MUSC 295 Topics in Music: Composers
An interdisciplinary course that investigates the music and life of individual composers. Topics vary by semester. Different topics may satisfy different Core Program requirements.
Fryderyk Chopin
With little formal piano training and sick most of his life, the Polish composer-pianist Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849) wrote music for the piano that revolutionized piano playing, piano music, and music in general, and has influenced composers and pianists since, including throughout jazz history. In this course, students will study Chopin's music in context, focusing on his adult years in Paris. To do so, we must study not only piano repertoire, manufacture, pedagogy, and technique, but also Paris--its art, literature, history, music, theater, science, politics, and medicine--and living there in exile. With the only prerequisite being a reading knowledge of music, students from all disciplines are welcome and encouraged to explore Chopin's music from their disciplinary perspective, especially in their individual semester-long projects. Additional Core Requirement Met: Regional Focus.