Course content

In the Long Nineteenth Century, the private sphere offered certain musical and artistic possibilities that the public sphere did not. Private settings like the salon enabled certain nonconforming artistic expressions of gender and sexuality, and was an alternative and a challenge to the musical, social and cultural restraints of the public sphere. While musical forms like the symphony and concerto prevailed in the public sphere, songs for solo voice and piano, such as art songs, German Lieder, English drawing room ballads, and Norwegian romanser flourished in private settings. For musicians, especially female composers, the private sphere was often the stage on which their music - including, for example, the songs by Norway’s Anna Severine Lindeman - were first performed and permitted to flourish. In Norwegian music history, the songs that were performed in, and often composed for, the private sphere constitute a contribution to National Romanticism that is all too easily overlooked.

This course aims to provide students with an understanding of the intersections of gender, class and nationality in the music of the private sphere in the Long Nineteenth Century, especially the work of female composers. Lieder/songs/romanser of German, French, English, Norwegian and Danish origin will constitute the main body of music to be studied. Particular attention will be paid to the Norwegian national-romantic context, and the relationship between music and poetry in the songs based on texts by Norwegian and Danish national romantic poets like Bjørnson, Moe, Ibsen, and Andersen. This course offers the unique opportunity to learn about largely unknown nineteenth-century Norwegian woman composers of whom they probably would not have learned in other courses, as it builds on new research conducted by the course coordinator.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

Candidates who successfully complete MUSV3149:

• have knowledge of and insight into the work of the composers and poets discussed in the course
• gain a thorough understanding of nineteenth-century musical life in the private sphere, in Scandinavian as well as other European contexts
• develop a critical understanding of the interaction between historical movements, class, nationality, and gender and music

Skills:

Candidates who successfully complete MUSV3149 can:

• critically discuss musical activities in the private sphere against the backdrop of social, political, and cultural developments at large
• explain the relationship between music and text in a song
• identify an area of research interest from the course material on which to base an essay or presentation
• present insights from their research, as well as their critical understanding and background knowledge around the topic, clearly in both written and verbal form

Learning methods and activities

Combination of lectures and seminars. Discussing of articles and other academic texts. Listening to, and discussing musical recordings - with the assistance of musical scores.

Attendance is mandatory and requires a minimum of 80% attendance.

Compulsory assignments

• Satisfactory participation in compulsory instruction
• Preliminary sketch of semester essay topic, outline, and select bibliography

Specific conditions