Course Syllabus

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113 Syllabus 2026.pdf

 Tufts University: Music 113 Syllabus

Romantic and Modernist Musical Systems

Prof. Frank Lehman, frank.lehman@tufts.edu

Course Summary and Goals:

Now that you’ve got the basics of tonal theory firmly under your belt, it’s time to sink your teeth into repertory. In Music 113, our focus will always be solely on pieces. This semester, that focus will further be trained on the nature of genre: we’ll be looking at full pieces from the full gamut of 19th and early 20th century Western art traditions. 

Our class places equal emphasis on canonical and marginal figures within the symphonic repertoire. Beethoven and Brahms will get their due, but so will Beach and Bonis. Importantly, we will stress the contributions of women composers, in such a way that hopefully reflects their incredible—if historically far too infrequent—contributions the genre without tokenizing or artificially elevating their work just on the basis of their identity. I want you to leave feeling a little overwhelmed, and less sure of your handle on the repertory (but at the same time actually being more secure in a new, profound way). In this sense, Music 113, despite being analytically oriented, is also a critical repertoire course.

 

Provisional Schedule

This syllabus is subject to radical change depending on interest and availability of materials

  • Week 0: Musical Romanticism -- General Traits
    • Spotlight: Felix Mendelssohn "Frühzeitiger Frühling"; Josephine Lang, "Frühzeitiger Frühling"
  • Week 1: The Piano Sonata
    • Spotlight: Beethoven No. 17 “The Tempest”; Hensel “The Easter Sonata”
  • Week 2: The String Quartet
    • Spotlight: Schubert No. 14 “Death and the Maiden”; Onslow No. 7
  • Week 3: The Piano Concerto
    • Spotlight: Weber No. 1 in C major; Field No. 2 in Ab major
  • Week 4: The Concert Overture/Tone Poem
    • Spotlight: Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Balakirev King Lear, Liszt Hamlet, Tchaikovsky Romeo & Juliet, Fibich The Tempest
  • Week 5: The Miniature
    • Spotlight: Chopin Preludes, Alkan Preludes, Osterberger 
  • Week 6: The Song
    • Spotlight: Fauré misc. songs; Viardot misc. songs
  • Week 7: The Song Cycle
    • Spotlight: Schumann, Frauen-Liebe und Leben; Lachner Frauen-Liebe und Leben
  • Week 8: The Requiem
    • Spotlight: Verdi Requiem, Gouvy Requiem
  • Week 9: The Opera (Part 1)
    • Spotlight: Wagner Tristan und Isolde, Chueca La Gran Via
  • Week 10: The Opera (Part 2)
    • Spotlight: Massenet Esclarmonde
  • Week 11: The Ballet
    • Spotlight: Tchaikovsky Swan Lake, Delibes, Sylvia
  • Week 12: The Symphony (Part 1)
    • Spotlight: Berwald No. 3 in C “Singulière”, Farrenc No. 2 in D 
  • Week 13: The Symphony (Part 2)
    • Spotlight: Dvorak No. 9 in E min, Beach No. 1 in E min, Price No. 1 in E min
  • Week 14: Wrap-Up and Presentations

 

 

 

 

 

Course Summary:

Course Summary
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