Undergraduate Course: Beethoven: Man, Music, Myth (MUSI10094)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course examines Beethoven's life, music, and the mythical status he has attained in cultural history of the last two hundred years. Combining close engagement with the music with critical reflection on its reception history, it provides students with a deeper and more critical understanding of Beethoven both as a composer and as mythic persona in modern culture. |
| Course description |
Ludwig van Beethoven is arguably the most central figure in music history. Not only do his compositions provide the foundation for the Western musical canon but what he has been taken to stand for has long informed the values deemed necessary for musical and artistic greatness. This course examines Beethoven's life, music, and the mythical status he has attained in cultural history of the last two hundred years. Combining close engagement with the music with critical reflection on its reception history, it provides students with a deeper and more critical understanding of Beethoven both as a composer and as mythic persona in modern culture.
1. Introduction. Life. Three Style Periods. Ethics. The role of Beethoven in Music History.
2. Early Beethoven. Classicism. Enlightenment. Early works. Beethoven the virtuoso. 'Heiligenstadt Testament'. 'Eroica'.
3. Heroic Beethoven. 'Eroica' (ctn) and Fifth Symphonies. Heroism, teleology, and intensive time. Egmont. Fidelio.
4. Lyrical Beethoven. Pastoral Symphony. Lyricism and extensive time. 'Archduke' Trio. Cyclic works. An die ferne Geliebte.
5. Late Beethoven. Late Quartets and Sonatas. Missa Solemnis. Adorno.
6. After Beethoven. Reception: musical impact history in 19th and 20th centuries.
7. Political Beethoven. The political role and appropriation of Beethoven to the present day.
8. Challenging Beethoven. Popular Beethoven: Film, Iconography. 'The Other Beethoven'. Deconstructing the Canonic status. Feminist criticism.
9. Student Presentations.
10. Student Presentations.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed
Music Analysis (MUSI08076)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least two semesters in Music History. We will only consider University/College level courses.
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| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Discuss specific important compositions by Beethoven in appropriate detail.
- Explain the historical provenance of several key themes in music history (the notions of genius, originality, monumentality, ethical imperative of art).
- Evaluate the political uses to which a composer's life, music, and legacy may be put.
- Assess and revise customary narratives and values of music historiography.
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Reading List
Maynard Solomon, Beethoven (New York, 1977)
Glenn Stanley (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Beethoven (Cambridge, 2000)
Carl Dahlhaus, Ludwig van Beethoven: Approaches to His Music, trans. Mary Whittall (Oxford, 1991)
Scott Burnham, Beethoven Hero (Princeton, 1995)
Theodor W. Adorno, Beethoven: The Philosophy of Music, ed. Rolf Tiedermann, trans. E. Jephcott (Cambridge, 1998)
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Critical analysis, evaluation of texts, and evaluation of score-based data. |
| Keywords | Beethoven,reception history,musical canon,musical values,19th century,1900s |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Charlotte Bentley
Tel: (0131 6)50 4155
Email: cbentle2@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Hugh Black
Tel: (0131 6)51 5926
Email: hugh.black@ed.ac.uk |
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