Music and Modernist Movements
Dr. Jane Fulcher
Wednesdays, 12:30-3:20 P.M., M263
What is modernism? Is it one monolithic movement or a set of related but diverse movements? How does it relate to postmodernism, as well as to the concept of modernity? These are questions now at the center of scholarly debate in several different fields, and which have direct implications for musicology and the historiography of twentieth-century music. This seminar will explore not only theoretical concepts concerning modernism but also a series of modernist movements--including Expressionism, Dada, Surrealism, and Neoclassicism--and the role of musicians and composers within them. It will examine not only the aesthetic, cultural, and (in some cases) political goals of these movements but also why musicians subscribed to and propagated them, and how they translated such ideals and values into terms of musical techniques.