Music 102 - Politics, Power, Performance, Prestige: Making Music History

This class is an introduction to music history that combines a close study of
music from the Western classical tradition with research methodology and an
orientation to the discipline of musicology.
Organized by genres and concepts, the class looks at classical music as both a
repertoire and an object of cultural study. In addition to covering a range of
works, we will address their production, performance, and reception through a
study of their social and political context, and raise questions of power,
representation, and patronage. We will also examine our own ideas about the
role of the artist, what it means to be a musician, and the social future of this
music.
Students will have the chance to do original research on a piece or topic of their
choice, and will get a foundation in the College’s scholarly resources, especially
the holdings at Josten Library and Special Collections.