Music 326/526
Music Before 1600
The period "before 1600"
encompasses a lot of time. Humans being as musical as they are, that time
period also includes a great deal of music. People through the ages have
demonstrated a predilection for creating music, and in many eras of history,
this has been a progressive process, building on music from previous
generations.
This course explores the
roots of Western Art Music, the deepest of those roots being in the very
distant past. A surprising amount can be discovered about music in the Ancient
world. The course will take up the topic of ancient music, and follow that with
music of the early Christian era, through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Along the way, we will examine what the great thinkers of these time periods
had to say about music. All of this information will prove valuable in an
understanding of the music that has come since 1600, the music with which many
of us are the most familiar. But it also holds a certain fascination all its
own, for its own sake, as a beautiful art form and as a window into the souls
of those who came long before us.
Course Links
Email me at pholland@uwsp.edu