Exploring the music of Gabriel Fauré
Time: 10:30 - 12:30
Location: Online
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
- Course Code: MD703C
- Dates: 26/02/25 - 02/04/25
- Time: 10:30 - 12:30
- Taught: Wed, Daytime
- Duration: 5 sessions (over 6 weeks)
- Location: Online
- Tutor: Katy Hamilton
Course Code: MD703C
Duration: 5 sessions (over 6 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
This is an opportunity to learn about the life and music of Gabriel Fauré – organist, pianist and composer, who rose to the directorship of the Paris Conservatoire in 1905. As a performer and creator of new works, not to mention a teacher, Fauré was an incredibly influential figure in French musical life and composed extensively: he is particularly known for his songs, piano works and his famous Requiem. We will investigate what makes for the distinctive sound and colour of his music, and explore the details of his biography.
This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone can be used if you don't have a computer but please note the experience may be less optimal.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.
What will we cover?
- Outline of Fauré’s biography and his influences – including his unusual stance on the music of Richar Wagner
- The composition details of key works, such as the Requiem
- The construction of his music and its key characteristics
- The extensive professional network of which Fauré was a part in French musical life, and his impact upon it.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Summarise the key events of Fauré’s biography and list some of his key students
- Recognise some of the principal characteristics of his compositional approach
- Identify influences in his music, and how these change over time
- Summarise the significance of Fauré’s organisational and administrative activities to French (and particularly Parisian) musical life.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
The course in intended to be accessible for anyone with an interest in western classical music. We will look at various scores and historical documents during this course but you do not need to read music notation to participate in these activities. All texts will be in English, or accompanied by an English translation. Musical scores are all available free online via IMSLP.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
- Sessions will comprise combinations of lecture, discussion, quizzes, guided listening, video and score study.
- Course materials (handouts, scores, links to online videos) will be shared via google classroom.
- You will be encouraged to do extra reading outside class.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Please have a notebook and pen handy for note-taking.
You may wish to buy some of the music or books recommended in class.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
To find out more about music history classes Music history courses in London and online which lists our full programme of classes ordered by term, and by day of the week. You may then click on each title to read the full course outline.
Dr Katy Hamilton is a freelance researcher, writer and presenter on music. She is fast becoming one of the UK’s most sought-after speakers on music, providing talks for a host of organisations including the Wigmore Hall, Southbank Centre, BBC Proms, Ryedale Festival and Oxford Lieder Festival. In addition, she regularly writes programme notes for the Salzburg Festival, North Norfolk Festival and the Philharmonia Orchestra, and is a frequent contributor to BBC Radio 3’s Record Review. Katy worked as Graham Johnson’s research assistant for his monumental Franz Schubert: The Songs and their Poets (Yale University Press, 2014) and is co-editor of Brahms in the Home and the Concert Hall (Cambridge University Press, 2014) and Brahms in Context (Cambridge University Press, 2019). In addition to her research and presentation work, Katy has taught at the Royal College of Music, City Lit, the University of Nottingham and Middlesex University, working with students in performance workshops and music history classes. She has been teaching Music History courses at City Lit since 2015. She is also Public Events Programmer at the Foundling Museum in central London.
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.