MUS31200 The Piano Concerto in European Musical Culture

Academic Year 2020/2021

This course surveys the development of one of the most prolific and significant genres in European art music from the late eighteenth century to the present day. As a model of musical thought, the piano concerto is rivalled only by the symphony in terms of structural and expressive discourse, and its narrative prowess, fundamentally social disposition and virtuosic condition of feeling (as between soloist and orchestra) afford an anthology of expressive and compositional technique rivalled by few other European musical genres. This course will examine the historical context, compositional process and structural meaning of concertos by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Stanford, Ravel and Shostakovich.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

(1) An understanding of the history of compositional technique in relation to the piano concerto from the late eighteenth century to the mid- twentieth century.
(2) A contextual understanding of the genre and its development during the same period.
(3) An introduction to the formal, syntactic and expressive resources employed in the genre from Mozart to Shostakovich.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24

Seminar (or Webinar)

12

Autonomous Student Learning

164

Total

200

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures and theme-based seminars; critical listening and analysis. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Requirements:

Students taking this course must have a level of music literacy sufficient to follow an orchestral score; they must also have taken stage one courses in music history and theory.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Incompatibles:
MUS31130 - The Piano Concerto 1


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment: Final Assignment Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded No

50

Attendance: Module Attendance Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

20

Assignment: Mid term assignment Week 7 n/a Graded No

30


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback on mid-term assignments and final assignments will be available. Please note that no alteration to grades will apply from this process.