Music. Learn, enjoy, appreciate.

Interested in classical music but don’t know how to start? Been listening for a while but need some guidance? This eight-week course provides a framework for understanding classical music, examining the major periods of music history, the music of the great composers, and the main classical genres.

Each week, we will listen to some works and examine their historical, social and musical context. You will be able to explore your own taste in music and learn how to find more of what you like. No musical knowledge is necessary.

Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• list some of the main periods of classical music history
• describe some of the characteristics of each of the main periods of classical music history
• list some examples of some classical music forms
• describe some of the features of some classical music genres
• identify some aspects of your own musical taste
• listen to classical music in a more focused way.

Content

Topics

• Elements of music: what to listen for, and how to talk about it
• The Symphony Orchestra: families of instruments, learning to listen, and what the conductor actually does
• Symphonies, Sonatas and Concertos: what the composer is trying to achieve, what you’re supposed to get out of it, and when to clap
• Choral music: how composers write for choirs, and how they achieve such magnificent music
• Chamber music: what it is, how to listen, and why it’s worth exploring
• Opera: singers and singing, and how stories are told through music
• Vocal music: an introduction to the loveliness of lieder and song
• Outside the boundaries: how to find more of what you like

Historical periods

We will explore:

• The Middle Ages: the birth of music notation
• The Renaissance: the richness of musical texture
• The Baroque Period: more is more
• The Classical Period: elegant simplicity
• The Romantic Period: passion and drama
• The Impressionist Period: pushing the boundaries
• 20th century: innovation and exploration

Classical music

We will listen to many pieces of classical music, some famous and some lesser-known. These include:

• Bach: Concerto in D Minor for 2 Violins
• Beethoven: Symphony No. 1
• Britten: The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
• Handel: Zadok the Priest
• Liszt: Fountains at the Villa d’Este
• Mozart: Bassoon Concerto
• Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli
• Philip Glass: Closing Piece from Glassworks
• Ravel: String Quartet in F
• Schumann: Dichterliebe
• Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite
• Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending
• Verdi: Rigoletto

Intended audience

Designed for fans of classical music, beginners and experienced listeners alike.

Prerequisites

None

Delivery style

This course is richly illustrated with musical examples, artworks and portraits of the times, video clips, and readings from letters and historical documents. The facilitator uses the piano to demonstrate musical concepts to the everyday listener. Questions are encouraged and there is room for discussion throughout the course.

Materials

Handouts are distributed electronically.