MUSI 004A. Zombie Art?: Why Opera Will Never Die

Do you sometimes enjoy insatiable lust, crazed debauchery, a bit of madness? How about the thrill of revenge, exquisite music and demented theater? If so, then please read on….
This class explores the exhilarating musical, dramatic and cultural tightrope walk that is opera. Before there was Harry Styles there was Farinelli, and way before today’s movement for trans rights there was normalized gender fluidity. We will examine key works from opera’s 400-year history and take a closer look at the unfolding of this deeply human, monumental art form and the forces that have tried, unsuccessfully, to kill it over the last century. This class is intended to demystify what is often seen as an elitist music, and requires no pretentiousness or previous operatic experience.
Humanities.
1 credit.
Spring 2025. Milewski.
Spring 2026. Milewski.
Catalog chapter: Music
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/music

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