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Music

The World of Opera (Online)

Course Times & Enrolment

This course is currently unavailable.

Course Summary

Music! Murder! Mayhem! Opera is often seen today as an elite or difficult art form. But for most of its 400-year history, it was a mass popular entertainment that thrilled audiences around the world. From Mozart to Verdi to Britten, opera has something for everyone. This introduction will look at the development of opera from its origins to the present day, exploring conventions, structures, terms and what they denote. Come and be swept away!

Course will be delivered via Blackboard Collaborate and Learn.

This course will be co-taught by Rolland Man and David Wingrove.

Course Details

Pre-requisites for enrolment

Students will need to be able to confidently use videoconferencing software be comfortable with using websites. 

Special Information

In order to participate in this course, you will need access to a computer with a speaker and an internet connection.  You should have;

• An up-to-date web browser (Google Chrome recommended) 

• Microphone (ideally headset) and Webcam 

• Strong Internet connection

Content of Course

Week 1. Introduction

Week 2. Mozart – The Marriage of Figaro

Week 3. Rossini – The Barber of Seville 

Week 4. Donizetti – Lucia di Lammermoor 

Week 5. Verdi – Aida 

Week 6. Anton Rubinstein – The Demon 

Week 7. Bizet – Carmen 

Week 8. Massenet – ThaÏs 

Week 9. Puccini – Turandot 

Week 10. Philip Glass – Akhnaten

Teaching method(s)

Lectures, guided listening and discussion.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

  • Analyse critically the aims and objectives of opera composers of various schools;

  • Explain the changing priorities of composers and audiences in the field of opera;

  • Discuss the changing power relationships between opera impresarios, singers and composers;

  • Distinguish the features of one period in the history of opera from another.

Sources

Core Readings

Essential

  • Jay, Donald & Weigel Williams, Hermine. 2003. A Short History Of Opera. New York, N.Y. Columbia University Press.

Further specific reading and listening will be recommended each week.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.