Movements in Twentieth-Century Music

A. Movements in Twentieth-Century Music Drew Edward Davies, Associate Professor of Musicology Thursdays, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m., June 30 – August 4 Norris University Center

This six-week series of lectures will focus on important movements in contemporary art music. Music in the twentieth-century (and beyond) encompasses a complex and conflicting diversity of styles and traditions that respond, in different ways, to the modern condition. These sessions aim to look at contrasting, representative types of music, mostly from the second half of the twentieth century, in order to understand the philosophical assumptions, aesthetic goals, and performance issues that shaped that music. Among the goals are to learn new musical repertoire, find new ways to engage with contemporary music (even if it isn’t “beautiful” in a traditional sense), and explore intersections between music, sound, and architecture.

A recommended supplemental book for the course is The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century by Alex Ross (New York: Farrer, Straus and Giroux, 2007).

The course does not follow the structure or content of this book closely; nonetheless, it is complementary to the course, superbly written, and exciting to read. An open access YouTube playlist will feature musical performances of some of the works studied.