This course focuses on Western European music over a 200 year
period from about 1600 to 1800. During this time period, two
major musical styles evolved; the first we know as the Baroque.
People often assign the dates
1600 to 1750 for the Baroque period in music, although signs of
the emerging style were clearly present as early as 1570, and
many composers had abandoned Baroque style traits as early as
1720. 1750 is a convenient date to remember; this was the year of
the death of Johann Sebastian Bach, the composer most often
associated with Baroque style. We will find, however, that
"Baroque Style" is highly variable from the early
Baroque to the late. Still, there are several factors that unify
the period.
The Second major style to evolve in the period being studied
is known as the Classical style. The composers most often
associated with this style are Franz Joseph Haydn 
and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 
Traits
of the classical style were heard as early as the 1720's, and
brought to full fruition with works of Haydn and Mozart later in
the century. The middle decades of the 18th century are
transitional in musical style, and are sometimes referred to as
the Pre-Classic period.
For a detailed list of topics to be covered in the course, click here.
If you are enrolled in the course, you'll want to know about course policies.
Click here for a list of the contents of the listening tapes.
Course-Related Sites
You can
listen to midi representations of many of Bach's works on line. Click here.
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