First Nights 

樂興之時

Teacher：Lap-kwan Kam

Semester：Spring 2008

Credit：2

Description

There is more to music than just "beautiful play of sensations" (Kant). Listening to four major works of the European music culture (Handel's _Messiah_ of 1742, Beethoven's 9th Symphony of 1824, Berlioz's _Symphonie fantastique_ of 1830, and Stravinsky's _Le Sacre du printemps_ of 1913), we'll be also reconstructing the contexts of their premieres: the cities, venues, occasions, institutions etc., and deconstructing the experiences of the persons involved: the composers, performers, impresarios, audiences etc. Listening in this sense is more than just music appreciation, however good it is: it is also about the search of meaning through music in the there and then and the here and now.

Objective

To learn to listen with heart and mind to Western classical music and its culture, and to reflect critically – through discussion and writing - on our attitude to music old and new, native and foreign. We should become more sensitive to the sound and voice of music, its charm -- and possible harm!?

Background

No musical training or score reading skill is assumed, though passion, participation and punctuality are expected. Moreover, a sharp mind (sleep more -- but before class please) and a sensitive heart (music moves) are desirable. Course material in English, but lecture mostly in Chinese. Besides the course, attendance is also required at a concert where at least one work is premiered (details TBA). An average of 2 hours per week for listening, reading and writing assignments is to be reserved.

Office Hours

Friday 12:00~13:00

Or by appointment

Ref. Book

Burrows, Donald. _Handel: Messiah._ Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991.

Cone, Edward T. _Berlioz: Fantastic Symphony._ New York: W. W. Norton, 1971.

Cook, Nicholas. _Beethoven: Symphony No. 9._ Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

Hill, Peter. _Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring._ Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press, 2000.

Kelly, Thomas F. _First Nights: Five Musical Premieres._ New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.

Supplementary:

Attali, Jacques. _Noise: The Political Economy of Music._ Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1985.

Bourdieu, Pierre. _Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste._ Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1984.

Cook, Nicholas. _Music: A Very Short Introduction._ Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Reference:

_The Harvard Dictionary of Music._ Edited by Don Michael Randel. Cambridge,

Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2003. Also on-line at

http://www.xreferplus.com/.

Evaluation

（1）Participation-10%  

（2）Presentation-20%-One per group 

（3）Papers-70%-Four individual papers:

two in class (2x15%), one concert report (10%), one critical essay (30%)

Schedule

Week1: Introduction: Hearing without Listening?

Week2: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9

Week3: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 & the Search for Utopia (19th C.)

Week4: [On leave]

Week5: [Public Holiday]

Week6: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 & the Search for Utopia (20th-21st C.)

Week7: Mid-term paper (in class)

Week8: Berlioz's _Fantastic Symphony_

Week9: Berlioz's _Fantastic Symphony_ & the Search for Romantic Love

Week10: Stravinsky's _The Rite of Spring_

Week11: Stravinsky's _The Rite of Spring_ & the Search for the Unconscious

Week12: Group Presentations (1)

Week13: Group Presentations (2)

Week14: Group Presentations (3)

Week15: Final Paper (in class)

Week16: Final Paper (take home)