Cardiff Centre of Lifelong Learning

http://choices.cardiff.ac.uk/choices/show_full.php?list=2&course_code=MAP08A4335B&subject_area=26

£68.50 (Reduced £55.00)

Geraint Lewis
Masters of the modern English Renaissance and two composers of genius : one a self-taught piano-tuner's son from provincial Worcester and the other a great-nephew of Charles Darwin who enjoyed a silver-spooned upbringing and education. This course will compare and contrast the composers of Pomp and Circumstance and The Lark Ascending.

* 10 weekly meetings
* Thursdays 2:15 pm to 4:15 pm
* Starting 23rd Apr 2009
* Adult Training Centre, The Highway Croesyceiliog , Cwmbran
* 10 Credits, Level 1,
* MAP08A4335B

Course Description
Masters of the modern English Renaissance and two composers of genius — one a self-taught piano-tuner's son from provincial Worcester and the other a great-nephew of Charles Darwin who enjoyed a silver-spooned upbringing and education. This course compares and contrasts the composers of Pomp and Circumstance and The Lark Ascending. Topics under discussion include:

* Elgar's and Vaughan Williams's early life and formative musical experiences.
* The influence of European music and the beginnings of an English Musical Renaissance, including folksong.
* The first great compositions, including Elgar's 'Enigma Variations and Vaughan Williams's Tallis Fantasia, and an exploration of their mature works.
* The course also considers the extent to which the composers' characters and personalities had an effect on their music, their relationship to British Imperialism and notions of 'Englishness', their musical legacy, and what their music means to us today.

Who is this course for?
Anyone who is interested in music and who would like to know more about Edward Elgar and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Learning and Teaching
Learning and teaching are undertaken by means of lectures illustrated at the keyboard and through use of CDs and DVDs. From time to time, scores of the music under consideration are made available and, occasionally, historical documentation, the aim being to stimulate students into discussion and debate, and further exploration.

Coursework and Assessment
To award credits we need to have evidence of the knowledge and skills you have gained or improved. Some of this has to be in a form that can be shown to external examiners so that we can be absolutely sure that standards are met across all courses and subjects.

It goes without saying that students' understanding of the music studied in a course is usually considerably enhanced if they read and write about it. You will not have a formal examination but you will be asked to produce some written work. This need not be an essay: it can take the form of a course journal, portfolio, presentation, or a class test. Our assessments are flexible to suit the course and the student.

The most important element of assessment is that it should enhance your learning. Our methods are designed to increase your confidence and we try very hard to devise ways of assessing you that are enjoyable and suitable for adults with busy lives.

Reading suggestions
For this course, the following books are recommended:

* Frogley, A: Vaughan Williams Studies (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996)
* Grimley, D, and Rushton, J (eds.): The Cambridge Companion to Elgar (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004)
* Harper-Scott, JPE: Elgar: An Extraordinary Life (London: ABRSM Publishing, 2007)
* Hughes, M, and Stradling, R: The English musical Renaissance, 1840-1940: Constructing a National Music, 2nd ed. (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2001)
* Kennedy, M: The Works of Ralph Vaughan Williams, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2002)
* Kennedy, M: The Life of Edward Elgar (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004)
* McVeagh, D, et al.: The New Grove Twentieth-Century English Masters: Elgar, Delius, Vaughan Williams, Holst, Walton, Tippett, Britten (London: MacMillan, 1986)

The course tutor will suggest other titles, as appropriate.