10732 A History of Western Music I

Credits: 6 intermediate credits in Music

Prerequisites: none

Recommended: Introduction to Music or corresponding knowledge of music

The course is based on chapters from A History of Western Music (7th ed.), by J.P. Burkholder, D.J. Grout, and C.V. Palisca (Norton, 2006); Norton Anthology of Western Music, Vol. 1 (5th ed.), edited by C.V. Palisca (Norton, 2006); and the Norton Recorded Anthology of Western Music, edited by C.V. Palisca (Norton, 2006); recorded lectures by Prof. Dorit Tanai; and additional materials written by Yonatan Bar-Yoshafat.

The course surveys the main musical styles, genres and composers in western music from the ancient Greek period to the end of the Baroque period and focuses on understanding music in its historical, cultural and social contexts. Each period is studied by analyzing representative examples of the works of the major composers of the period.

Topics: Music in antiquity: Ancient Greece; Music in the Middle Ages: Liturgical and secular music; The beginnings of polyphony; The end of the Middle Ages: Music in the 14th century; Music of the Renaissance: The early Renaissance; The Italian Renaissance in the 16th century; and the transition to the Baroque; Music of the Baroque period: New genres in the early Baroque; Music of the French Baroque; The music of the late Baroque: Germany, Italy and France; Bach and the end of the Baroque period; Trends in the early 18th century: Bach, Scarlatti and Handel.