Mus 90-12; CRN 6915
3 Credits
TR 1:10 to 2:25
Professor Paul Salerni
Italian opera has it all: Passion, betrayal, mistaken identity,
cross-dressing, intrigue, patriotism, feminism, slapstick, murder, inebriation,
gluttony, you name it. On top of all that, it contains some of the most
beautiful music ever written, sung, or played by humans. We will study
operas written in the Italian language by the following composers:
Monteverdi, Galuppi, Handel, Pergolesi, Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi, Leoncavallo,
and Puccini. By watching videos, listening to recordings, and attending a
live performance, we will try to experience, or imagine, the totality of operaÕs
impact. However, the focus will be on the ways in which music embodies
the emotion and drama of the stage action.
Although not required, the ability to read music and/or some familiarity with
the Italian language would be great assets in this course.
course materials and required assignments
As an obligatory part of the course, we will take a bus trip to New York City
in order to attend a live operatic performance at the Metropolitan Opera
House. You will be asked to pay for your ticket and the bus. Other
materials and assignments will be announced in class.
Composer Paul Salerni hated opera until his teacher, Earl Kim, required that
he learn the entirety of MozartÕs Marriage of Figaro for his Ph.D. qualifying
exams. As a result he: 1) believes that Figaro is the greatest
piece of art that Western culture has produced; 2) he is married to an
opera director; 3) he has conducted three full-length operasÑThe Abduction from
the Seraglio, The Marriage of Figaro, and the Barber of Seville.