Introduction to Classical Music

3 Assignment

• Beat, Meter, and Rhythm
• Hearing the Downbeat, Feeling the Emotion
• Tempo (and How We Feel About It)

5 Videos

• 2.1 - Beat, Meter, and Rhythm
• 2.2 - Introduction to Musical Notation
• 2.3 - Rhythm: What is It?
• 2.4 - Hearing the Downbeat, Feeling the Emotion
• 2.5 - Tempo (and How We Feel About It)

1 Readings

• Musical Rhythm, Relaxation, and Creativity

4 Assignment

• Melodic Notation and Scales
• The Chromatic Scale
• How We Feel About the Music: Mode and Mood
• Phrase Structure in Music: Beethoven's Ode to Joy

8 Videos

• 3.1 - What is Melody?
• 3.2 - Melodic Notation and Scales
• 3.3 - Major and Minor Scales
• 3.4 - The Chromatic Scale
• 3.5 - How We Feel About the Music: Mode and Mood
• 3.6 - Melodic Structure: The Tonic
• 3.7 - Modulation: Changing the Tonic (of the Key)
• 3.8 - Phrase Structure in Music: Beethoven's Ode to Joy

3 Assignment

• Harmony: A Distinctly Western Phenomenon
• Chord Progressions and Cadences
• Major and Minor Triads

5 Videos

• 4.1 - Harmony: A Distinctly Western Phenomenon
• 4.2 - Chord Progressions and Cadences
• 4.3 - Melody and Harmony Working Together
• 4.4 - Major and Minor Triads
• 4.5 - Hearing the Harmony

3 Assignment

• Why Do Instruments Sound Differently, One From Another?
• Musorgsky Marks a Wagon Move in Music
• Building a Symphony Orchestra

4 Videos

• 5.1 - Why Do Instruments Sound Differently, One From Another?
• 5.2 - Musorgsky Makes a Wagon Move in Music
• 5.3 - The Four Families of Instruments
• 5.4 - Building a Symphony Orchestra

3 Assignment

• Musical Texture
• Musical Form
• Musical Style

3 Videos

• 6.1 - Musical Texture
• 6.2 - Musical Form
• 6.3 - Musical Style

1 Videos

• Office Hours I

1 Readings

• Module 3 YouTube Playlists

3 Assignment

• Gregorian Chant
• The Chant of Hildegard of Bingen
• Polyphony at the Cathedral of Reims: Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame

7 Videos

• 7.1 - Introduction to the Middle Ages
• 7.2 - Gregorian Chant
• 7.3 - Monasteries and Convents
• 7.4 - The Chant of Hildegard of Bingen
• 7.5 - Early Polyphony
• 7.6 - Polyphony at the Cathedral of Reims: Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame
• 7.7 - Dance Music of the Court

1 Readings

• Women as Creators and the Historical Barriers to Their Recognition

3 Assignment

• Musical Instruments and Dances
• The A Cappella Motet
• The Madrigal

6 Videos

• 8.1 - Introduction to the Renaissance
• 8.2 - Humanism in Music
• 8.3 - Musical Instruments and Dances
• 8.4 - The A Cappella Motet
• 8.5 - Reformation and the Counter-Reformation
• 8.6 - The Madrigal

1 Readings

• Module 4 Youtube Playlist

3 Assignment

• Early Baroque Opera in Italy
• Early Baroque Opera in London
• Baroque Instruments and Orchestras

6 Videos

• 9.1 - Introduction to Baroque Art and Music
• 9.2 - Early Baroque Opera in Italy
• 9.3 - Early Baroque Opera in London
• 9.4 - Baroque Instruments and Orchestras
• 9.5 - A Baroque Favorite: Pachelbel's Canon
• 9.6 - Vivaldi: The "Spring" Concerto

4 Assignment

• Bach the Young Man and Organist
• Cothen: Prelude and Fugue
• Cothen: Brandenberg Concertos
• Leipzig: The Church Cantata

5 Videos

• 10.1 - Bach the Young Man and Organist
• 10.2 - Cothen: Prelude and Fugue
• 10.3 - Cothen: Brandenberg Concertos
• 10.4 - Leipzig: The Church Cantata
• 10. 5 - Bach's Posthumous Reputation

3 Assignment

• Royal Connections: Water Music and Fireworks
• Opera Seria: Julius Caesar
• Oratorio: Messiah

5 Videos

• 11.1 - Recap of Baroque Music
• 11. 2 - Handel's Early Life & Arrival in London
• 11.3 - Royal Connections: Water Music and Fireworks
• 11.4 - Opera Seria: Julius Caesar
• 11.5 - Oratorio: Messiah

1 Readings

• Module 5 Youtube Playlist

3 Assignment

• Introduction to Classical Music Style
• Franz Joseph Haydn and the Emperor
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his Music

5 Videos

• 12.1 - The Classical Period and Music
• 12.2 - Introduction to Classical Music Style
• 12.3 - Vienna: City of Music
• 12.4 - Franz Joseph Haydn and The Emperor
• 12.5 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his Music

1 Readings

• Mozart and the Dangers of Becoming a Child Prodigy

2 Assignment

• Genres and Forms
• Sonata-Allegro Form: A Mozart Serenade

6 Videos

• 13.1 - Classical Venues: The Canon and the Musical Museum
• 13.2 - Genres and Forms
• 13.3 - Ternary Form: The Mozart Sonata
• 13.4 - Sonata-Allegro Form: A Mozart Serenade
• 13.5 - Theme and Variations Form: A Surprise from Haydn
• 13.6- Rondo Form: Mozart as the Young Turk

