Narrative and Lyricism in Nineteenth-Century Song

Module description

Virtually non-existent in the eighteenth century and superseded by jazz, soul, pop and many other forms of song in the twentieth century, the nineteenth-century “Lied” offered the Western European bourgeois subject the opportunity for a direct expression of their desires, fears, enjoyments and disappointments in private performance, usually with piano accompaniment. Although the writers and composers of “Lieder” were mostly men, a fact that strongly coloured their representation of women, the history of the genre nevertheless reflects the growing self-confidence of female individuality, to musically coming to terms with life’s events and to fictionalising social differences.

Using case studies ranging from Schubert to Mahler and Berlioz to Debussy respectively, this module will investigate the literary and musical representations of love, enjoyment or fear of life, gender roles, dreams, and similar experiences or states of mind. Examples will include: Schubert’s Heine Lieder in Schwanengesang; Schumann’s Frauenliebe und Leben; Berlioz’ Les nuits d’été; Lieder by Clara Schumann, Fanny Hensel and Alma Mahler; Baudelaire and Verlaine as poets of modernity in “Lieder’ by Duparc, Fauré and Debussy. Given the combination of stylish texts and scores in “Lieder”, the module will explore, in particular, representations of conflicting emotions. If we accept that the Lied is distinguished by the sincerity of expression, could it also be the genre in which music can lie?

Assessment details

2 Hour Examination  (40%)

3000 Word Essay (60%)

Teaching pattern

The module will be taught via ten two-hour lectures and ten one-hour seminars.

Module description disclaimer

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