| Unit name | Urban Soundscapes: Music in the English City, 1800-1900 (Optional split-level history unit) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MUSI20134 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Emeritus Professor. Banfield |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Music |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Soundscape studies, that is, understanding of the acoustic environment, are a developing field applicable to many disciplines, from urban planning to diasporic histories. They can map the ecology of the future or the ecology of the past, but although their exploration in 19th-century literature is well advanced, they have not yet been comprehensively applied to 19th-century music. Here is a course that will do so. You will explore the sounds of your home town, of Bristol, of London, one hundred, two hundred years ago; of how composers have represented the 19th-century city in their works. You will discover new ways of dividing up the world of music, away from those tired labels 'popular' and 'classical'. You will discover how to make 19th-century newspapers tell a story; and you will be at the cutting edge of research.
