Music in the Long 19th Century: From Classicism to Modernism

The ‘long nineteenth century’ was first defined by the British historian Eric Hobsbawm as the period of Western History between the beginnings of the French Revolution (1789) and the First World War (1914). The hey-day of global European Empires, the long nineteenth century was marked by the complex interplay of artistic, cultural, philosophical, and socio-political movements. Within the Western Art Music tradition, this period encompasses the ‘Classical Style’ of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, its development over the course of the nineteenth century, and the end of common-practice tonality with the Second Viennese School of Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern. This course will help students better understand the musical practices of this period along with the broader narratives and frameworks that shape how we interact with Western musical culture. It will also introduce students to contemporary musicological theories and methodologies used to study this music.