FYP 1002.25: First Year Seminar II: Relating Music to the History of Ideas

Professor Mel Comberiati

This freshman seminar will engage students in listening to musical works from various style periods and where applicable pair them with texts and/or discussion of religious, social and political events and their implications. The principal concern of the course is European classical music and its representations in the United States. The main work of the course will be learning how to listen to the works in a meaningful context, including cultural background, insightful musical considerations, and for aesthetic appreciation.

Students will continue the work of the first semester with musical works spanning approximately 1750 to the present. The central endeavor of the semester will be the development of the freshman paper. Within this essay, the student will address the science, function, social context and aesthetic of music studied throughout the year and to relate these considerations  to the reading materials drawn from the online syllabus and additional sources based upon research.