Language of Music
The Graham School’s Certificate in the Language of Music is designed for students seeking understanding of music beyond mere appreciation. The six courses required for the certificate are a mix of one-day introductory seminars and eight-week courses.
Here is a link to the Certificate in the Language of Music page on the Graham School website.
Spring and Summer 2010 courses:
Opera, Ballet, and Musical Theater Genres
This course considers the relationship between music and the disciplines of drama, dance, and related theatrical expressions. Operas by Mozart, Wagner, Verdi, and Puccini; operettas by Strauss, Lehar, and Bernstein; and ballets by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev will be considered, as will be more recent hybrid theater forms ranging from the Phillip Glass to the 1960s avant-garde to postmodern examples. Works will be critically analyzed using DVDs, CDs, and piano illustrations.
John Gibbons
Mr. Gibbons holds a PhD from the University of Chicago Department of Music. His works have been performed at the Rockefeller Music Competition and by the Minnesota Chamber Symphony. He received the Graham School of General Studies 2005 Excellence in Teaching Award for the Humanities, Arts, and Sciences.
Course Code LAMUOB
Section 10S1
Spring 2010
Gleacher Center
$335 Early registration ends March 15
$365 Regular registration
Tuesdays
March 23–May 18 (no class March 30)
10 am–12:30 pm
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 20
The Symphony Since Beethoven
Beethoven’s legacy proved an inspiration and obstacle to the next generation of symphonists, who struggled with the implications of Beethoven’s formal innovations but managed to infuse the symphonic genre with greatly expanded thematic dimension inspired by the philosophy, literature, and even visual arts that shaped their own experience. Our core repertoire will be the symphonies of Mendelssohn (including the Scottish and the Italian Symphonies), Schumann (including the Rhenish), Brahms, Bruckner, and Mahler.
John Gibbons
See bio under Opera, Ballet, and Musical Theater Genres.
Course Code LAMUBS
Section 10S1
Spring 2010
Gleacher Center
$335 Early registration ends March 15
$365 Regular registration
Thursdays
March 25–May 13
10 am–12:30 pm
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 20
One-Day Introduction to American Masters
One-day seminar
This daylong course is an opportunity to explore the heterogeneous identity, energy, and optimism of American classical music. Participants will trace its Eurocentric beginnings, including the encounters of Americans abroad with such musicians as Stravinsky, and explore neoclassicism, populism, and recent trends. In addition to historical and social context, we will examine the structure and beauty of works by a wide range of American composers, from Ives and Copland through Piston and Sessions to Joplin and Gershwin.
John Gibbons
See bio under Opera, Ballet, and Musical Theater Genres.
Course Code LAMUAR
Section 10S1
Spring 2010
Gleacher Center
$115
Saturday
March 20
10 am–4 pm (one-hour lunch break)
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 5
The Progressive and the Universal in Musical Romanticism: Mendelssohn and Schumann
When Friedrich Schlegel dubbed romantic poetry the “progressive, universal poetry,” his words were equally applicable to romantic music. In the post-Napoleonic age, new thinkers in all creative fields threw off the shackles of the past and forged common ground. In this heady atmosphere, Mendelssohn and Schumann laid the foundation for modern music through formal innovation, poetic and literary association, and a fantastical sense of the irrational and the subconscious. Then, rethinking the implications of their youthful radicalism, they sought to reassert classicism in their maturity (such as Mendelssohn’s Bach revival). Contemporaries such as Liszt, Berlioz, Chopin, and Weber will also be discussed.
John Gibbons
See bio under Opera, Ballet, and Musical Theater Genres.
Course Code LAMUPU
Section 10U1
Summer 2010
Gleacher Center
$335 Early registration ends June 1
$365 Regular registration
Tuesdays
June 8–July 27
10 am–12:30 pm
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 20
American Masters
American classical music has evolved its own heterogeneous identity, characterized by energy and optimism—from its Eurocentric beginnings, exemplified by composers such as MacDowell and Griffes, through the encounters of Americans abroad with such musicians as Boulanger and
Stravinsky. We will trace this evolution from the New England School (especially Ives and his innovations) through populism (Copland, Harris) and neoclassicism (Piston, Sessions, Schuman), into new horizons inspired by popular idioms (Joplin, Gershwin) and indigenous forms of musical theater (Bernstein). A look at highly divergent recent trends (the Minimalists/ neo-tonalists and academic/neo-expressionists) will conclude the course. Music
literacy is not necessary.
