MUSC 310 – Exploring Florence’s Musical History

Florence was a leading place of musical innovation for centuries! This course is designed to introduce students to the vibrant cultural history of Florence through examination of the music intertwined with its development. We will consider music as a text in this course, and investigate other artistic forms wherever relevant, including issues related to literature, art and architecture as well as gender, sexuality and disability studies.

Live and recorded music will serve to help bring these historical situations back to life in class. Particular focus will be spent on the beginnings of opera, which has profound Florentine origins. We will conclude with coverage on Tuscany’s most famous operatic success story, Giacomo Puccini (born in Lucca, and lived in Torre del Lago).

Course descriptions may be subject to occasional minor modifications at the discretion of the instructor.