Course Description
Following the mid-19th century innovations of New German School composers
Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner, further developments by Anton Bruckner (1824 - 1896),
Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1914), and Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949) led German Romantic
orchestra music into the 20th century. Understand how their advances in orchestral tonal
colors, harmonic suspension, and tonal ambiguity influenced 20th century modernism.
The course includes an introduction to the orchestral music of Liszt and Wagner as
well as biographical information, historical context, and an overview of the ouvre of
each composer.
For a course on the remaining great German late-romantic composer, see "The Music
of Johannes Brahms" in this catalog.
Course Syllabus
Session 1: Course Introduction
What came before our guys?
The Symphonies of Anton Bruckner
Session 2: The Symphonies of Anton Bruckner (continued)
The Symphonies of Gustav Mahler
Session 3: The Music of Gustav Mahler (continued)
The Music of Richard Strauss
Session 4: The Music of Richard Strauss (continued)
