Manon), and still others have virtually vanished from the repertoire (Mignon by Ambroise Thomas, Lakmé by Leo Delibes). Amid these shifting sands, the tradition of grand opera as embodied in the works of Halévy and Meyerbeer have undergone a strong reassessment, while at the opposite end, the operettas of Offenbach carry on in an absurd, satirical, and delightful world of their own. In this course, we will explore a selection of these works against the background of French history from Napoleon to the end of the 19th century. Along the way we will examine the work of important librettists (Eugène Scribe, Jules Barbier, Henri Meilhac, Ludovic Halévy) and compare the literary and theatrical works which served as a basis for plots with their operatic adaptations.

Evaluation Method

EVALUATION will be based on three written assignments (25 points each), a final take-home examination (20 points) due for submission no later than Thursday March 17 at 9:00 AM, and class participation (5 points); your contributions to class discussion should be based on a thorough assimilation of the reading, listening, and viewing assignments you'll be given along the way, in addition to whatever original insights you're prepared to share. There is no midterm in this course. Graduate students enrolled at the 400-level will undertake a research project (also 20 points) in lieu of the final exam; the topic must be approved by the instructor no later than Wed. Jan. 28; this research paper is due on or before the date set aside for the Final Examination (Thursday 3/22). Those same graduate students are also required to give a 10-15 minute presentation of their research on the last day of class, which will constitute 5 of the 20 points total for the final paper.