Great works: Brahms' Requiem

City Lit

Course

In London

£ 39 VAT inc.

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Description

  • Type

    Course

  • Location

    London

  • Start date

    Different dates available

Brahms’s Requiem is an anomaly amongst works of this kind, set to a collection of Biblical texts of his own choosing. The work is intimately connected with his own personal experience (the death of his mother, and the predictions of his greatness issued by Robert Schumann when Brahms was still a very young man). In time, though, the piece came to have significance not only for its composer, but as a work embodying national pride in the newly-emerging German Empire. We will consider these interweaving strands, and the ways in which Brahms combines carefully chosen scriptural fragments with innovative – and ancient – compositional techniques.

Facilities

Location

Start date

London
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Keeley Street, Covent Garden, WC2B 4BA

Start date

Different dates availableEnrolment now open

About this course

- List some of the key influences on Brahms’s choral-orchestral style
- Outline the gradual development of the piece
- Identify the key themes of Brahms’s chosen texts
- Summarise the importance of this work for Brahms’s own career, and a particular take on German nationalism.

All classes, learning materials and online resources are included in the price. Those who wish to continue their learning outside the classes will be offered suggestions for further reading and listening, but this is not compulsory in order to complete the course.

You will need to bring paper and writing implements to take notes and participate fully in group activities. All presentation material and class handouts will also be made accessible in digital format.

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Subjects

  • Works

Course programme

- Brahms’s earlier choral works and his experiences with choirs
- Biographical connections with the work, including the death of Brahms’s mother
- The development of the piece over many years, and the Renaissance and Baroque techniques it uses
- Early reception of the piece and its connection with the emergence of the German Empire.

Each class will involve a combination of spoken presentations from the tutor, recorded and live musical examples, and class discussion and activities. These will include tasks for pairs and small groups, whole-class discussions and individual activities. There will be some small tasks to complete between classes (usually brief reading and/or listening tasks), and all materials for these – such as video links and texts – will be made available online.

Additional information

To find out more about music appreciation classes and to read some of our recommendations, please see the blog post Music history and appreciation: the 2018/19 programme which lists our full programme of classes listed by term, and by day of the week. You may then click on each title to read the full course outline. General information and advice on courses at City Lit is available from the Student Centre and Library on Monday to Friday from 12:00 – 19:00. See the course guide for term dates and further details

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Great works: Brahms' Requiem

£ 39 VAT inc.

The best Other Education courses

See all

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