General Education Program
Extended Course Description

Course Content: Selected operas of Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini and Berg will be presented on videotape. Since each opera takes about a week to present on video, plus a day or two devoted to discussion, there will be about 10 to 12 works presented, including: 18th Century: Mozart, Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute, Marriage of Figaro; 19th Century: Verdi, Aida, La Traviata; Wagner, Tannhauser; 20th Century: Puccini, Il Trittico, Boheme, Tosca; Berg, Wozzeck. These operas are primarily a musical experience and touch in some instances on: historical context of European culture, relating the past to the present; (e.g., British imperialism: Aida; Medieval Europe: Tannhauser, Il Trittico; Napoleonic conquests: Tosca: Germany between the Wars: Wozzeck); the view of women as expressed in these works; (all the operas); ethical questions (suicide: Tosca; marital and non-marital relationships: La Traviata, Boheme, Wozzeck); interaction of human beings in stressful situations; (Tosca, Don Giovanni); religious questions; (Il Trittico, Tannhauser); European Politics; (Tosca, Aida, Marriage of Figaro, Wozzeck); foreign languages (German, Italian, Swedish).

Continuity and Comparison: It has been said that "the arts reflect the customs and values of their times." In this light, students will be presented with the perceptions of master composers as to how various societies over the years have responded to age old concerns such as love and hate, life and death, war and peace.

Course Requirements: Students will view and critique a variety of opera performances. An opportunity to experience a "live" opera performance will be available at a modest cost. Class participation and at least three written critiques will be expected, plus two tests and a final exam.

Benefit to the Student: Examining fundamental concerns of human experience via a medium which is an amalgam of the finest examples of the arts of drama and literature, music, costuming, lighting and set design can not only be aesthetically rewarding, but can educate and enhance the lives of the examiners.

(Revised: May 1995)

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