MHST 316 - Studies in Opera: Verdi

FC CNDP, DDHU

4 credits
Giuseppe Verdi’s interest in literature profoundly shaped his approach to writing opera. This course focuses on operas (I masnadieri, Luisa Miller, Don Carlos) that Verdi adapted from plays of Friedrich Schiller; we will use these as examples of how literary models inspired Verdi to push past inherited 19th-century operatic conventions. We will additionally examine how the rise of romanticism in Italy and France shaped Verdi’s literary tastes and affected his collaborations with librettists. Significant course time will be devoted to individual research projects, in which students will analyze a Verdi opera of their choice in relation to its literary source. Recommended Preparation: one 200-level course in music history.

Prerequisites: ESOL 130 (for students in ESOL sequence).