History of the Symphony

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

History of the Symphony offers a broad overview of the development of the topic within classical music traditions. We will explore the history and evolution of traditional, modern, and American symphonic music with specific focus on performance practices to gain a deeper understanding of these genres. Symphonic music can be defined along historical practices, and can extend to include music with voice, electronics, dance, non-western instruments, and theatrical concepts. This course focuses on the Western, specifically European traditions and repertoire of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries with select references to American music, early music, contemporary music, and jazz. A primary objective is to trace musical developments in differently defined time periods and geographical regions, while also examining artistic conditions from different human perspectives (funding, the emergence of orchestral performing arts centers and departments, and other social conditions, etc.). A specific goal is to engage with modern and contemporary American symphonic music and artistic environments as part of Georgetown’s American Musical Cultures curriculum.