Exploring classical music 4
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Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
- Start Date: 25 Sep 2025End Date: 04 Dec 2025Thu (Evening): 18:00 - 19:30OnlineFull fee £219.00 Senior fee £219.00 Concession £153.00
- Start Date: 23 Apr 2026End Date: 02 Jul 2026Thu (Daytime): 16:00 - 17:30OnlineFull fee £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £153.00
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What is the course about?
This course offers a (very) brief history of Western art music during the 20th century. Suitable for classical music enthusiasts as well as near beginners. Each week we will look at a key work of classical music from the twentieth century and use it as a jumping off point to discuss the important historical and aesthetic developments that effected composition in the modern era. The course consists of some well known 20th century classics alongside some exciting, more unfamiliar, choices.
What will we cover?
- Opera: Including Berg’s Lulu
- The influence of Jazz: Including works by Ives & Ellington
- The continuation of Romanticism: Including Rachmaninov and Hollywood composers
- Postmodernism: Adams, Zorn, Plunderphonics
- Space, Silence, Drone: Cage, Shiomi, Lamb, Malone
- Electronic innovations: Radigue, the Barons, Oram, Carl Stone,
- The influence of the global: Takemitsu, Nancarrow, Oram
- The new Sublime: Messiaen, Tavener, Ligeti
- The influence of Rock and Pop: Reich, Glass, Caroline Shaw
- Where are we now: overview of classical music of the last 10 years.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- demonstrate an awareness of key works from the c20th in a range of styles.
- understand the significance of the works in relation to the history of c20th classical music
- Understand key concepts relating to c20th Western art and music and their historical context.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is designed as an overview for absolute beginners. However, we will look at some notated music and learn to identify key features of (e.g. how many parts there are singing, where pitch goes up and down) so this course designed for those who are curious and ambitious to learn.
You need to be able to follow written and verbal instructions and engage in class discussion in English, and to take your own notes.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Tutor presentation, guided listening, class discussion and debate, video and score study.
Course materials will be shared via Google Classroom: handouts, scores, links to online audio and video, recommendations to encourage and support further reading and listening outside class.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Please have a pen and notebook to make your own notes during class. You may wish to purchase some of the music books or recordings discussed in class; links to these materials will be available after each session. You may also wish to attend or take part in live performances.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Following this course you may be interested in more specialist topics in City Lit's wide range of Music history courses. For more information, visit our Guide to the Music history programme.
Neil Luck is a composer and researcher with a broad range of academic and practical experience in the field of classical music. He is based in London, and currently completing a PhD at the University of York. As a practising composer, his work has been presented internationally, at leading festivals and institutions including the BBC Proms and the Tate Modern. As a teacher and speaker he has given talks, classes and seminars at universities, schools, galleries, and conferences. He has also created and presented radio programmes for stations such as BBC Radio 3 and Resonance FM.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
