"Making Music Today with Duke Performances" (Music 089.2S) is a seminar for first-year students only. Taught by Stephen Jaffe, Mary and James H. Semans Professor of Music Composition, the course emphasizes becoming an informed listener. Students will learn about musical styles from around the world, then attend concerts featuring stellar artists brought to campus by Duke Performances, including Indian tabla master Zakir Hussain, the Ariel String Quartet, and Brazilian vocalist Luciana Souza.
Music 125 explores the elements, forms, and genres of European and America traditions in music, with attention to the growing dialogue between this "classical" repertoire and popular genres. The focus of this class with be on 20th and 21st century music. Verena Moesenbichler-Bryant is Director of the Duke University Wind Symphony.
Music 253 examines the life and music of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) and its relation to contemporary cultural and historical developments. Considers Beethoven's predecessors Haydn and Mozart, then turns to Beethoven's life and career, illustrated through a selection of major compositions from his early, middle, and late periods. The course ends by examining Beethoven's influence on later nineteenth and twentieth-century composers, and his relevance for us today. Lectures will be supplemented by live performances. R. Larry Todd is Arts & Sciences Professor of Music at Duke University.
Department of Music