How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, 3rd Edition « Series from 2023

Music as a Mirror

This opening lecture introduces themes, concepts, and terminology that will be used throughout the series. Important definitions and distinctions are discussed, including: concert music, classical music, popular music, and Western music. Lastly, using Ludwig van Beethoven as an example, the composer is discussed as a person describing some aspect or aspects of his life and world in his music.

Sources—The Ancient World and the Early Church

This lecture introduces the ancient world as a 4,000-year period of extraordinary cultural richness and variety. We discuss the cyclical, rather than linear, nature of art and music. Ultimately, this lecture focuses on the role of music in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds and concludes with a brief examination of the role of music in the early Christian Church.

The Middle Ages

This lecture focuses on the changing role of music in the medieval world. First we examine the liturgical plainchant and its musical characteristics. The rebirth of Europe during the High Middle Ages and the attendant development of polyphony are examined. Finally, we explore the violent disruptions of the 14th century and their affects on the arts and music of the time.

Introduction to the Renaissance

This lecture examines the impact of the rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman culture on Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. Important Renaissance trends are defined and discussed. The ancient Greek ideal of music as a humanistic art powerfully influenced the music of the Renaissance, an influence that is examined both theoretically and musically (through the works of Josquin des Prez).

The Renaissance Mass

This lecture introduces the mass as the most important compositional genre of the Renaissance. The mass itself is defined and the ceremony is discussed in detail, in particular the nature and content of the Proper and Ordinary. We then examine the Renaissance musical setting of the Ordinary of the mass and the three types of Renaissance masses.

The Madrigal

This lecture focuses on the madrigal, the most important genre of Italian secular music of the late Renaissance. Examine the heightened poetic content of the madrigal and the Petrarchian revival. Then examine the role played by word-painting in the genre of the madrigal. Three madrigals are examined for the progressive development of the genre.

An Introduction to the Baroque Era

Style Features of Baroque-era Music

National Styles—Italy and Germany

Fugue

Baroque Opera, Part 1

Baroque Opera, Part 2

The Oratorio

The Lutheran Church Cantata

Passacaglia

Ritornello Form and the Baroque Concerto

The Enlightenment and an Introduction to the Classical Era

The Viennese Classical Style, Homophony, and the Cadence

Classical-era Form—Theme and Variations

Classical-era Form—Minuet and Trio: Baroque Antecedents

Classical-era Form—Minuet and Trio Form

Classical-era Form—Rondo Form

Classical-era Form—Sonata Form, Part 1

Classical-era Form—Sonata Form, Part 2

Classical-era Form—Sonata Form, Part 3