Sea of Impressions, Forest of Symbols: The Music of Debussy
MUS8-5b-Tue1
Jared Redmond
This course will take place virtually on Zoom. Participation requires a device (ideally a computer or tablet, rather than a cell phone) with a camera and microphone in good working order and basic familiarity with using Zoom and accessing email.
October 15 - November 12
Claude Debussy’s unique, dreamlike music has been enjoyed almost universally, even in the popular realm, for more than the past century. In a “mature” career that spanned a little over two decades, he ended up a celebrated international figurehead of modern art, and influenced the course of modern music forever.
In this course, we will expand our knowledge of Debussy’s music, both with respect to the breadth of his creative work, spanning opera, song, works for piano, and chamber music, and a deeper, richer power of listening to his compositions. We will study the formal design of some of his most famous works, as well as develop the historical situations and personal inspirations behind their composing. In addition, we will explore the links between Debussy’s music and the social and artistic movements of his time, including Symbolism, Bohemianism, Impressionism, and more. Please note: there will be some technical, theoretical discussion, along with examples from musical scores, in class. If you are not comfortable reading music, you are still more than welcome to join us!
Roughly the same amount of lecture and discussion.
The SGL will provide all musical recordings in the form of YouTube links, and all readings/scores in PDF files uploaded into the course Google Drive folder.
1-2 hrs. of listening and/or reading.
Jared Redmond is a composer and pianist. Holding a PhD in Music Composition and Theory from Brandeis University, he has taught music at MIT, Hanyang University, and Seoul National University in South Korea, where he currently lives. His appetites for classical music are omnivorous, but he is especially devoted to contemporary music, the music of the late 19th - early 20th century, and to discussion of stylistic and technical influence among music of the canonical masters. He has led many courses for BOLLI, on topics including Russian Music, post-WWII music, music and architecture, classical music and politics, and musical Romanticism.