CMPL 204 - Introduction to Literature and Music

FC ARHU CD

4 credits
Focused on the literary representations of music in Western and Russian culture, this course examines the foundational myths of music as refashioned in literature, philosophy, opera, and song. Students will discuss the magical, transformative, seductive, and dangerous nature of music, and will learn how music attains its meaning as an abstract art form, expresses emotions and desires, tells stories, or exerts power over us. We will also trace how music shapes the gender dynamics in literature and opera. Writers and composers may include Blok, Goethe, Nietzsche, Pushkin, Rilke, Schopenhauer, Tolstoy, Sophia Tolstaya, Tsvetaeva, Mozart, Schubert, Scriabin, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, and Wagner. Selected Conservatory concerts, the Oberlin art museum, and Met HD simulcasts at the Apollo Theater are required local field trips.