HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

The course is part of the Master's Degree in Economics and Management of Arts and Cultural Activities (EGArt). The course aims to provide students with in-depth knowledge of the history of modern and contemporary music of French production. These topics are of fundamental importance for those wishing to deal with the management of cultural activities; therefore, adequate knowledge of them is part of the educational path of this master's degree course.

The aim of the course is to acquire in-depth skills in the field of music history and French musical culture between the 19th and 20th centuries. At the end of the lessons, students will have a conscious critical ability to deal with the examination of musical texts produced on French soil and to contextualize them in the rich and multifaceted historical-cultural context of the period under examination.

This course requires the ability to read music and the knowledge of the fundamentals of musical grammar. A basic preparation of the history of modern and contemporary music, acquired in the three-year degree courses, is also required.

During the lessons, the production of composers will be investigated in depth in the perspective of the musical languages that followed one another in France from the 19th century to the full 20th century.
First of all, we will try to reconstruct the complex French political-historical-cultural context of the time with the aim of framing the work and production of the musicians, as well as their collaboration with artists belonging to other disciplines.
We will therefore proceed to illustrate some titles considered among the most representative of the various cultural currents of the period analysed, taking into consideration pieces destined for ensembles and different contexts (opera theatre, scene music, film music, symphonic music, dance music, chamber music etc.), and taking into account the rich phenomenon of the interrelationship between the arts, characteristic of the time.

The use of the following texts is recommended:

- Fabrizio Della Seta, Italia e Francia nell’Ottocento (Storia della Musica a cura della Società Italiana di Musicologia, vol. IX), Torino, EDT, 1993.
- Guido Salvetti, La nascita del Novecento (Storia della Musica a cura della Società Italiana di Musicologia, vol. X), Torino, EDT, 1991 (or previous editions).

A further specific bibliography will be indicated during the lessons.
Any materials will be uploaded to the Moodle platform.
Non-attending students must agree an alternative program with the teacher.
To fill any gaps in the grammar and history of Western music we recommend:

- Ottó Károlyi, La grammatica della musica. La teoria, le forme e gli strumenti musicali, Torino, Einaudi, 2000 (or previous editions).
- Mario Carrozzo – Cristina Cimagalli, Storia della musica occidentale, vol. 3, Roma, Armando, 1999.

The verification of learning will take place through an oral interview relating to the topics covered during the course. In addition, the student will have to prepare a written essay (maximum 16,000 characters, with notes and related bibliography) on an in-depth study related to the topics covered during the lessons. The essay must be sent by email to the teacher at least 72 hours before the exam and will be discussed during the oral interview.

Frontal lessons, during which listening, analysis and comments of musical examples contextualized in the historical period in question will be carried out.

Italian

Course attendance is strongly recommended.
Non-attending students must agree an alternative program with the teacher.

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