The piano and modernism 1880-1930
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
Course Code: MD600A
Duration: 8 sessions (over 9 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Center for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
Unlike the advent of the Classical and Romantic periods, where the musical arts emerged later than the corresponding fine art, architecture and literature, the birth of Modernism found composers such as Liszt, Debussy, and Schoenberg at the forefront of creating and disseminating the new ethos through their piano music. This course explores the ways in which the piano and its repertoire helped to shape this new outlook, and how pianists created novel sound worlds in order to better express these ideas, by exploring the legacy of key musical pioneers through case studies in biography, historic publications and recordings.
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 if you don't have a computer.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.
What will we cover?
- Debussy, Impressionism and the Pre-Raphaelites
- Schoenberg, Expressionism and Die Blaue Reiter
- Satie, Stravinsky and Neo-Classicism
- Prokofiev, Antheil and Futurism
- Case studies including Debussy’s Estampes, Schoenberg’s Three Piano Pieces, Op.11, Satie’s Sonatine Bureaucratique.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Identify key Modernist composers for the piano between 1880-1930
- Demonstrate a deeper understanding of modernism in music
- Recognise and understand the different approaches of selected musical examples.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is suitable for anyone with an interest in listening to classical music and who wishes to find out more about the history of this repertoire and its performance. We will look at various scores and historical documents during this course but you do not need to read music notation to participate in these activities.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. You can access further course materials online though Google Classroom during the course.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
This is an online course:
Sessions will be held via video-conference (zoom) and 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?
You will need a good internet connection and a computer with microphone & webcam. If using a tablet it will need a screen large enough for you to comfortably view the class handouts.
You may also wish to purchase some of the music books or recordings discussed in class, links to these materials will be available online after each session.
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.
I have spent my professional career balancing performing as a concert pianist with teaching academic music courses. I was formerly a lecturer at the Royal College of Music and Trinity Laban Conservatoire, but have found that I enjoy teaching non-professionals far more, so a great deal of my work over the last three years has been with adult amateurs and the general public. Born to Indian parents (the name is a long story, but I and my forbears are Indian as far as records go back!), I now also spend a few months each year in India working with teachers and advanced students with the aim, ultimately, of opening India's first conservatoire. My research work has largely been in the area of 19th and 20th century performing practice, although for the last three years I have been investigating approaches to performance creativity, first at New College, Oxford, and now at Hughes Hall, Cambridge. In my spare time you may occasionally me performing as a founder member of the prog rock band, The Connoisseur.
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.
