Module MUSI2681: Russian and Soviet Music, 1830-1960

Department: Music

MUSI2681: Russian and Soviet Music, 1830-1960

Prerequisites

• MUSI1261 Historical Studies 1

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To offer a critical introduction to key developments in musical life in Russia/the USSR between 1830 and 1960.
• To study thecreative achievements of significant composers during this period.
• To deepen understanding of the relationship between musical creativity and the wider currents of artistic and intellectual life in Russia/the USSR, as well as the contemporary social and political context.

Content

• The course will survey significant developments in Russian/Soviet music between 1830 and 1960, covering topics such as: composers of the Silver Age; musical life after the Russian Revolution; the emergence of a musical avant-garde; the increasing politicisation of musical life during the Stalinist era: music and Socialist Realism; music during the Zhdanovshchina. It will build on the critical and analytical skills imparted in first year, and require the students to bring these to bear on a range of more sophisticated tasks.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will be provided with the opportunity to deepen their appreciation of the distinctive features of Russian/Soviet composition in relation to the social/cultural matrix from which it emerged, as well as to broaden their knowledge of mainstream repertoire.

• Students will learn to apply appropriate methods of assessment from a broad range of critical standpoints, notably the historical, cultural and political, drawing especially on hermeneutic methodologies which seek to elucidate the relationships between artworks and their social/cultural context. They will also become familiar with key works by leading scholars of Russian/Soviet music of this period.

• The ability to identify and conceptualise key issues in the study of music from this repertoire, situate ideas in context, engage in critically informed argument and apply appropriate analytical methodologies.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The module will be delivered through lectures, listening group sessions, seminars, and one-to-one tutorials (the latter to provide feedback on formative work set to assist with the preparation of the summative projects. Formative assignments will be set in preparation for the summative tasks. The summative assignments will consist of (a) a 4,000-word essay-based research project and (b) a two-hour timed examination. The summatively assessed research project allows students to develop key research skills and gain experience of exploring a topic in depth. The end-of-year written examination assesses students engagement with the module content in its entirety.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Two 1,000-word essays.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University