Course content

Music has never been isolated from political history. All music is affected by the social framework composers and musicians are active in. Music, thus, reflects and articulates political tendencies, intentions as well as utopian dreams. At the same time music is a powerful tool of manipulation: music can be instrumentalized in order to affect larger og minor groups of society. The present seminary investigates constants and shifts in this antithetic relationship, and describes in which way they have shaped the music which surrounds us today.

The seminary takes relevant Western music from Antiquity to the 20th century into consideration, focussing on art music and selected items of popular music. Three thematic perspectives serve as a basis:
1. Music as articulating relationships of power (public rituals, propaganda and administrative music politics).
2. Music as a medium of articulating identity (religious hymns, national anthems, sport-anthems).
3. Music as an agent and reflection of conflict, war and protest.

The seminary starts with an overview about political music theory of classic Antiquity (Plato) and proceeds to examples of political music from the Middle Ages (music in honour of kings and other political rulers, political saints, chants in the orbit of the crusades and political satire), the Renaissance (music for coronations, processions, funerals, and other state occasions, protestant church music), Baroque and Enlightenment (music in the orbit of court ceremonials, satire and government critics in Mozart’s operas). The second part of the saminary is dedicated to the centuries of political music in the context and after the French revolution (1789): classic idealism (Beethoven/Schiller), romantics, and imperialism (Brahms, Wagner, Richard Strauß). The seminary concludes with an overview about music and power during the age of totalitarism (music during the Nazi-regime in Germany, the Sovjet Union and the German Democratic Republic up to 1989).

A special accent is placed on the role of music in the context of war and violence. The seminary thematises the role of religious medieval music in the age of the crusades, military music, and the role of art and popular music during the 1st and 2nd World War, as well as the function of music in the context of the Vietnam- and the Iraq-wars.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:
An examinee with a completed qualification in MUSV3106 has in-depth knowledge about European music in political contexts and/or with political functions, in a time frame which spreads from the 9th to the 21st century.
The examinee has in addition ...
– … general knowledge about political, cultural, and musical developments in the time period,
– … knowledge about important theories, research methods and analytical tools within vocal- and instrumental music in the time period,
– … knowledge about central problems within the music from 800–2000 (vocal and instrumental forms and cultural-sociological functions).

Skills:
An examinee with a completed qualification in MUSV3106 is able ...
– … to express his/her deepened knowledge in a convincing way, both in writing and speech (compulsory presentation in order to take the exam),
– … to make his/her own reflections based on, and in the extension of the acquired knowledge,
– … to utilize the acquired knowledge about analytical tools and research methods on material new and unknown for the examinee,
– … to reflect about his/her own scientific work within political music from 800–2000 and to develop it under guided supervision.

Learning methods and activities

Teaching is organised in lectures and seminary activities. Regular and active and participation in lectures and seminars is obligatory. An oral presentation (15-20 min.) about a selected topic from seminary literature is mandatory in order to get permission to participate in the final exam.

Compulsory assignments

• Satisfactory participation in compulsory instruction
• Oral presentation in a seminar

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

Ability to read modern music notation. General knowledge about European music history 800–2000 and/or European general political or cultural history.

Required previous knowledge

Requires admission to one of the Bachelor's programmes or Master's programmes in Musicology, Music Technology or Music Performance.

Course materials

Course materials are composed from articles and chapters from secondarylitterature and music editions. Access to a collection of music examples will be made available.