Assignment
"A historical period is a construction. Periods don't just happen; still less are they given ‘objectively' in the historical record... On the contrary, a periodization is not so much true or false, as a reading, a way of making sense of complex data; periodizations serve the needs and desires of those who make and use them." -- James Webster, "Between Enlightenment and Romanticism in Music History: ‘First Viennese Modernism' and the Delayed Nineteenth Century," in 19th Century Music, vol. 25, nos. 2-3 (2001-02), p. 110.
In music history, the hundred-year span from 1750 to 1850 has traditionally been split in half, consisting of a Classical period in the late eighteenth century, followed by a Romantic period. Some recent scholarship, however, has questioned the logic of this divide. Citing the similarities and continuities between what happened in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, scholars have argued that it might be more useful to think of these periods as thoroughly interconnected, rather than thinking of them as representing substantially different musical traditions.
Read pp. 109-115 of James Webster's article and write a brief essay (750 to 1000 words, longer is fine) in which you share your thoughts on the continuing usefulness of a Classic-Romantic divide. It is your choice to defend or reject the traditional division, or even to propose a new way of thinking about how the period from 1750 to 1850 works as a whole. There is no right or wrong answer. You will be evaluated on how well you present and defend your ideas, and on the accuracy of your evidence.
Your essay should address the following:
o How can periodization be useful to us now? Respond to some of the points raised in James Webster's article, and explain to what ends you think our period divisions should work.
o How, specifically, does music from late eighteenth century compare to that from the early nineteenth century? Discuss at least three musical examples in detail, commenting both on specific musical features and the cultural contexts that helped shape them. Feel free to include relevant material from the primary sources discussed in lecture where appropriate.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
o The answer should be typed, using Times New Roman font (size 12), double spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides.
o The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
o Also include a reference page. The Citations and references must follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.