3.0

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The symphony occupies a prominent place within the history of classical music in the nineteenth century. At once a canvas for daring innovations in style and form and a genre strongly allied with notions of “tradition,” the nineteenth-century symphony brings together a complex and challenging set of issues that illuminate the broader history of music and musical culture of the past 200 years. This course introduces major works of the symphonic tradition, with a focus on music of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Berlioz, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Bruckner, and Mahler. As we aim to discover what made this music remarkable in its time and why so many people still care about it today, we will consider each symphony both as a timeless work of art and as a particular moment in cultural history. We will frame our work within the historical, philosophical, and political contexts of the time, and more recent critical assessments will help us evaluate and interrogate the circumstances that have shaped reception of this repertoire over the past two centuries. Ultimately, we will work to understand the particular challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities related to continued engagement with this music in the 21st century.