Mozart and Haydn are two of the greatest composers of the Viennese Classical period, and their music has long been regarded as expressing a classic perfection. They both wrote in a variety of genres. The reasons for the high regard in which their music is held will also be discussed and illustrated, with support from the visual arts. Chopin, one of the greatest early Romantic composers, had a sincere love and appreciation of Mozart’s music. Some of his piano works, played on an instrument identical to the one used by Chopin, will be featured via a highly-acclaimed new CD with the French pianist Justin Taylor.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

COURSE OUTLINE

• Instrumental music – symphonies, concertos and sonatas - by Mozart and Haydn
• Excerpts from major vocal works by each composer – arias, choruses, motets, vespers, Masses
• Chopin’s upright Pleyel piano of 1839 – the intimate works of Chopin -Preludes, Nocturnes, Mazurkas, Études, arrangements of operatic arias

LEARNING OUTCOMES

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

1. Distinguish the major differences between the Classical and Romantic periods in music and the visual arts
2. Appreciate the achievements of the various composers and artists in reflecting the major aesthetic aims of the period in which they lived
3. Discuss some of ideas and ideals which inspired the composers and artists
4. Outline the different performance styles heard in the musical examples