Unit name | Franz Liszt: Narratives between Wunderkind, Virtuoso, and Vanguard |
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Unit code | MUSI20107 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | I/5 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. David Trippett |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | Department of Music |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
“With Liszt, most historians and critics throw up their hands at the thought of reconciling the contradictions into a coherent whole.” (Dana Gooley) Franz Liszt is a centrally placed figure in the story of 19th-century music; his life spanned the fall of Napoleon and the Congress of Berlin, and his musical styles link the worlds of Hummel and Beethoven to those of Busoni and Schoenberg. Coupled to his longevity, Liszt’s eclecticism and versatility—in writing, influence, pedagogy and patronage, as well as through musical performance and composition—make him an ideal prism through which to interrogate the cultural pluralism within which he lived. This seminar will provide a detailed introduction to Liszt’s music in these terms by studying a selection of his compositions, and situating them in their cultural, historical, and aesthetic context.
Unit aims:
At the end of the unit, a successful student will be able to:
Weekly two-hour seminar
All the assessment for the unit is summative:
2,500-word coursework essay (50%)
2-hour written examination (50%)
The essay will allow students to demonstrate learning outcomes 1-4; the exam in particular will allow students to demonstrate learning outcomes 1 and 2
A detailed bibliography will be distributed at the start of the course. In addition, students should aim to acquaint themselves with a selection of piano, orchestral, and choral works. Listen to your selections with the score in hand and take notes. A “listening list” will also be issued at the beginning of the course.