Great Issues in Fine Arts- HSP 172
Perspectives on the Composer: Style and Expression in Music Composition
Dr. Andrew Bishop, Instructor

A bust of Beethoven resting on the piano, a tee shirt with John Lennon, a statue of Duke Ellington in Harlem. These composers are household names, but how and why did they create and express their musical ideas? This course will examine music composition through the lens of the composer, the performer, and the audience. Further views by musicologists, philosophers, and psychologists will provide and interdisciplinary approach to the topic. While music composition is the primary concern, relevant parallels in architecture, visual art, literature, and poetry will also be considered. Course activities will include readings, listening assignments, artistic creation, writing, concert attendance, field trips, class discussion, and presentations. Historically established music traditions (e.g. concert music and jazz) are contrasted with new forms (e.g. techno, film music and rap) in search of music composition’s expanding role.