OLLI@DU / 2023 FALL / COURSE DESCRIPTIONS A Day at the Opera VIPA 1025
Wednesday Dates: 10/11 to 11/1 (4 weeks) Time: 1–3 PM Facilitator: Neil Adelman Location: Online Class Limit: Unlimited Sponsoring Site: Central Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Verdi’s Nabucco and Bizet’s Carmen are among the operas available to Denver area residents this fall and winter from Opera Colorado and the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD cinema series. Neil Adelman will be speaking about these three operatic masterpieces and a fourth opera, Puccini’s wonderful saga of the American frontier, The Girl of the Golden West. Each of Neil’s talks will include the story of the opera and information about its origin, performance history, the composer, and the librettist together with a visual presentation of musical excerpts. Please join us whether you are an experienced operagoer, new to the art form, or somewhere in between. And, if you are going to any of these local performances, Neil’s talk will be an excellent prelude to your experience.
A History of Choral Music from Gregorian Chant to the Modern Day VIPA 1003
Monday Dates: 9/18 to 10/23 (6 weeks) Time: 1–3 PM Facilitator: Timothy Krueger Location: 1st Universalist Class Limit: 80 Participants Sponsoring Site: Central Many cultures have developed forms of corporate singing, but what we identify today as choral music, with distinct vocal parts based on range, singing in harmony, accompanied by instruments 68 // OLLI at the University of Denver
or not, was a product of Medieval European Christianity, inspired by injunctions to “Sing to the Lord” throughout Jewish and Christian scriptures. The invention of the first comprehensive musical notation system will be traced, which developed into the modern notation system, and which was created to notate choral music specifically. From monophonic chants to the development of polyphonic works for multiple parts will take us through the Renaissance, including secular works. The appearance of oratorio in the Baroque and the accompaniment of choirs with orchestra and organ takes us into the early Romantic era (including an examination of the choral works of Bach, Handel, Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven). Mendelssohn’s key role in the flowering of German choral music will be touched on, and excursions into the Jewish sacred music of the Romantic era, and the music of the Russian Orthodox Church will take us into the 20th century. Finally, the 20th century dominance in choral music of, first, England, and then the Baltic States will conclude our survey.
At Home with Art….or Home is Where the Art is…. VIPA 1024
Wednesday Dates: 10/4 to 10/25 (4 weeks) Time: 1–3 PM Facilitator: Sarah Nichols Location: Online Class Limit: Unlimited Sponsoring Site: Regis What is home? Is it a place or a feeling? In Western art history, the concept of home changed radically from the Renaissance to Present. With the growth of the concept of the individual, the concept of home also developed from a literal place to rest one’s head to a reflection of class, virtue, and self. During this term, we will explore the evolving concept of home through key pieces of Western art, examining the interiors they represent, the design movements they belong to, and the social context of these environments.