Come study the compositions of some of the most famous classical composers in history in their home towns: Vienna and Salzburg. In Vienna we will visit the homes of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, and Schoenberg, while studying their masterpieces. Take a backstage tour of the Vienna Staatsoper where Mozart’s DON GIOVANNI was the first opera to be produced, and hear the Vienna Boys Choir at Sunday mass at the Chapel in the Hofburg Palace.

Before ending the trip in Salzburg, Mozart’s birthplace, we will travel to a small city in the Hohe Tauern National Park region—Zell am See. Our time here will allow us a moment to reflect on our experiences in Vienna while enjoying the scenic and natural beauty of this small Austrian town. A highlight of our stay here will be a cable car ride to the highest nearby point which gives a stunning view of the Grossglockner road, Zell am See and surrounding areas.

Having seen where Mozart’s life ended in Vienna, we next travel to Salzburg to see where it all began. We will study Mozart’s music in depth and the important singers and librettists in his life. We will also attend concerts at the Mozarteum and at the Grosses Festspielhaous in this first week of the famed international opera festival.

Dates

July 8 - 30, 2008 (tentative)

Course:

MUS 940 — MUSIC IN AUSTRIA: MOZART TO SCHOENBERG

This course will focus on well-known Austrian composers: Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Mahler and Schoenberg. The course will explore the contributions of these composers during the Classic, Romantic and modern periods. During the course the students will reflect on the influence of these composers and on the lives and writings of those who followed in music history—in the symphonic, art song and operatic worlds. In Vienna, two important female composers—Marianne von Martinez and Marianne von Paradies—will be studied and in Salzburg, the contributions of Mozart’s sister, Nannerl, will be incorporated. Credit, 3 hours. Aesthetics and the Arts elective.

Successful completion of the program will fulfill the CORE 200 requirements of the General Education program.

Program Cost:

$3,200. This price covers orientation expenses, room and most board, admission to various performances, group tours, and museums.

Additional costs include your airfare (estimated at $1400), Austrian Flexipass (124), passport and ISIC card ($125), cell phone ($40), insurance ($35) independent travel, and spending money (estimated between $1000 and $1700 an estimate based on other Meredith programs in Europe).

Eligibility:

Students must be in good academic standing (2.0 minimum GPA)

Application Deadline:

February 1, 2008

For more information, contact:

Ellen Williams

Music

221 Wainright