The Strauss family and their Vienna

Transcription

1 The Strauss family and their Vienna Start date 10 January 2014 End date 12 January 2014 Venue Madingley Hall Madingley Cambridge Tutor Dr Robert Letellier Course code 1314NRX080 Director of Programmes Dr Tim London For further information on this course, please contact Linda Fisher, Academic Programme Manager on Liz Williams, Programme Administrator on To book See: or telephone Tutor biography Robert Ignatius Letellier was educated in Grahamstown, Cambridge, Salzburg, Rome and Jerusalem. He is a member of Trinity College (Cambridge), the Meyerbeer Institute Schloss Thurnau (University of Bayreuth), the Salzburg Centre for Research in the Early English Novel (University of Salzburg), the Maryvale Institute (Birmingham), and a panel tutor of the Institute of Continuing Education (University of Cambridge). He began lecturing at Madingley Hall in 2004, since when he has presented some 17 courses in music, literature and cultural history. His publications number over 70 items, including books and articles on the late-seventeenth-, eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century novel (particularly the Gothic Novel and Sir Walter Scott), the Bible, and European culture. He has specialized in the Romantic opera, especially the work of Giacomo Meyerbeer (a four-volume English edition of his diaries, critical studies, and two analyses of the operas). He has also written on Daniel-François-Esprit Auber, the Opéra-Comique, Ludwig Minkus and the Romantic Ballet. University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education, Madingley Hall, Cambridge, CB23 8AQ

2 Course Programme: Friday 10 January 2014 Please plan to arrive between 16:30 and 18:30. You can meet other course members in the bar which opens at 18:15. Tea and coffee making facilities are available in the study bedrooms. 19:00 Dinner 20:30 22:00 Vienna and the heritage of the Congress of Vienna (1815) 22:00 Terrace bar open for informal discussion Saturday 11 January :00 Breakfast 09:00 10:30 The dance traditions and early dance masters 10:30 Coffee 11:00 12:30 The Strauss family 13:00 Lunch 14:00 Free 16:00 Tea 16:30 18:00 Franz Joseph and Vienna after 1848 (the Year of Revolutions) and 1867 (the Ausgleich 19:00 Dinner 20:30 22:00 Johann Strauss the Younger and the Viennese Operetta 22:00 Terrace bar open for informal discussion Sunday 08:00 Breakfast 09:00 10:30 Vienna and the Ruby Jubilee (1888) 10:30 Coffee 11:00 12:30 The Viennese Legacy 12:45 Lunch The course will disperse after lunch

3 Course syllabus Aims: 1. To consider the role, artistry and legacy of the Strauss family 2. To consider the city of Vienna and its political-cultural role during the 19 th and early 20 th centuries 3. To consider the Habsburg family, especially the Emperor Franz Joseph, and his role in the history of Vienna Content: The city of Vienna is forever associated with The Blue Danube, the most famous composition by Johann Strauss the Younger, the Waltz King. Coming at the climax of every New Year s Day Concert, this piece focuses on the composer and his milieu, both his family and city. The music he wrote for the social life of the Habsburg capital (waltzes, galops, marches, quadrilles, operettas) made his music a cypher for the very soul of the city which itself was becoming one of the most glamorous places in the world because of the huge transformations that took place under the Emperor Franz Joseph ( ), whose long reign captures one of the most exciting and culturally rich periods in history. Johann Strauss was ably assisted by other members of the family begun by his father, Johann Strauss the Elder, especially his younger brothers Josef and Eduard whose music also helped to create the Viennese legend and symbolize a whole era. This course considers the musical contribution of the Strauss dynasty in the context of the huge cultural and historical heritage of the Austrian capital. Presentation of the course: The course will be taught by lecture, with class discussion. Music on CD will be a constant feature of presentation, with some DVD of operetta performances and pertinent films. A special feature of the course will be the regular viewing of the series The Strauss Family (Grenada 1972, produced by Cecil Clarke and written by David Reid). Outcomes: 1. Greater knowledge of the history and cultural heritage of the city of Vienna 2. New perception of the work and legacy of the Strauss family 3. Greater understanding of the genre of dance music and operetta, its innate worth and cultural significance 4. Fuller understanding of the role and importance f the Habsburg family, esp. the Emperor Franz Joseph, in the history of Vienna, Austria-Hungary and modern Europe 5. Greater fluency in discussing musical, literary and cultural concepts, and in applying a comparative understanding to the interaction of the arts with social and political history

4 As a result of the course, within the constraints of the time available, students should be able to: 1. Better understand the nature, history and significance of the city of Vienna and its contribution to European culture 2. Develop fuller knowledge of the Strauss family and their enduring place in the musical life of the world 3. Develop the ability to explore and articulate cross-disciplinary analysis and appreciation

5 Reading and resources list Listed below are a number of texts that might be of interest for future reference, but do not need to be bought (or consulted) for the course. Author Title Publisher and date Bailey, George The Strauss Family, The Era of the Great Waltz London: Pan Books, 1972 Beller, Steven A Concise History of Austria Cambridge UP, 2006 Fantel, Hans Johann Strauss Father and Son and Their Era Newton Abbott, 1971 Grun, Bernard Gold and Silver: The Life and Times of Franz Lehar London: W H Allen, 1970 Hughes, Gervase Composers of Operetta London: Macmillan, 1962 McGuigan, Dorothy Gies The Habsburgs London: W H Allen, 1966 McGuigan, Dorothy Gies Metternich and the Duchess New York: Doubleday 1975 Mailer, F Josef Strauss London: Pergamon Press, 1985 Marek, George The Eagles Die: Franz Joseph, Elisabeth and their Austria London: Hart-Davis, 1974 Morton, Frederic A Nervous Splendour, Vienna 1888/1889 Penguin, 1979 Traubner, Richard Operetta: a Theatrical History New York, 1983 Warrack, John and Ewan West The Oxford Dictionary of Opera Oxford, 1992 Wiegel, Hans and Ernst Hausner Wien Vienna and Munich: Jugend und Volk, 1977 Note Students of the Institute of Continuing Education are entitled to 20% discount on books published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) which are purchased at the Press bookshop, 1 Trinity Street, Cambridge (Mon-Sat 9am 5:30pm, Sun 11am 5pm). A letter or confirming acceptance on to a current Institute course should be taken as evidence of enrolment. Information correct as of November 2013