Graham School SUMMER Saturday Seminar
American Masters
Sat 10:00 am—04:00 pm, June 21, 2025
Deadline to register online: June 17 at 5:00 PM CT
Location: IN PERSON at University of Chicago Gleacher Center
American classical music has evolved its own heterogeneous identity, characterized by energy and optimism, from its Eurocentric beginnings, exemplified by composers such as MacDowell and Griffes, through the encounters of Americans abroad with such musicians as Boulanger and Stravinsky. We will trace this evolution from the New England School (especially Ives and his innovations) through populism (Copland, Harris) and Neoclassicism (Piston, Sessions, Schuman), into new horizons inspired by popular idioms (Joplin, Gershwin) and indigenous forms of musical theater (Bernstein). A look at highly divergent recent trends (the minimalists/neo-tonalists and academic/neo-expressionists) and a look at current directions will conclude the course. Music literacy is not necessary. Syllabus
Graham School SUMMER 8-Week Classes
Revolution or Evolution: Musical History Seen through Style
Tuesdays 10:00 am—12:30 pm, June 17-August 5, 2025
Deadline to register online: June 10 at 5PM CT
Location: ONLINE
How do you get from Palestrina to Bach? From Haydn to Schumann? From Mahler to Minimalism? From the fervent mnemonic device of monastic chant to the multimedia extravaganzas of the 21st century, this course traces a narrative of music history by examining the stylistic elements that each generation chooses to discard, retain, extend- or introduce. We will ponder why Beethoven’s longest symphony is only as long as Mahler’s shortest. Why Handel’s operas come with 40 arias, but Puccini stopped at five or six. Why Gould is considered an eccentric pianist and Horowitz considered a romantic (when objective listening suggests otherwise). We will also discuss some Before and After views of musical culture: From piano music as an amateur tradition to a virtuoso realm after Beethoven. From opera as a popular form to an elite one. From new music as a source of excitement to one of trepidation. Featuring: listening, live performance, and in-class analysis. Syllabus
Debussy, Ravel, and Stravinsky
Thursdays 10:00 am—12:30 pm, June 26-August 14, 2025
Deadline to register online: June 17 at 5PM CT
Location: IN PERSON at the Gleacher Center, Downtown Chicago
Elegance and urbanity, wit and modernism, charm and irony characterize these three great kindred masters of the early modernist period. We will study Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand, Boléro, Rhapsodie espagnole, L’enfant et les sortilèges, and the great ballet Daphnis and Chloé; Debussy’s piano music, La mer and Jeux; Stravinsky’s great ballets (especially Petrushka) and his great neoclassic works (especially the symphonies and religious works). Works will be examined with great critical acuity in terms of their contemporary relevance. Syllabus.
Too Late to Register Online? Please call 773-702-7249 to register. If space is available, you’ll be able to sign up!
Graham School COVID-19 policies:
For up-to-date guidance including vaccine requirements, please visit goforward.uchicago.edu/education-planning/.
Blog
“On December 22, 1808, Beethoven himself rented a hall in Vienna and promoted the concert to end all concerts: the debut, over four hours, of three of his greatest works .. And yes, it was a fiasco. But imagine: It was as if Orson Welles premiered Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, and Touch of Evil on the same night — with The Lady from Shanghai thrown in for good measure.” (Greg Mitchell)