SYLLABUS: MUSC 104
INTRO. TO ITALIAN,
GERMAN, FRENCH OPERA
Spring 2005, Prof.
Larry Peterson,
ext. 8134,
OFFICE: AED 319
e-mail: peterson@ udel.edu
http://amy.music.udel.edu/faculty/peterson/
Goals:
1) Explore the genre of opera
2) Develop a vocabulary and skills to
communicate about opera
3) Provide insight and enjoyment of operas
from various eras and schools of composition:singspiel, operetta, Music Drama,
opera comique, and the styles of Italian opera called verismo and opera
giacoso.
Texts:
1) J. Merrill Knapp: The Magic of Opera
2) Course Booklet (published by UD, see
UD below)
3) Software Lessons for The Magic Flute (Listening Center, AED
109)
4) H. W. Simon: 100 Great Operas
5) 2 CD SETs:
A)The #1 Opera Album (Decca 450289 467 632-2; 2 CDs)
B) Simply the Best Night At the Opera (Erato 39842
64992; 2 CDs)
1.
ATTENDANCE. Attendance is mandatory for this course. Excused absences must be arranged in
advance. Your course grade is lowered
if there is more than two unexcused absences. Informing the instructor of absences does not automatically
constitute approval to be absent. Each
absence, after the second one, lowers the course grade 5 points. Please
be prompt to class. If you are often
tardy, your course grade my be lowered.
Also, your course grade may be lowered for inappropriate behavior in
class, e.g., sleeping or talking while the opera is viewed. We want to establish an environment in
class that is very conducive to learning.
In addition, we wish to simulate the same type of quiet “audience”
behavior expected in an opera house.
2. STORY OF OPERAS. You should read the
story in the Simon book for each opera we study before the first class
period devoted to it. Thus, you will
know the story before we begin the opera.
We will not take time in class to explain the story. Also, I suggest that you read ahead before
each class period, using the Part II summary for each opera, to anticipate what
we will view in class.
3.GRADES: Your course grade will be
determined as follows: 33 1/3% for each of
3 exams (Exams I, II and Final Exam). The course grade may be lowered
for unexcused absences, continued tardiness, failing to submit a satisfactory
review of the opera you see live, or unsatisfactory class participation. SEE
NEXT ITEM FOR EXPLANATION OF DISCUSSION QUESTIONS.
Grades are determined as follows: 91-100 A; A-
90; 89 B+; 81-88 B; 80 B-; 79 C+ 71-78 C; 70 C-; 69 D+; 66-68 D; 65 D-; 0-64
F. (Note the short span for the letter
grade of D.)
Exams will not be made up unless approved in
advance. All exams will have required
listening. The listening will be taken from the 3 software lessons in AED 109
for The Magic Flute, (on old computers in AED 109), the CD Vocal Timbre
2 (on reserve in AED 109) and the examples identified below in the syllabus on
the 2 CD sets that you purchased for this class. There will also be listening for extra credit on each exam. See
Listening List items below listed with each opera that you need to recognize
for each exam.
The format of the exams for the first time will
be multiple choice, machine format, but manually graded so that you know the
correct answer. The titles for all
listening titles will be in the the original language, not in English
translation. However for the extra
credit listening items, you may provide the titles in the original language or
in English (if you know the English translation).
4. DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS: We will have discussion questions for most class periods that
will need to be answered in class or via email. I plan to try this semester having questions answered via email
rather than in class. We will see how
the email approach works. Each person
will be assigned to a team for the duration of the semester. Each team will have three members. For each
discussion item, one person will be assigned to know the answer. If the assigned person on the team fails to
know the answer, he/she LOSES 3 POINTS.
These points are subtracted from your course grade! Therefore be prepared. If you cannot devote the time to be prepared
for a particular class period, it is important that you alert your team so that
someone else finds the answers or prepares for the discussion item. You will find most of the discussion items in
the Course Booklet and the assignments will be sent via e-mail. You should review the discussion questions
as you prepare for each exam. E-mail
communication is an important part of this course. Also, I recommend that you study together as teams.
The other two members of your team are
____________________________ and _________________________.
5. OFFICE HOURS: In general, I don’t
maintain office hours because of my multimedia work. Feel free to contact me anytime by e-mail to ask questions or to request
an appointment to meet in person. I’m
always glad to make time to respond or meet with you. Also, please feel free to ask questions either in class or just
after class also. Don’t let me
intimidate you! I prefer not answering
questions before class because I’m usually trying to get the equipment ready,
the laserdisc loaded, and the software viewer for the instructor’s station
running to begin class on time.
6. LIVE OPERA: You are required to attend
a live opera performance during this semester at your own expense and write a
two-page review of your experience. As
far as the review, it is due within the week after you see the opera. It should NOT include the story of the opera
or the cast listing. Use the space to
react to the performance: did you like it?
Describe it, e.g., staging, lighting, acting, singing, the
orchestra. If you wish to attend the
OperaDelaware production of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess or their
performances of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and I Pagliacci, I will
order tickets for you if you get your order and payment to me by February
28. Use the forms that Prof. Peterson
has prepared (they should be on top of the grand piano in AED 207) If you wish to attend a performance in New
York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Washington DC, please refer to my web
site. Look down the words on the Left
Side of the Home Page and click on “Opera Links.” Each opera site lists the dates and titles of their repertoire. Your written report is not graded but
failure to submit an acceptable report will lower your course grade one letter
grade.
