MUSC 6325
Fall 2009
Professor Korevaar

Course Calendar (subject to change)

August 25: Introduction. What distinguishes the French approach to the piano? Tendencies, influences, etc. We will begin discussion of some music from the 1880s, including Fauré’s Ballade, Nocturne No. 1, Barcarolle No. 2. Discuss ways of finding research topics; formulating research questions. Questions/topics should be ready for me to review September 1. (Individual discussions with students to be held by email over the intervening week.)

Assignment for September 1:
Readings for September 1
Marguerite Long: At the Piano with Fauré 62-69
Caballero: 7-10; 57-60. (Just a taste)
NG: Franck.
Howat: Chabrier chapter: 83-109.
Nectoux: 41-63 (for September 1 and 8)
Listening:
Chabrier: Melancolie, Sous bois, Idylle
Fauré: Ballade, Violin Sonata No. 1, Piano Quartet No. 1
Franck: Prelude, Choral et Fugue.

September 1 and September 8: 1880s. Franck: Prélude, Choral et Fugue; Fauré: Nocturnes 4 and 5, Piano Quartet No. 1; Chabrier: Aubade, Valses Romantiques (2 pianos), selections from Pièces Pittoresques (Idylle, Paysage, Sous bois, Mélancolie)

September 8: Fauré: Barcarolles 4-6; Theme and Variations

Assignment for September 15:
Fauré: Quartet No. 2; Nocturnes 6 and 7; Satie: Gymnopédies; Debussy: Suite Bergamasque; Tarantelle Styrienne
Reading: Orledge: Satie Remembered: Chronology; 10-13; 23-36; 61-65.
Lockspeiser v. 1: 25-34; 48-54; 56-61; 204-208; 235-243.
Howat: 126-145

September 22:  Henry Woollett: Prelude, Fugue et Final (Score is in special collections; available for library perusal; you should be able to find CD in the library catalogue easily enough as well)
Maurice Ravel: Serenade Grotesque; Sites Auriculaire; Menuet Antique; Pavane pour une enfante defunte; Jeux d’eau
Claude Debussy: Pour le piano
Reading:
Orenstein: Ravel, Man and Musician: 130-139; 140; 141-143; 150.
Laurie Sampsel and David Korevaar: “The Ricardo Viñes Piano Collection at the University of Colorado.” MLA Notes 61, no. 2 (December 2004): 361-400
Howat: 159-172.


September 29:
Fauré: Barcarolles 7 and 8 (1905-6)
Debussy: Estampes; Masques, D'un cahier d'esquisses, L'isle joyeuse
Ravel: Sonatine

Oct. 6: Debussy: Images I
Ravel: Miroirs

Oct. 13: Debussy: Images II
Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit

Readings for Sept. 29-Oct. 13:
Howat: 3-17; 29-37; 110-125; 227-245; 263-278 (more Faure)
Lockspeiser, v. 2: 33-51
Dietschy: 110-140
Orenstein: A Ravel Reader: 29-39
Nectoux: 229-248
Calvocoressi: 46-73
Brody: 168-189
Roland-Manuel: 33-49
Korevaar: Ravel's Mirrors: Chapters 1, 2, 3, 5

Oct. 20
Music:
Fauré: Barcarolle No. 9 (observe structure carefully – this piece is one-of-a-kind among the Barcarolles!); Impromptus 4 and 5 (how might Debussy have influenced these pieces? – speculative question)
Roger-Ducasse: 6 Preludes (on my Viñes Collection recording; score available to peruse in special collections)
Ravel: Ma mere l’oye (Mother Goose) in original 4-hand version
Debussy: Children’s Corner

Reading: Howat Chapters 19, 20, 21 (pp. 279-324).

Oct. 27
Music:
Fauré: Preludes (1910-1911)
Debussy: Preludes Book I (1910)
Ravel: Valses Nobles et Sentimentales (1911)
How do these sets of preludes relate to the Roger-Ducasse set?
To each other?
Think about musical interconnections in today’s sets of pieces (read the Howat chapter as well for some thoughts about this).
How much do the pieces in the sets belong together?
Reading: Howat: 18-28
Schmitz: The Piano Works of Claude Debussy, 129-162.
Which of these readings tells you more? Who was Schmitz?

Nov. 3: In addition to Adam’s presentation on Chabrier:
Music: Debussy: Preludes Book II (1913)
Faure: Nocturnes 11 (1913) and 12 (1915)
Paul Roberts, Images: The Piano Music of Claude Debussy, 218-234; 266-283.

Nov. 10: In addition to Margie’s presentation on Images II:
Music: Ravel: Trio
Finish with Debussy Preludes
Read the chapter in Briscoe on performing Debussy’s piano music.
(Cecelia Dunoyer: Briscoe: Debussy in Performance, 91-118)

Nov. 17 and Dec. 1: Debussy Etudes (this in addition to the scheduled presentations by Ricardo, Amanda, Pam, and Laura)
Reading: Paul Roberts, Images, 301-316.

Dec. 8: Tombeau de Couperin, Fauré: 13th Nocturne, 13th Barcarolle, Richard on Milhaud: Endings and beginnings.




Final Exam will be given out on December 8, due on Monday, December 14.