MUMH 6760 "The Romantic Song Cycle"
Paul Berry
Fall 2007
An exploration of the vocal genre most closely associated with early nineteenth-century German Romanticism. Detailed study of representative examples: Beethoven's An die ferne Geliebte, Schubert's Schöne Müllerin and Winterreise, and Schumann's Dichterliebe, Frauenliebe und -Leben, and Liederkreis (Opus 39). Analytic and historical perspectives on music, poetry, and their interrelationship. Issues of genre, narrative, and reception; investigation of compositional process, original performance contexts, and early sound recordings. Weekly readings and listening; term paper and oral presentation. Papers may also address later nineteenth- or early twentieth-century song cycles.