OSHER AT JHU, THE VILLAGE AT ROCKVILLE : MONDAY MORNINGS, FEBRUARY 20 TO MARCH 27, 2023

Syllabus (one-sided)       Syllabus (two-sided)       Four poems about music

 
Poetry is music in words, and music has always aspired to poetry. More than a history of text-setting over the past millennium, this class will look at some of the ways in which poetry has informed music over the ages: religious texts, in chant and later in measured polyphony; the development of the madrigal from stand-alone song to miniature music drama; the use of folksongs in both vocal and instrumental music; the explosion of art song in the 19th century, setting the works of great poets in their own right; instrumental forms such as the Ballade and Song Without Words that bring the aesthetic of poetry into pure music, and verse that imitates musical forms; texts written for declamation against music; lyricists of the 20th and 21st centuries, writing texts intended from the start for musical setting.

Click on any of the images below to reach the resources page for that class. At present, these consist of a handout booklet for each class, plus texts and bios. Directly after each class is over, I will add links to the videos played, plus a gallery of the main images shown. rb.

William Blake		1. The Sound of Words February 20 A kaleidoscopic spectrum of the ways in which poetry and music interrelate, from Gregorian chant to American rap. An audio-visual menu of many of the topics to be examined later in more detail.
2. The Sacred in Text and Song February 27 A return to the roots of vocal music in the simple declamation of text. Chant in church and temple. Verse that enshrines a faith and the music that enfolds it.				Gregorian chant
Jan Brueghel		3. Songs of the People March 6 Popular songs and dances through the centuries. The Beggar's Opera. The appearance of folk materials in classical music and opera. Modern folksong settings.
4. Songs of the Poets March 13 The response of composers to the inspiration of poets. We shall look at texts by Shakespeare, Blake, Rimbaud, Dickinson, and Agee, set to music by Schubert, Finzi, Britten, Barber, Copland, and others.				William Blake
Maurice Denis		5. Conversations Between Arts March 20 The marriage of poetry and music in ways other than straight text-setting. Music that takes on the forms of poetry. Poetry that addresses music. Dance inspired by both.
6. Words for Performance March 27 Words written from the start for musical setting. The Gershwin brothers, Jerome Kern, Stephen Sondheim, Hamilton, and rap.				Hamilton
• Four poems about music	• About the Instructor