Effie Papanikolaou Short Writing Assignment for Students 2003 Workshop on Improving Student Writing Center for Writing Excellence Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching
MUS 311 Music History
Ten-minute assignment and class discussion Richard Wagner articulated his theory of music drama in several of his essays. The following list includes a summary of the terms he used to describe aspects of music drama, as described in the textbook reading for today (pp. 254-255) and just analyzed in class: Leitmotif Einleitung/Introduction Endless melody Assonance/Alliteration Libretto/Poetry Gesamtkunstwerk
a) Explain the main premise of Wagner’s theory of opera in a well-organized paragraph, by using all of these terms in a comprehensive manner. The goal is for you to use the terminology correctly and in the right context, with the understanding that this written work will not necessarily reflect your best skills as writers. (5 minutes) b) Discuss (in class) the relevance of these ideas in works of music theater of the twentieth century that you are familiar with. (5 minutes) |