| Course Title: Early Music Performance Practice: Sing Like Dido; Play like Orpheus |
| Start Date: 01/27/2026 End Date: 05/12/2026 |
| Term: Spring Semester 2026 |
| Description: How do we know how the art music of Europe was performed 400 years ago? What does it mean to sing and play in a historically informed manner in the modern era? How do we improvise and ornament? How do we shape this music, expressing its style and drama? This course introduces a practical application of early music performance practice, and examines the historical, editorial, and theatrical aspects of masterworks such as Monteverdi's Orfeo, Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Bach's St. Matthew Passion, Jacquet de la Guerre's Judith, and more. The course will include regular in-class performances or presentations, opera screenings, and a field trip to a major early music performance in Boston. |
| Distribution(s): I - Humanities |
| Academic Level Of Course: Undergraduate | Credits:4.00 |
| Faculty | Phone | Email address |
| Allison Monroe | amonroe@mtholyoke.edu | |
| Sherezade Panthaki | spanthaki@mtholyoke.edu |
| Meeting Dates | Method | Meeting days | Meeting times | Building name | Room | Frequency |
| 01/27/2026 - 05/12/2026 | Seminar | Tuesday | 01:30PM - 04:20PM | TBA | TBA | Weekly |
| Requisite Courses | ||
| Prereq: MUSIC-100 or MUSIC-231 or passing Music Theory Placement Test. | Take previously | Required |
| Comments |
| Additional Comments |
| Course Tags |
| Cross-listed Sections |
| None |
| Course Availability | ||||
| Section status: Open | Capacity: 18 | Enrollment: 4 | Available: 14 | Waitlist: 0 |
BOOK INFORMATION
| Book List | Required | Publisher Full Price |
| To be determined. |
| Additional Book Comments |
| This is NOT the complete book list for this class. |