Studying at York
The Romantic Performer - MUS00210I
- Department: Music
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: I
- Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
Module summary
A hands-on exploration of what it meant to be a musician in the 19th century. We will explore primary sources such as editions and recordings through practical experimentation, and put them into the context of 19th century artistic culture.
Related modules
Students must have a good knowledge of Western Classical Music theory and performance.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 2 2024-25 |
Module aims
The Romantic Performer is a practical exploration of the culture and practice of music performance from c. 1800-1900.
It is commonly assumed that defining features of Western Classical Music culture – from instrument designs and concert hall architecture and concert etiquette to the way we play and sing – were established in the 19th century. However, recordings of musicians trained prior to 1900 document a musical world that was alien and even shocking to our ears, bearing little resemblance either to mainstream or ‘historically informed’ performance styles. When we delve deeper, it starts to become apparent that 19th century music culture was different from ours at every level: improvisation was still commonplace, performers took wild liberties with the written score, and individuality and vivid emotional communication were prized above technical perfection or even beauty of sound.
The project is a hands-on investigation of what it meant to be a musician in the 19th century. We will explore different sources of information on 19th century musicianship, including instructional publications, performers’ editions, early recordings, film, and historical acting manuals, and experiment with their impact on our own playing and singing through hands-on workshops. We will use techniques such as recording emulation, embodied analysis and self-reflection to challenge our preconceptions of how music ‘should’ sound and ask what we can learn from the past. We will also put these experiences in the context of the interdisciplinary Romantic artistic environment and the major debates that concerned musicians in the 19th century, such as the place of virtuosity, the intentions of the composer, the role of the performing artist, and how specific the score could be in conveying musical nuances.The aim of the module is to better understand the freedom and authority that we as performers can exercise in 19th century music, through a deeper familiarity with its cultural roots.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the taught part of the project you should be able to:
-
Understand and discuss the main features of 19th century music performance culture
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Identify key 19th century performance practices and aesthetics as they are conveyed through written and sounding sources
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Analyze and evaluate a variety of source types including pedagogical texts, performers’ editions, early sound recordings, and written documents
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Demonstrate a critically engaged approach to embodied experimentation, plan focussed ‘experiments’ and engage with the results in a reflective cycle
Second years: On completion of the module, in your independent work, you should demonstrate learning outcomes B1-6 and, depending on submission route, some/all of B7–9, B11 and/or B12.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
| Essay/coursework | 0 |
| Essay/coursework | 0 |
| Practical | 0 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
There are three routes for assessment:
Route 1: A performance including 8-10 minutes of music (70%) together with a 1200wd research report (30%). You are encouraged to include other elements such as declamation/recitation of poetry or prose; relevant visual imagery (a projector will be available); a narrative programme note.
Route 2: An 3000wd essay on a topic of your choice (100%)
Route 3: A portfolio comprising a 2000wd essay together with a 3-5 minute performance (live or recorded) that illustrates the ideas discussed (100%).
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
| Essay/coursework | 0 |
| Essay/coursework | 0 |
| Practical | 0 |
Module feedback
You will receive written feedback in line with standard University turnaround times.
Indicative reading
Bennett Wadsworth, Kate. “‘Precisely Marked in the Tradition of the Composer’: The Performing Editions of Friedrich Grützmacher.” PhD thesis, University of Leeds, 2017.
Bowen, York. Song for a Child’s Headache. Performed by Jed Wentz and Artem Belogurov. YouTube video 2:25. Posted by “Dutch Historical Acting Collective”, 3 February 2022. Accessed 7 February 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GYoN9UPPqQ.
Brooks, WIlliam (ed.). Ohne Worte: Vocality and Instrumentality in 19th-Century Music. Leuven: Leuven University Press, 2014.
Brown, Clive. Classical and Romantic Performance Practice, 1750–1900. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Bunzel, Anja, and Loges, Natasha, eds. Musical Salon Culture in the Long Nineteenth Century. Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 2019.
Gooley, Dana. Fantasies of Improvisation: Free Playing in Nineteenth-Century Music. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2018. Accessed December 4, 2023.
HKB Institut Interpretation. Joseph Joachim, Romance C major, Reenactment of the composer’s recording1903. YouTube video, 3:55. Posted by “HKB Institut Interpretation”, 31 October 2016. Accessed 7 February 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19_bwbDZAhU
Kawabata, Maiko. Paganini: The 'demonic' Virtuoso. Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 2013.
Loges, Natasha, and Laura Tunbridge, eds. German Song Onstage: Lieder Performance in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries. Indiana University Press, 2020.
Muns, Lodewijk. “Concert Song and Concert Speech around 1800.” Music and Letters 98, no. 3 (2017): 365–93.
Peres da Costa, Neal. Off the Record: Performing Practices in Romantic Piano Playing. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.
_______ Mozart Piano Concerto K. 488 second movement: a dialogue between Mozart, Reinecke and Ployer. YouTube video, 6:31. Posted by “NeaPdC”, 6 January 2023. Accessed 7 February 2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9SLNnlTLRA&t=2s
November, Nancy. Cultivating String Quartets in Beethoven's Vienna. Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 2017.
Taylor, Benedict, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Music and Romanticism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021