THE GOOD NEWS: THE OPERAS AND CLASS TOPICS
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CLASS MEETINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Feb. 9, 11 Introduction,
The Opera Voice, and Unit 1.(Team Assignments, Course Booklet Unit 1 terms, p.
19.) Knapp, chapter 6. (read ahead for
next class-- Simon, 236. LISTENING:
examples in Vocal Timbre II (NOT Vocal Timbre I that is used for Musc 103)
1)
VERISMO
Feb. 14, 16, 18. Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci. Knapp, chapters 2, 4, 5. Story of I Pagliacci in Simon, p. 362, material
in UD Course Booklet on I Pagliacci, pp. 205-212. ) For future classes,
look ahead for readings in Simon and other texts. Syllabus will not continue to give you the assignments to read
before the next class. LISTENING for Exam I: The #1 Album, disc 1, track
13 (La Wally aria); disc 2, tracks 3 & 8 (both excerpts by
Leoncavallo). You will need to
recognize the titles as they appear on your CD sets.
Feb 21, 23, 25, 28. Puccini’s Tosca. Knapp, pp. 307-317;
Simon, p. 503-, and material in UD Course Booklet for Tosca, pp.213-254. LISTENING:
The #1 Album: disc 1, tracks 11, 18, 17 and disc 2, track 15; Simply the Best
Night at the Opera: disc 1, tracks 1, 2 and disc 2, track 14. Note that some arias or examples appear on
both CD sets. I may use either set on
the exam so both are listed.
2) BAROQUE
OPERA
March 2, 4. Handel’s Giulio
Cesare in Egitto: material in UD Course Booklet for Giulio Cesare in
Egitto: (293-300) plus pp. 125-133 in Knapp. LISTENING: The #1 Album: disc 1, track 9 and disc 2, track
5
March 7, EXAM 1. (Italian Opera: verismo &
baroque. Listening, see above)
3) GIOCOSO
March
9, 11, 14, 16, 18. Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Simon, p. 124-; UD Course
Booklet material including notes and articles about Don Giovanni: pp.
77-126). Knapp, chapter 10. LISTENING:
The #1 Album: disc 2, tracks 7, 12, 13; Simply the Best Night at the
Opera: disc 1, track 8 (same on other
CD set)
1)
OPERETTA
March 21, 23, 25 & 4 April.
Johann Strauss, Jr.’s Die Fledermaus
(The Bat). Course Booklet (127-133) and
Simon (182-). At the last class, there will be a demonstration of software
lessons in AED (Before the first class of The Magic Flute—April
6--complete Software Lesson I of The
Magic Flute and read Simon, p. 275-).
LISTENING: There is no listening related to German operetta on
Exam 2 but you will have 3 examples from Wagner’s operas even though we are not
studying Wagner this semester: The #1 Album: disc 1, track 10, & disc 2,
track 1; Simply the Best Night at the Opera: disc 2, track 5.
SPRING BREAK (March 26-3 April)
2)
SINGSPIEL
Apr 6, 8, 11, 13, 15.
Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute). Knapp, chapter 3 and
material in course booklet about The
Magic Flute, pp. 301-313. LISTENING:
go to the multimedia lessons in AED 109.
Besides the written information about symbolism and Masonic-related
information, you need to recognize the following numbers from Act I: Der
Vogelfänger, Dies Bildnis; from Act II: O Isis und Osiris, Der Hölle Rache,
Ach, ich fühl’s, and Der, welcher wandelt (this last number is sung by the 2
men in armor).
April 18. EXAM II See Listening list above since Exam 1. The content of the exam’s written portion
will cover Italian opera giocoso and German opera.
1) OPERA COMIQUE
April 20, 22, 25, 27, 29. Bizet’s Carmen. Simon, p. 85-; Knapp, pp. 227-236; and Carmen section in UD Course Booklet, pp. 69-76.
LISTENING: The #1 Album: disc 1, tracks 1, 6, 15, 19 (famous duet
from Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers) & disc 2, track 16; Simply the Best
Night at the Opera: disc 1, track 5, 6 (also on the other CD set), and disc 2,
track 13 (also on the other CD set; since one CD calls it the Toreador Song and
the other gives the title, you need to recognize either one on the exam).
2)
GRAND OPERA
May
13. may
continue Romeo & Juliet or may begin “What is Opera?”
May 16, 18. “What is
Opera?” Powerpoint slides in your
course booklet.
FINAL EXAM is May _____
at (time) ___________________
Covers French opera only as far as the matching
questions.
Listening will cover the examples indicated above with French opera and
possibly may include a repeat of Vocal Timbre II that you heard in preparation
for Exam 1.
Thank
you for taking this course. Music 103,
Introduction to Italian Opera will be offered this summer & Fall. If you register for 103 and find the course
full, please contact professor Peterson directly to be admitted to the course
over the class limit.