Chamber music is one of the most intimate forms of classical music. It combines the wealth and richness of classical music structures with the intimacy of being able to see each performer, and hear what each one is playing. This course explores the structures and development of chamber music, and the great composers who contributed to it, including Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. We will listen to some of the great pieces of chamber music, and explore what makes them wonderful. No musical knowledge is necessary.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

COURSE OUTLINE

• What is chamber music?
• The structures and genres of chamber music
• Baroque music as chamber music
• Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos
• The chamber music of Mozart and Haydn
• Beethoven’s chamber music
• Romantic chamber music: Schubert, Schumann and Brahms
• Schubert’s Trout Quintet
• Tchaikovsky, Dvořák and Ravel
• Other composers: Vaughan Williams, Shostakovich, Messiaen, Sculthorpe

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. List some great composers of chamber music
2. List some specific examples of chamber music
3. Describe some of the features of chamber music