MUSIC OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Degree course: 
Corso di First cycle degree in STORIA E STORIE DEL MONDO CONTEMPORANEO
Academic year when starting the degree: 
2022/2023
Year: 
3
Academic year in which the course will be held: 
2024/2025
Course type: 
Supplementary compulsory subjects
Language: 
Italian
Credits: 
6
Period: 
First Semester
Standard lectures hours: 
48
Detail of lecture’s hours: 
Lesson (48 hours)
Requirements: 

No prerequisites

The final learning assessment includes a test aimed at ascertaining the acquisition and correct understanding of the course contents.
Three questions (two on the General Part and one on the Monographic Part) will be formulated on the contents of the reference texts indicated in the ‘Reference Texts’ section, with respect to which knowledge of the subject, expository capacity and critical analysis capacity will be assessed.
The grade for the oral test (evaluated in thirtieths) will take into account the accuracy and quality of the answers (60%), as well as the communication skills and ability to adequately motivate statements, analyses and judgements shown during the exam (40%)

Assessment: 
Voto Finale

The course aims at a historical outline of the main styles, schools, genres and musical trends of the 20th century, not limiting itself to classical music and highlighting the links with the culture, arts and politics of the 20th century. The diachronic perspective will be alternated with case studies, emblematic for their significance and useful to verify the theories. An in-depth focus will be devoted to the peculiar use of music in film and digital media.

Expected outcomes include:
- awareness of the linguistic and communicative mechanisms of music
- knowledge of the main musical genres of the 20th century, understood not only as artistic and/or entertainment phenomena but also in terms of identity
- recognition of points of contact, comparison and contamination between music and the various forms of contemporary textuality
- ability to critically orientate oneself when listening to 20th century music, to judge its artistic value and to recognise its applications in contemporary media storytelling

The course will specifically analyse the following topics (to each of which approximately 8 hours will be devoted)
- music's communicative functions, intertextual and intermedial interweavings
- the soundscape of contemporaneity
- historical-critical tracing of 20th century music through the most important composers, genres and trends
- technology as a key to understanding music genres
- music in cinema, historical background and expressive peculiarities
- experimentalism and avant-garde in 20th century music
- youth music cultures

- Paul Griffiths, La musica del Novecento, Einaudi, Torino 2014
- Franco Fabbri, Around the clock. Una breve storia della popular music, UTET, Torino 2016

- Chiara Ferrari, Politica e protesta in musica. Da Cantacronache a Ivano Fossati, Edizioni Unicopli, Milano 2014

Convenzionale

The objectives of the course will be achieved through class lessons (48 hours in total)

The teacher receives students at the end of class.
It is recommended to make direct contact with him via e-mail:
corrado.greco@uninsubria.it

Professors

GRECO CORRADO