John Gibbons
See bio under Opera, Ballet, and Musical Theater Genres.
Course Code LAMUAS
Section 10U1
Summer 2010
Gleacher Center
$335 Early registration ends June 1
$365 Regular registration
Thursdays
June 10–July 29
10 am–12:30 pm
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 20
What to Listen for in Classical Music
One-day seminar
This course examines the evolution of Western music from the Baroque era through the 20th century. Different parameters such as harmony, rhythm, and melody are concisely explained and examined in representative masterpieces drawn from various eras, genres, and styles, including the works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, and Stravinsky, among others. Rich historical context will be provided. This class will be a lively combination of lecture, analysis, and
listening.
John Gibbons
See bio under Opera, Ballet, and Musical Theater Genres.
Course Code LAMULI
Section 10U1
Summer 2010
Gleacher Center
$115
Saturday
June 5
10 am–4 pm (one-hour lunch
break)
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 5
The Romantic and Contemporary Eras
This course covers the evolution of Western art music during the Romantic and Contemporary eras. The different musical styles and genres will be studied based on representative works and pieces by major composers. Participants will be able to identify the main characteristics of the music of each era—including works by American composers. High quality recordings by renowned soloists, ensembles, and orchestras will serve as springboards for our discussions. Listening and discussion guides will be provided.
Francy Acosta
Ms. Acosta has a PhD in music from Case Western Reserve University. She has extensive experience conducting and singing in choirs everywhere from Bogotá, Colombia, to Bloomington, Indiana.
Course Code LAMURT
Section 10S1
Spring 2010
Gleacher Center
$335 Early registration ends March 15
$365 Regular registration
Mondays
March 22–May 17 (no class March 29)
6–8:30 pm
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 20
Winter 2010 offerings:
INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC LITERACY
One-day seminar
Required course for the Language of Music Certificate.
This seminar is designed to equip the student with fundamental knowledge of musical notation and language. Clefs, time and key signatures, the staff, symbols for pitch and duration, and musical grammar and vocabulary will all be covered. Also, there will be consideration of the relevancy and value of various analytical models and techniques. Emphasis will be placed on making the participant’s listening experience more rewarding. A rudimentary ability to read notes is required. Please see Graham School website for the reading assignment to be completed before the start of class.
JOHN GIBBONS
Mr. Gibbons holds a PhD from the University of Chicago Department of Music. His works have been performed at the Rockefeller Music Competition and by the Minnesota Chamber Symphony. He received the Graham School of General Studies 2005 Excellence in Teaching Award for the Humanities, Arts, and Sciences.
Course Code LAMUMT
Section 10W1
Winter 2010
Gleacher Center
$115
Saturday
March 13
10 am–4 pm (One-hour lunch break.)
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 5
PIANO MUSIC FROM MOZART TO RACHMANINOV
Counts as a Focused Music Study course for the Language of Music Certificate.
This course presents a survey of some of the most popular and significant piano music of the Classical and Romantic eras. Classes feature discussion and performance of pieces including Chopin’s mazurkas, preludes, and ballades, as well as Schumann’s “Carnival,” famous works by Mozart and Beethoven, and the virtuoso styles of Liszt and Rachmaninov. This course is an ideal opportunity to gain an enriched understanding of piano music.
JOHN GIBBONS
Mr. Gibbons holds a PhD from the University of Chicago Department of Music. His works have been performed at the Rockefeller Music Competition and by the Minnesota Chamber Symphony. He received
the Graham School of General Studies 2005 Excellence in Teaching Award for the Humanities, Arts, and Sciences.
Course Code LAMUMR
Section 10W1
Winter 2010
Gleacher Center
$335 Early registration ends January 4
$365 Regular registration
Tuesdays
January 12–March 2
10 am–12:30 pm
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 20
19TH CENTURY GERMANY
Counts as a Music Genre course for the Language of Music Certificate.
This interdisciplinary course will place Bruckner, Wagner, and other 19th-century Austrian and German composers within the context of their own turbulent time. Bruckner’s monumental symphonies and Wagner’s visionary conception of opera and revolutionary harmonies were formed at the same time as the German state; this course will explore the relationships between music and politics. Topics will include the Franco-Prussian War, Metternich and conservative reaction, the German bourgeoisie, and Bismarck and the Second Reich.
