Music and Culture in Third Republic France

This course explores musical and cultural life in France during the Third Republic (1870-1940). Topics include: works by Bizet, Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Ravel, and Stravinsky; folk music in the French provinces; cabarets, music halls, and music in everyday life; and jazz in interwar Paris. More broadly, we will consider the relationship between music and broader cultural phenomena and events, such as: the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune; the Dreyfus Affair; nationalism, colonialism, and internationalization; gender politics; and “modernity” and “modernism” in their various manifestations. Prerequisite: MUSC 0550 (Theory of Tonal Music I) or permission of the instructor.