Topic:  Opera and Theater
4:00p-5:15	TR	BH317
Above section meets with CMLT C355, C655 and WEUR W605
Obtain online authorization from department

While the focus of this course will be on opera, a quintessentially
European art form, we will compare opera to the nature of theater.
What is the difference between opera and theater? How is music used
in opera to tell a story? How is music used in theater? How is
storytelling used in each form? What is the role of dialogue in
each? How did opera evolve into the large-scale popular art par
excellence of the nineteenth century Europe? Since some say it died
out, what happened to it? Opera is a hybrid art form, chiefly based
on the union of music and drama. However, opera also involves
spectacle and movement (including dance), and the mis-en-scène that
can only be created by utilizing the resources of the visual arts as
well. With this in mind, this course will study a small number of
significant works, analyzing them each both in terms of the culture
in which they were created and the interactions of the arts required
for a full realization of each work. Works to be studied will be
selected from a variety of traditions, all of which have achieved a
high reputation in the history of culture and criticism. Among them
are operas by Mozart, Rossini, Wagner, Verdi, Bizet, Debussy and
Benjamin Britten. Readings will also be taken from selected plays
and theoretical works. Students will be expected to attend the I.U.
Opera Theater at various points throughout the semester (a total of
three different operas), and at least one play. Graduate students
will research theoretical subjects as they apply to our encounter
with the primary works of art.