MUSI 127 - Being a Music Critic

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

The act of criticism often arouses negative attitudes in today’s media landscape. Many modern films and novels depict critics as cold-hearted villains, who reject creativity, beauty, and human feeling itself. Yet history shows these stereotypes to be inaccurate. Notable composers including Hector Berlioz, Robert Schumann, Claude Debussy, and John Cage were important music critics. Famed intellectuals including Mark Twain, George Bernhard Shaw, and Oliver Sacks also wrote extensively on musical subjects.

Good criticism is not typified by callous insult. The best critical writing strives to educate readers and elevate artists, while it questions emerging cultural trends and challenges individuals’ long-held assumptions. To develop students’ critical voices, this first-year writing seminar explores the craft of music criticism at its most accomplished levels, using past and present works as models for analysis and discussion. Assignments include reviews of live performances, audio recordings, videos, and publications by professional critics themselves. Alexander Bonus.

Open only to first-year students; satisfies college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.

May not be counted in the requirements for the concentration.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS