MUSO 099-03: COMMONS SEMINAR
Classical Musicians’ Biopics: Theorizing Musicians’ Biographies (Fall 2008)
Sundays, 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm, Stambaugh 107 (Includes film screening and discussion time)Assessment of representative musical biopics, including the popular “Amadeus” and “Immortal Beloved,” costume dramas like “Farinelli,” and classicizing stories like “Impromptu” and movies depicting the Schumann household. Discussions will center on questions of veracity and metaphor, depictions of creativity, the evocation of the historical moment, and the dialogue between author and audience in the construction of historical biography.
Professor Cyrus: Blair Rm 2104; 322-7693 or msg 322-7651; home phone 646-2516 (please don't call after 9 p.m.)
E-mail address: cynthia.cyrus@vanderbilt.edu
Office Hours Mon 11-12, Thurs 8:30-9:30 and by appointment
Course details to follow. Current description from the Commons Seminar brochure: The popularity of “Amadeus” and “Immortal Beloved” and their sometimes egregious disregard of the truth make them a logical launching point for a semester devoted to exploring films that purport to be biographical representations of musicians. We’ll consider such films from a variety of angles, including veracity, metaphor, and the way in which creativity – and particularly musical creativity – comes to be portrayed. We will situate each film in its historical moment, and examine the way in which audience expectation shapes and sometimes limits the techniques available to the production team. Over the course of the semester, we will also consider various sub-genres: the more traditionally documentary, biographical romance, the costume drama, the child-friendly, and the madly creative. The semester’s agenda is to take on ten films; class time each week will include both a screening and discussion of the week’s film. Grades will be based on discussion, presentations, and a paper. Credit: 1 semester hour
Representative Repertoire (in order of chronological focus):
- Dangerous Beauty (1997) [Veronica Franco]
- Tous les Matins du Monde (1991) [Marin Marais]
- Le Roi Danse (2000) [Lully]
- Farinelli (1995)
- Amadeus (1984) [Mozart / Salieri]
- Beethoven Lives Upstairs (1992)
- Immortal Beloved (1994) [Beethoven]
- Beethoven’s Nephew (1985)
- Impromptu (1991) [Chopin]
- A Song to Remember (1945) [Chopin]
- Song of Love (1947) [Clara Schumann et al.]
- Spring Symphony (1983) [Clara Schumann et al.]
- Song without End (1960) [Liszt]
- Lisztomania (1975)
- Russell's The Music Lovers (1970) [Tchaikowsky]
- Russell’s Mahler (1974)
- The Red Violin (1998) [Various]