Musicology is the study of music history
and composers’ lives. For instance, we learn how a symphony and
a concerto came to be and the different hypotheses explaining Mozart’s
enigmatic death.
At Lewis and & Clark College we explore the origins of Western Music
from Gregorian Chant through its evolution to Philip Glass and Meredith
Monk, on the way learning about the music of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms,
Borodin, the Beatles, Beach to name just a few. Students receive an excellent
overview of the repertory and major style periods.
In addition to reading, writing, and examining scores of western music,
students are encouraged to pursue their own voices during their course
of their study. I ask students to put together a music video and write
stories about composers. The class also performs their own operas: newly
composed pieces and texts, all performed by students. In this manner,
students can experience what composers need to consider when writing beautiful
music. Just think of your favorite thing: music, and studying its history.
Fabulous.
-- Nora Beck
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Musicology
