YoVDO

First Nights - Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and the Birth of Opera

Offered By: Harvard University via edX

Tags

Opera Courses Music History Courses

Course Description

Overview

Claudio Monteverdi's L'Orfeo premiered in Mantua in 1607, and continues to be regarded as one of the most important examples of early opera. With L 'Orfeo , Monteverdi helped to establish the techniques and traditions that continue to inform the genre of opera to this day.

Harvard's Thomas Forrest Kelly (Morton B. Knafel Professor of Music) guides learners through the first half of L'Orfeo , highlighting aspects of operatic form and dramatic technique, the rehearsals and cultural context for the premiere performance, and the work's continued relevance today. There will also be a focus on Monteverdi's life and work as a Renaissance court musician.

In this music course, you will learn the basics of operatic form and analysis, the genres and styles used, and the circumstances of this opera's first performance and subsequent history. Learners in this course need not have any prior musical experience.


Taught by

Thomas Forrest Kelly

Tags

Related Courses

Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas
Curtis Institute of Music via Coursera
Music in Place, Music in Space, What’s the Idea?
Independent
The Music of the Beatles
University of Rochester via Coursera
Jazz Appreciation
The University of Texas at Austin via edX
Introduction to the Music Business
Berklee College of Music via edX