Music 281 - History of Western Music I: Music to 1700

The first in a four-semester survey of European and Eurocentric classical music, covering the period to 1700 and changes in how composers interacted with performers, audiences, critics, institutions, and society at large. We trace these changes through a fast-paced survey of representative works, including music by women composers, composers of color, and LGBTQ+ composers. We build skills in score reading, understanding musical forms and genres, interpreting primary sources, and writing music history. Course theme: Music and the Sacred. How did patronage within houses of worship (especially the Catholic church) influence how music was created, performed, circulated, and understood?

Prereq: MUSIC-100 or MUSIC-131 or passing Music Theory Placement Test.