JOHN GIBBONS
Mr. Gibbons holds a PhD from the University of Chicago Department of Music. His works have been performed at the Rockefeller Music Competition and by the Minnesota Chamber Symphony. He received
the Graham School of General Studies 2005 Excellence in Teaching Award for the Humanities, Arts, and Sciences.
Course Code LAMUNG
Section 10W1
Winter 2010
Gleacher Center
$335 Early registration ends January 4
$365 Regular registration
Thursdays
January 14–March 4
10 am–12:30 pm
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 20
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Autumn 2009 course offerings:
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR IN MUSIC
One-day seminar
Required course for the Language of Music Certificate.
This course examines the evolution of Western music from the Baroque era through the 20th century. Different parameters such as harmony, rhythm, and melody are concisely explained and examined in representative masterpieces drawn from various eras, genres, and styles, including the works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, and Stravinsky among others. Rich historical context will be provided. This class will be a lively combination of lecture, analysis, and listening.
JOHN GIBBONS
Mr. Gibbons holds a PhD from the University of Chicago Department of Music. His works have been performed at the Rockefeller Music Competition and by the Minnesota Chamber Symphony. He received the Graham School of General Studies 2005 Excellence in Teaching Award for the Humanities, Arts, and Sciences.
Course Code LAMULI-09A1
Gleacher Center
$115
Saturday
September 12
10 am–4 pm (one-hour lunch break)
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 5
THE LIFE AND WORKS OF MOZART
Counts as a Focused Music Study course for the Language of Music Certificate.
This course will examine Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s phenomenal precociousness, his astounding assimilation of Italianate and Germanic styles, and his relationship to the turbulent social transitions of his time. Divided between biographic study and music analysis, the course will discuss seminal masterworks including selected operas, piano concerti, and symphonies.
JOHN GIBBONS
Mr. Gibbons holds a PhD from the University of Chicago Department of Music. His works have been performed at the Rockefeller Music Competition and by the Minnesota Chamber Symphony. He received the Graham School of General Studies 2005 Excellence in Teaching Award for the Humanities, Arts, and Sciences.
Course Code LAMUMO-09A1
Gleacher Center
$335 Early registration ends September 14
$365 Regular registration
Tuesdays
September 22–November 10
10 am–12:30 pm
Teacher Recertification CPDU s: 20
THE HISTORY OF MUSIC
Counts as a Music Genre course for the Language of Music Certificate.
This course covers the evolution of Western art music from Gregorian chant to the present. The different musical styles and genres will be studied based on representative works and pieces by major composers. Participants will be able to identify the main characteristics of the music of the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th century, and contemporary eras—including works by American composers. High quality recordings by renowned soloists, chamber ensembles and orchestras will serve as springboards
for our discussions. Listening and discussion guides will be provided.
FRANCY ACOSTA
Ms. Acosta has a PhD in music from Case Western Reserve University. She has extensive experience conducting and singing in choirs everywhere from Bogotá, Colombia to Bloomington, Indiana.
Course Code LAMUHM-09A1
Gleacher Center
$335 Early registration ends September 14
$365 Regular registration
Thursdays
September 24–October 15
6–8:30 pm
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 10
Mahler
Counts as a Music Genre course for the Language of Music Certificate.
This course focuses on the career of composer and conductor Gustav Mahler, including detailed
discussions of his symphonies and song cycles as well as his influence as a conductor. The course also
examines fin de siècle Vienna, including musical feuds between Brahms, Bruckner, and Hugo Wolf. And how can we ignore Vienna’s most glamorous personality, Alma Mahler (née Schindler) whose diaries are Vienna’s looking
glass? Providing context, such spectacular personalities as Gustav Klimt and Sigmund Freud are discussed alongside Mahler as exemplars of an emerging modernist ethos.
JOHN GIBBONS
Mr. Gibbons holds a PhD from the University of Chicago Department of Music. His works have been performed at the Rockefeller Music Competition and by the Minnesota Chamber Symphony. He received the Graham School of General Studies 2005 Excellence in Teaching Award for the Humanities, Arts, and Sciences.
Course Code LAMUMH-09A1
Gleacher Center
$335 Early registration ends September 14
$365 Regular registration
Thursdays
September 24–November 12
10 am–12:30 pm
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 20
