The Great Courses
Author
Series
US Constitution through History volume 10
Language
English
Description
Although Abraham Lincoln was not elected as an abolitionist president, the era's tension between North and South boiled over into the Civil War shortly after his election. Here, reflect on the many constitutional questions posed by the war, from the right of habeas corpus to the legality (or illegality) of secession.
Author
Series
Great Music of the 20th Century volume 9
Language
English
Description
The 1920s saw both an explosion of new compositional languages and a conservative backlash against modernism. Follow the fortunes of Stravinsky, as he created a new ballet score for Diaghilev, incorporating themes from the Baroque composer Pergolesi. In Pulcinella, see how Stravinsky's ingenious treatment of the score created a neo-Classic musical hybrid of astonishing modernist sensibility.
Author
Series
US Constitution through History volume 2
Language
English
Description
When war broke out between England and the American colonies, the Continental Congress drafted the Articles of Confederation, a loose framework by which the colonies could be governed as a nation-state. Reflect on the origins of this system, as well as its inability to deal with economic, military, and diplomatic crises of the day.
Author
Series
US Constitution through History volume 22
Language
English
Description
In another swing of the pendulum, the progressive movement of civil rights and women's equality in the mid-20th century gave way to religious revival and a conservative backlash in the 1980s. Dive into the Reagan era and the new battle for control over the Supreme Court.
Author
Series
Great Music of the 20th Century volume 15
Language
English
Description
Learn how the advent of musical synthesizers and the tape recorder gave rise to both electronic music (using sounds created electronically) and musique concrète (manipulating real sounds with a tape recorder). Witness how Ultraserialism developed within Europe, leading paradoxically to hyper-complex music which in performance sounded random - a fatal problem for listener comprehension.
Author
Series
Great Music of the 20th Century volume 2
Language
English
Description
Examine historical and social factors that influenced 20th-century composers' abandonment of tradition and obsession with originality. Then learn about the influence of 19th-century German art on the French, and the new French nationalism in music that followed the Franco-Prussian War. Take a first look at Claude Debussy, whose revolutionary music created a new musical syntax.
Author
Series
US Constitution through History volume 15
Language
English
Description
African Americans had made gains during Reconstruction, but that era came to an end when white Southerners seized control of state governments. Here, shift your attention to the myriad state laws that enacted formal racial segregation and disenfranchised African American voters. Then, reflect on discrimination faced by American immigrants and women.
Author
Series
Great Music of the 20th Century volume 17
Language
English
Description
Delve into the singular aesthetic philosophy behind Stravinsky's neoclassic music, in which he describes his compositional process as purely formal and objective. Learn about Stravinsky's relocation to the United States, and how in his seventies he turned to writing 12-tone music. Grasp how his last major work, Requiem Canticles, functions as a musical retrospective of his career.
Author
Series
US Constitution through History volume 4
Language
English
Description
After the Philadelphia Convention approved the new Constitution, at least nine states needed to ratify it. Travel the new nation in the late 18th century to see how different states viewed a new federal government—and why so many states ultimately voted to ratify the Constitution.
Author
Series
Great Music of the 20th Century volume 19
Language
English
Description
The cultural environment of California produced some of the most original musical thinkers of the 20th century. First encounter Henry Cowell and Lou Harrison, composers of astonishing eclecticism whose works incorporated non-Western musical forms. Also meet John Cage and Morton Feldman, whose "indeterminate" music introduced new conceptions of unpredictability and a non-directional sense of time.
Author
Series
Great Music of the 20th Century volume 8
Language
English
Description
Here, take the measure of the Viennese triumvirate of Schoenberg and his students Alban Berg and Anton Webern, who advanced a historically new, non-tonal music. Delve into the most representative work of this era, Schoenberg's song cycle Pierrot Lunaire, and experience Schoenberg's stunning compositional language. Investigate the extraordinary works and contributions of Berg and Webern.
Author
Series
US Constitution through History volume 24
Language
English
Description
The American experiment continues. Despite more than two centuries of debates, disagreements, reforms, and setbacks, Americans continue to push for change. In our present age, the political divide and media noise arguably pose a unique threat to the Constitution. What happens next? Will we continue the search for a more perfect union?
Author
Series
US Constitution through History volume 9
Language
English
Description
Disagreement over slavery divided the country along sectional lines. In the infamous Dred Scott decision, the Supreme Court ruled that a person of African descent could not be a citizen. Dive into the rising tensions of the 19th century that culminated in secession and war.
Author
Series
US Constitution through History volume 6
Language
English
Description
The size and scope of the national government has been at the heart of American political debates for centuries—and this debate has been part of the country's dialogue since the beginning. Here, consider Alexander Hamilton's argument for the central bank's role in paying debts and setting the economic direction for the country.
Author
Series
Great Music of the 20th Century volume 14
Language
English
Description
Following the horrors of World War II, note how many composers sought to create music that was purged of the past, based in intellectual and scientific rigor. Investigate Ultraserialism, a compositional system in which nearly every musical element is organized "serially," as musical pitch is in the 12-Tone Method. Experience American Ultraserialism in the brilliant works of Milton Babbitt.
Author
Series
US Constitution through History volume 17
Language
English
Description
Today, we think of the First Amendment as offering nearly unlimited free speech, but when you step back 100 years, you see surprising restrictions on speech. Here, go back to World War I and explore the Supreme Court's most important early decisions on freedom of speech.
Author
Series
Great Music of the 20th Century volume 20
Language
English
Description
In approaching minimalism, trace the development of rock 'n' roll, and its integral impact on both American musical culture and 20th-century concert music. Grasp the musical ethos of minimalism - its rhythmic pulse, cyclical patterning and melodies, and hypnotic drive - through the groundbreaking works of the "triumvirate" of the style: Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass.
Author
Series
Great Music of the 20th Century volume 24
Language
English
Description
Finally, as a firsthand, contemporary account of one composer's life in music, Professor Greenberg discusses his own professional journey. Trace his performing arts family background, his musical education, career path, and the finding of his voice as a composer. Hear a range of his acclaimed works, highlighting his string quartets, song cycles, and concerti.
Author
Series
Great Music of the 20th Century volume 4
Language
English
Description
In the first of two lectures on this giant of 20th-century music, trace the early life of Stravinsky, the environment in which he grew to maturity, and his musical education and influences. Follow Stravinsky's relationship with the impresario Sergei Diaghilev, their legendary partnership in the ballets The Firebird and Petrushka, and grasp the striking musical originality of those works.
Author
Series
Great Music of the 20th Century volume 1
Language
English
Description
Look first at the goals of this course, as it will explore the principal trends in 20th-century concert music, and the historical issues and events that shaped them. As background, delve into the history of musical notation as it gave rise to composed music, and take account of the upheavals, political and social catastrophes, and paradigm shifts that affected music in the 20th century.