MUS 534 - Opera Studies

One of the most resilient and popular genres of spectacle in the West, opera has seen a remarkable continuity as an institution since its birth in 1600. Performed in the opera house, it has been produced by a fixed set of characters: the impresario, the librettist, the composer, the stage designer, and the director, but also singers, instrumentalists, dancers, and the chorus. Operas have traditionally absorbed narratives from mythology and history but have also been characterized by freely-invented plots. Operas have often generated political, philosophical, and artistic debates, and provide today’s scholars with a unique window into historical, ideological, sociological, and aesthetic issues. The hybrid genre par excellence, opera continues to be a catalyst for creativity in various arts, and in present-day production often features the most advanced media and technologies. This seminar will capitalize on both the continuity and the diversity of the genre, bringing together graduate students in music history, theory, and performance.

3 credits

Grading Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)

Offered Offered Spring

Repeatable May be repeated for credit.