Starting at the birth of opera in Italy around 1600, and ending in 'fin-de-siècle' Paris at the turn of the 20th century, this course will journey through operatic musical and social history, pausing at ten important turning points on the way. From the Mantua of Monteverdi's 'L'Orfeo' in 1607, we will travel to 1730's London for Handel's 'Alcina'; venturing to Vienna in 1762 for Gluck's ground-breaking 'Orfeo'. Staying in Vienna, we will attend the première of Mozart's 'Magic Flute' in September 1791. We return to Italy for Rossini's 'Cenerentola' (Rome, 1817) and Verdi's 'Rigoletto' (Venice, 1851), before journeying to Paris in 1859 for the première of Gounod's 'Faust'. In January 1874, we progress to St Petersburg for Mussorgsky’s ‘Boris Godunov’; moving on to Bayreuth in August 1876 for the première of Wagner’s ‘Ring’ Cycle. Finally, we return to Paris in April 1902 for the première of Debussy’s ‘Pelléas et Mélisande’.
An Operatic Journey
This is an In-person course which requires your attendance to the weekly meetings which take place in Oxford.
Overview
Programme details
Course begins: 20th January 2025
Week 1: Monteverdi's 'L'Orfeo', Mantua 1607.
Week 2: Handel's 'Alcina', London 1735.
Week 3: Gluck's 'Orfeo', Vienna 1762.
Week 4: Mozart's 'Magic Flute', Vienna 1791.
Week 5: Rossini's 'Cenerentola', Rome 1817.
Week 6: Verdi's 'Rigoletto', Venice 1851.
Week 7: Gounod's 'Faust', Paris 1859.
Week 8: Mussorgsky's 'Boris Godunov', St Petersburg 1874.
Week 9: Wagner's 'Der Ring des Nibelungen', Bayreuth 1876.
Week 10: Debussy's 'Pelléas et Mélisande', Paris 1902.
Recommended reading
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
Availability of titles on the reading list (below) can be checked on SOLO, the library catalogue.
Preparatory reading
- The Oxford Illustrated History of Opera / Parker, Roger
- The Grove Book of Operas / Sadie, Stanley
Certification
Digital badge
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be issued with an official digital badge from the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download your digital badge. You will be able to add your badge to your email signature and share it on social media if you choose to do so. In order to be issued with your badge, you will need to have attended at least 80% of the course.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course fee | £285.00 |
Tutor
Miss Claire Lucas
Claire-Louise Lucas is a professional mezzo-soprano and a part-time music tutor. She lectures on opera and song for Oxford University Department for Continuing Education. She has lectured on singing in conservatoires and other universities in the UK and the USA.
Claire-Louise has performed extensively throughout Britain, Europe and the USA, including an appearance as a soloist in the Salzburg Easter Festival with Maurizio Pollini and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Claudio Abbado. Other recent performances include concerts at Gloucester Cathedral; Christ Church Cathedral; Salisbury Cathedral; Southampton University; the Leominster Festival and the Brighton Festival.
Course aims
This course aims to examine some important turning points in operatic musical and social history.
Course Objectives
- To examine the course of operatic musical and social history through different countries and eras.
- To show how certain operas have influenced the prevailing musical and social conventions of their times.
- To examine the legacy of each of these milestones on the journey through operatic history.
Teaching methods
Each topic will be illustrated by audio and video extracts, co-ordinated by computer. All visual illustrations, including scores, opera texts, video and DVD extracts will be projected on to a large screen. Audio recordings will be played through high quality hi-fi. There will also be live demonstrations by the tutor.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
- chart the course of operatic history from 1600 to 1900;
- identify the main composers and their important works;
- show how these important operas have changed the course of operatic musical and social history.
Application
Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an application form.
Level and demands
No prior knowledge of opera is needed to enjoy this course.