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CS92PROD
Music History Seen From Keyboard Instruments
MUSC 105
Spring 2020 not offered

Most composers, from the earliest to the present, write keyboard music.

Invented by the ancient Greeks the pipe organ is the oldest keyboard instrument. Various plucked-string instruments, such as the harpsichord, were perfected in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. At first keyboard music spread slowly around the globe with these hand-crafted instruments. Because they are relatively easily transported harpsichords were shipped home by travelers and sent abroad as gifts. Pipe organs which are more expensive and cumbersome were sent first to the Americas by the Spanish in the 17th century and to the near and far east by others, such as an 18th century English organ sent to the Ottoman Sultan. As the 19th century progressed piano manufacturing evolved and increased and it became an expected piece of living room furniture, which coincided with mass-produced musical scores. Both developments allowed music-making to be accessible to larger numbers of people than previous eras. The advent of radio and other mass-media in the 20th century brought the musical saturation we think normal today. After 1970 electronic keyboard overtook pianos in numbers.

Students will be encouraged to use their keyboards as we explore this broad, still growing repertoire.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA MUSC
Course Format: Lecture / DiscussionGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (MUSC)

Last Updated on MAR-28-2024
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