MUS 435 | Firing the Classical Canon

This course provides a condensed overview of the narrative and elements of the Western "classical" music canon from the Middle Ages through the 20th century. It covers the eras, composers, genres, styles, terms, and famous works that constitute the classical canon in the U.S.--a body of knowledge widely held to be the most important elements of music history for musicians to know about, study, teach, and perform. Students independently research and gain fluency with the canonic repertoire and musicians in their own area of particular interest (such as choral music, solo violin repertoire, etc.) The second part of the course deals with how, why, and by whom the canon was constructed in the U.S. over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, a process in which hierarchical, hegemonic views of national identity, class, race, ethnicity, religion, and gender played significant roles. Students creatively and critically explore questions of how and why the canon continues to be powerful today, and how they want to engage with or resist it in their own lives as music-makers.