3 Assignment

• Piano Concerto in D Minor
• Don Giovanni
• The Requiem

3 Videos

• 14.1 - Piano Concerto in D minor
• 14.2 - Don Giovanni
• 14.3 - The Requiem

1 Readings

• Module 6 Youtube Playlist

4 Assignment

• Beethoven and the Romantic Genius
• Beethoven's Early Years
• Growing Deafness and Disability
• The "Moonlight" Sonata

5 Videos

• 15.1 - Mozart and Beethoven Compared
• 15.2 - Beethoven and the Romantic Genius
• 15.3 - Beethoven's Early Years
• 15.4 - Growing Deafness and Disability
• 15.5 - The "Moonlight" Sonata

1 Readings

• Beethoven’s Deafness: Was it a Dis-ability or an Enabler?

3 Assignment

• Symphony No. 3, the "Eroica"
• Symphony No. 5
• Late Period and "Ode to Joy"

6 Videos

• 16.1 - The Three Periods of Beethoven
• 16.2 - Symphony No. 3, the "Eroica"
• 16.3 - Symphony No. 5
• 16.4 - Beethoven's Gift to Music: SOUND
• 16.5 - Beethoven Toward the End
• 16.6 - The Late Period and "Ode to Joy"

3 Assignment

• Sketch of the Life and Music of Franz Schubert
• Schubert's Erlkönig
• Robert and Clara Schumann

5 Videos

• 17.1 - Introduction to Romantic Music
• 17.2 - Domestic Music-Making of the Middle Class
• 17.3 - Sketch of the Life and Music of Franz Schubert
• 17.4 - Schubert's Erlkönig
• 17.5 - Robert and Clara Schumann

1 Videos

• Office Hours II

1 Readings

• Module 7 Youtube Playlist

4 Assignment

• Musical Signifiers and the Language of Sound
• Berlioz and His Symphonie Fantastque
• Recap Quiz
• Symphonie Fantastque, "Witches Sabbath"

6 Videos

• 18.1 - How Do We Communicate in Sound?
• 18.2 - Musical Signifiers and the Language of Sound
• 18.3 - Berlioz and His Symphonie Fantastque
• 18.4 - Symphonie Fantastque, "March to the Scaffold"
• 18.5 - Symphonie Fantastque, "Witches Sabbath"
• 18.6 - Do You Speak Fluent Program Music?

3 Assignment

• Fixed Pitch Keyboard Instruments: A Quick Review
• From Wagner's Piano to the Steinway of America
• Franz Liszt and the Etude

6 Videos

• 19.1 - Fixed Pitch Keyboard Instruments: A Quick Review
• 19.2 - The Pianos of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert
• 19.3 - The Pianos of Chopin and Liszt
• 19.4 - From Wagner's Piano to the Steinway of America
• 19.5 - Frédéric Chopin and the Nocturne
• 19.6 - Franz Liszt and the Etude

3 Assignment

• Introduction to the 19th Century Opera
• Verdi's La triviata
• Wagner's Die Walküre

7 Videos

• 20.1 - Introduction to the 19th Century Opera
• 20.2 - Bel canto Opera
• 20.3 - Verdi's Operas and his Dramaturgy
• 20.4 - Verdi's La traviata
• 20.5 - Introduction to Richard Wagner
• 20.6 - Wagner's Ring Cycle
• 20.7 - Wagner's Die Walküre

3 Assignment

• Introduction to Romantic Orchestra
• Musical Instruments and the Industrial Revolution
• The Gustav Mahler Sample

5 Videos

• 21.1 - Introduction to the Romantic Orchestra
• 21.2 - Musical Instruments and the Industrial Revolution
• 21.3 - Musical Time Slows Down: The Grand Symphonic Gesture
• 21.4 - Bigger Orchestra, Bigger Concert Halls
• 21.5 - The Gustav Mahler Sample

1 Readings

• Module 8 Youtube Playlist

2 Assignment

• Claude Debussy’s “Claire de Lune"
• Debussy's "Violes" (Sails) for Piano

7 Videos

• 22.1 - Introduction to Impressionism
• 22.2 - Claude Debussy's "Claire de lune"
• 22.3 - Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun"
• 22.4 - Debussy's "Violes" (Sails) for Piano
• 22.5 - Impressionism and Exoticism
• 22.6 - Spanish Exoticism and the Spanish Tradition
• 22.7 - From Post Impressionism to Modernism

3 Assignment

• Stravinsky and His Early Ballets Russes
• Stravinsky and The Rite of Spring
• Schoenberg and the Twelve-tone Music

6 Videos

• 23.1 - Introduction to Modernism
• 23.2 - Stravinsky and His Early Ballets Russes
• 23.3 - Stravinsky and The Rite of Spring
• 23.4 - Schoenberg and Atonal Music
• 23.5 - Schoenberg and the Twelve-tone Music
• 23.6 - The Challenge of (and Antidote to) Modernism

2 Assignment

• Postmodernism & Minimalism
• Beyond Minimalism: John Adams

6 Videos

• 24.1 - Simplifying Modernism: Aaron Copland
• 24.2 - "A Gift to be Simple" and Appalachian Spring
• 24.3 - Postmodernism
• 24.4 - When Less is More: Minimalism in Art and Music
• 24.5 - Beyond Minimalism: John Adams
• 24.6 - The Ultimate Mystery of Music

2 Videos

• Office Hours III
• From the TA!

1 Readings

• Module 9 Youtube Playlist

1 Readings

• Additional Recommended Courses and Videos