Join us to examine ten great operatic rôles - Carmen, Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), Madam Butterfly, Scarpia, Isolde, Peter Grimes, Salomé, Boris Godunov, Otello and Cenerentola. Starting with each rôle's motivation at the beginning of each opera, we will trace the development of their character through the plot, noting any influences to which they are subjected by other characters and circumstances. We will also look at the ways in which specific opera singers interpret each rôle, assessing how successful, or otherwise, their performances are in the light of our study of each rôle.
Great Operatic Roles
This is an In-person course which requires your attendance to the weekly meetings which take place in Oxford.
Overview
Programme details
Course starts: 22 Jan 2024
Week 1: Carmen
Week 2: Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro)
Week 3: Madam Butterfly
Week 4: Scarpia (Tosca)
Week 5: Isolde (Tristan and Isolde)
Week 6: Peter Grimes
Week 7: Salomé
Week 8: Boris Godunov
Week 9: Otello
Week 10: Cenerentola
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 Rough Guide to Opera, 4th Edition, 2007 / Matthew Boyden
Digital Certification
To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £257.00 |
| Take this course for CATS points | £10.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Tutor
Miss Claire Lucas
Tutor
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
To give students an understanding of the rôles studied and, as a result of these specific examples, to give them an appreciation of the factors that go to make up a dramatically effective operatic rôle.
Course Objectives:
- To study the literary background to each operatic rôle.
- To analyse the psychological development within each operatic rôle.
- To study critically the realisation of each operatic rôle by specific singers.
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:
- give an account of the literary background to each operatic rôle;
- to identify the most significant factors in the psychological development of each operatic rôle;
- to appraise the interpretation, dramatically and vocally, of each operatic rôle by specific singers.
Assessment methods
Assessment will be through the medium of worksheets that will assist the students to consolidate the knowledge that they have gained in class. Students will also have the option to write an essay or undertake a project, the nature of which will be discussed.
Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form
Application
To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form (Word) or enrolment form (Pdf).
Level and demands
Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.
To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.
Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.
Most of the Department's weekly classes have 10 or 20 CATS points assigned to them. 10 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of ten 2-hour sessions. 20 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of twenty 2-hour sessions. It is expected that, for every 2 hours of tuition you are given, you will engage in eight hours of private study.